Meghan Markle’s Four-Letter Nickname for Kate Middleton Sparked Tension From the Moment They Met
Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle reportedly never really got off on the right foot. Meghan revealed in Netflix’s Harry & Meghan that her behavior may have caused Kate to feel uncomfortable from the start. However, a royal family commentator claims their tension started even before the hug that rocked the royal family after Meghan used a four-letter nickname that reportedly put the Princess of Wales on edge.
Meghan Markle’s use of a four-letter nickname set the tone for her friendship with Kate Middleton
Reportedly, Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton’s friendship got off to a tough start after the women never appeared to find common ground. The Telegraph‘s Camilla Tominey shared that Meghan Markle’s use of a four-letter nickname for the then Duchess of Cambridge was the start.
Prince Harry revealed in Spare that when he first introduced Meghan to his brother, Prince William, Kate remained in the garden, playing with the children. Because of this, “Meghan always pointedly insisted on calling the Princess of Wales ‘Kate’ even though the rest of the family referred to her as ‘Catherine.'”
Meghan’s version of their first meeting was different than Tominey’s version. She claims that she, William, Kate, and Harry were together at Nottingham Cottage. Harry also didn’t cite discord between the women in an interview with the BBC.
“Even when Will and Kate came over, and I had met her for the first time. They came for dinner, I remember I was in ripped jeans, and I was barefoot. I was a hugger, always been a hugger. I didn’t realize that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits,” the Duchess of Sussex alleges.
During their engagement interview with the BBC, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle discussed their relationship. Harry claimed, “I’d been seeing [Meghan] for a period of time when I literally didn’t tell anybody at all. And then William was longing to meet her, and so was Catherine.
He continued, “So, you know, being our neighbors, we managed to get that in a couple of—well, quite a few times now, and Catherine has been absolutely amazing.” Meghan added, “She’s been wonderful.”
Was a row over bridesmaids dresses the tipping point in Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle’s relationship?
For The Telegraph, Camilla Tominey wrote that it wasn’t just the oft-spoke-about row over a dress that soured Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle’s relationship. Reportedly the women clashed at Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid’s dress fitting.
However, it appears Meghan’s behavior during the Royal Foundation Forum was a significant “pinch point” between the women. “According to an insider with knowledge of the engagement, Meghan seemed uncomfortable having to play ‘second fiddle’ to William and Kate so publicly as the superior royals in the palace hierarchy.”
“I think there was always a sense that Meghan felt she was a self-made woman. Whereas Kate hadn’t had her career,” Tominey wrote.
The source continued, per Tominey, “She seemed to feel like she had more of a right to speak than her sister-in-law, who had married into the family as an unknown, whereas Meghan regarded herself as a philanthropist who could teach the royals a thing or two about charity. I think she found it difficult that the Royal Foundation was already a well-oiled machine by the time she got there.”
Other moments between the women defined what was alleged to be a frosty relationship
The Telegraph alleged that before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding preparations, Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, flew to London. However, Doria was never introduced to William and Kate – despite the Prince and Princess repeatedly asking to meet her.
The Sussexes were reportedly upset when Kate’s sister, Pippa Middleton, declined to invite them to her wedding to James Matthews in May 2017. Reportedly, Pippa feared Meghan would upstage the evening, but she later invited the couple to the evening reception.
The article mentions Meghan’s unhappiness at living at Harry’s Nottingham Cottage apartment while William and Kate lived in Apartment 1A in Kensington Palace. However, William and Kate used Nottingham Cottage as their London residence after their marriage from 2011 to 2013.
“She was constantly competing with Kate,” said one observer, as reported by The Telegraph. They commented, “Whatever she had, she wanted more.”
Neither the Princess of Wales nor Meghan Markle have commented on the details mentioned above shared by The Telegraph.
