Meghan Markle Left ‘Disappointed’ When She Met & Realised Who Kate Middleton Was - Kate Once Made Her Cry

• Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton had a strained relationship that lasted for months.
• Meghan once clarified that Kate made her cry in 2018 and not the other way around.
• Harry and his wife aren't close with the Royal Family but still attended the Queen's funeral.

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, remains one of the most famous figures in the world. Over the years, her popularity has stemmed from being an accomplished former American actress and her involvement with the royal family since her marriage to Prince Harry.

Her time in the royal family was marred with controversies and disputes with various senior royals, including Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge. Here's everything to know about Meghan, her marriage, and her relationship with members of the royal family.

Meghan and Prince Harry’s Love Story

In 2017, Meghan and Prince Harry had their first joint interview, where they shed light on many issues, including how they met. It may be shocking to most, but the facts remain that the couple first met through a mutual friend, Violet von Westenholz.

Violet has been Prince Harry's childhood friend, and on the other hand, she crossed paths with Meghan during the former's public relations work with fashion house Ralph Lauren. But, according to a source, before the couple met, Prince Harry had issues finding the perfect partner.

It is believed that meeting Meghan was one of the best things that happened to Prince Harry. However, before the duo crossed paths, English Journalist Andrew Morton revealed that the Duke of Sussex struggled with anger issues which he overcame when they met.

Soon enough, Prince Harry was ready to introduce her to his family. Before Meghan met her boyfriend's grandmother, she had to learn how to do something that she thought was only reserved for the general public.

Meghan Meets the Royal Family

Several times, Prince Harry has been vocal about how he was smitten by Meghan's beauty when he first saw her. Also, he was always intentional about their relationship from the start. The Duke of Sussex proved how serious he was about Markle when he introduced her to his father, King Charles, two months after they started dating.

Not long after, he introduced her to the royal family, including the late Queen Elizabeth II. Meghan met the Monarch at the Royal Lodge after finishing a church service. Before the big meeting, the former actress and Prince Harry did a run-through on how to curtsy to the Queen.

During their car ride to meet with the royal, Harry asked his girlfriend if she knew how to curtsy. Since she hadn't expected that requirement, when they were outside of the church, she, with the help of Harry and his relatives, practiced how to curtsy.

Eventually, the rehearsals paid off when Meghan finally met the Queen. First, she performed a "very deep curtsy," and afterward, they sat and chatted easily and she said it was lovely. Despite meeting the royal family, Meghan and Harry remained discreet about their relationship for months.

When they finally went public, the couple received a ton of backlash. There were also rumors that the Prince's brother, Prince William, did not support his decision to be vocal about the relationship.

However, Prince William debunked the rumors in a statement saying he understood the situation and supported his brother. Apart from the Duke of Wales, many other people supported Harry and Meghan's relationship, including the latter's family.

Sadly, rumors revealed that there was one person in Harry's life who didn't quite get along with his new girlfriend. That person happened to be the royal's sister-in-law and his older brother's wife.

Inside Meghan and Kate’s Rift

After being introduced to the Royal Family, Meghan's relationship with some members blossomed, but the same could not be said of her relationship with Kate Middleton, Prince William's wife. Insiders believed that they did not get along because they were very different.

However, in "Finding Freedom," Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie's biography, it was revealed that the Duchess' problems began when they met. When Meghan first met Princess Kate, the book alleged that she was left displeased because she realized the latter was "an extremely guarded person."

Also, the book claimed that Kate had a group of friends, which made it difficult for her to befriend Harry's girlfriend. Meghan was also allegedly left feeling "disappointed" that she and the Princess failed to bond over their shared positions.

A source claimed that Kate didn't think they had similarities except for the fact that they both lived in Kensington Palace. The tension between the duo grew even more significant to the point that Meghan publicly claimed Kate once brought her to tears.

However, the Duchess of Sussex also explained that William's wife apologized for her actions with flowers. It was a relief to see the pair finally getting along with Kate's children being a catalyst for peace.

How Did Kate and Meghan Once Mend Their Relationship?

