They say that comparison is the thief of joy, so spare a thought for Meghan Markle, who currently feels she’s being unfairly compared with the sister-in-law she’ll never live up to. And, while Meghan has grown used to being pitted against Kate Middleton on a global stage, this time it’s personal.
According to insiders, as Prince Harry continues his campaign to ingratiate himself back into the royal family, he’s increasing his tendencies to ‘gush about Kate’ to Meghan. But with the latter feeling more of a pariah than ever in the eyes of the Palace, we’re told she can’t help taking it personally – which is putting even more strain on their marriage.
‘There’s not a day that goes by where Harry doesn’t sing the praises of Kate or talk about how amazing she’s been, going through her illness,’ says an insider close to the Sussexes – who, like the rest of the world, watched Kate’s emotional video last month, in which she announced she had finally completed her chemotherapy treatment and was slowly getting back to royal duties.
‘That’s totally fine by Meghan – she’s just as relieved that Kate’s doing better. But that doesn’t mean she’s got amnesia over everything that happened. The way Kate treated her and made her feel like an outsider isn’t something she can just forget. It was incredibly painful, so to have her husband going on about how perfect Kate is, and how she should take a page out of her handbook, really stings.’
One particular bone of contention, which is apparently sparking new rows between Harry and Meghan, is the fact that he’s made such a turnaround in his attitude towards his family. When they announced their decision to step down as senior royals in 2020, Harry and Meghan presented a totally united front, before doubling down on their unity in joint interviews, in which they expressed their mutual resentment towards the Palace’s treatment of them. Meghan accused Kate of making her cry amid tensions over Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress before her wedding in 2018, while Harry then took their grievances further in his 2023 memoir – accusing his brother of physically attacking him, and adding that Kate had displayed icy and standoffish behaviour towards Meghan.
However, over the past year – amid Kate and King Charles’ respective cancer battles – there has been a noticeable turn in the tide. The Sussexes have quietened their complaints, while Harry has reportedly been upping his efforts to reach out to his estranged relatives.
Harry and Meghan have also, ostensibly, made the decision to separate their professional lives, in response to what was – by all accounts – a massive crash in their popularity. Harry has recently made several solo trips to the UK, and has also visited New York, Lesotho and South Africa for public engagements. Meghan has also branched out alone, attending the LA Children’s Hospital gala on her own in LA earlier this month.
But while they’re keeping up appearances, and refusing to respond to rumours that their personal lives are becoming as separate as their professional lives, insiders say Harry’s change in tack towards the Palace has started to drive a wedge between them. What’s more, the royal family’s birthday tribute to Harry last month – in which they posted a beaming, close-up picture of him – has only inflamed things further. After all, it escaped no one’s attention, not least Meghan’s, that she had been sitting next to Harry when the picture was taken, but hadn’t been included in the post.
In response to the allegations they’d cut Meghan out of the photo, the Palace confirmed the image was not altered, and had been used in the format provided. But, as our source explains, that hasn’t stopped Meghan wondering where she fits into the frame. And Harry’s obsequiousness towards Kate and the rest of the family is only making things worse.
We’re told, ‘Meghan absolutely wants Harry on better terms with his family, but what she isn’t willing to accept is the way he’s suddenly putting Kate and the rest of them on this pedestal. It’s such a shift in attitude, which is why she’s so triggered.'