To date, many wonder why Meghan and Kate decided to put their differences aside. The answer is that the pair allegedly established a relationship due to Meghan's love for Kate's children, especially Princess Charlotte.

During the early stages of Prince Harry and Meghan's relationship, the couple lived close to the Wales. Staying close allowed Meghan to spend quality time with Charlotte and her brothers.

Meghan and Kate are closer than before and hope that their relationship will be rekindled.

With time, the former actress established a close bond with the children and it made Kate and Meghan resolve their issues and heal their relationship. Even after Meghan and Harry's wedding, she and Kate appeared to be relating better.

They were spotted together, full of smiles and laughter at the 2018 Royal Family Christmas Day church service at St. Mary Magdalene Church. However, the tension between Meghan and Kate looked mild compared to what would happen next.

The Rift between the Sussexes and the Royal Family

In January 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left the world in shock when they announced their decision to step back from their roles as senior royals. The couple said they decided after reflecting and discussing internally for several months.

The news came as a shock, especially to the Royal Family, who were allegedly not informed. Harry and Meghan's decision greatly strained their relationship with the Royal Family. However, two months later, the Wales and the Sussexes reunited for the latter's final engagement as working royals.

Since stepping down from her role, Meghan has spoken extensively about her experiences with the Royal Family. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the now mother of two recalled how tabloids claimed she once made Kate cry.

Meghan cleared the air when she revealed that it was the other way around with Kate being the one who made her cry a few days before her wedding. She explained that while her 2018 wedding preparations happened, she and Kate had a dispute over flower girl dresses.

The confrontation made Meghan cry as her feelings were hurt. Harry's wife explained that she wasn't revealing the truth to make Kate look bad but to show how she wasn't protected by the Royal Family.

However, she said she forgave the Princess, who apologized, after having gotten upset about something else. The duo appeared to get on very well and was often spotted together, including during the 2019 tennis championships in Wimbledon.

But during the Oprah interview, Meghan gave a somewhat surprising reply to a question regarding the 2019 moment she was spotted talking with Kate. Oprah asked the former actress if the picture "was what it looked like" and if they were getting to know each other better with Kate welcoming Meghan into the Royal Family.

Apart from her issues with William's wife, Meghan also recounted her problem with the late Queen. A source alleged that Prince Harry's wife once asked him to persuade the Queen to give them private rooms in Windsor Castle.

Instead, she gave Meghan and her husband a wing in Frogmore Cottage, which left them isolated from everyone. After the couple's Oprah interview went viral, they felt more comfortable speaking their truths. In August 2022, Meghan explained how the Royal Family had a system where if a royal wanted to release photos of their child they first had to hand them over to "the Royal Rota” or the UK media pool.

She wasn't keen on following the system by giving them her first child's photos because in the past they'd described the boy with a derogatory and racist name by the British media. Meghan was expected to share images with the Royal Rota before her own loved ones saw the child, and she refused. Since the Sussexes' choice to step down, things between them and the rest of the royals haven't been great.

Have the Relationships Been Mended?

Despite Meghan's alleged encounter with the late Queen, she and her husband reportedly continued to share a great relationship with the Monarch. They named their second child and daughter Lilibet, a pet name of the Queen.

On the other hand, King Charles once praised his son's work on climate change in an essay for Newsweek. Hopefully, it could be the turning point of their relationship. Regarding the Sussexes and Wales, their relationship has been strained since the big announcement.

However, according to an insider, Meghan and Kate are closer than before and hope that their relationship will be rekindled. Meanwhile, Meghan does not want fans to take sides between herself and Kate. Hopefully, fans heed her words while she tries to sort out her relationships with the Royal Family members. Sadly, when the Queen was close to passing on, Meghan opted not to go.

Why Did Meghan Not Go With Harry to See the Queen before Her Death?

In early September 2022, the palace announced that the Queen was being medically supervised, with doctors showing concern for her wellbeing. Senior Royal Family members, the Queen's children, and her grandchildren rushed to be by her side.

Even Harry came to his grandmother's Scottish Highlands estate; however, his wife stayed behind in London. A BBC royal correspondent speculated that Meghan chose not to attend because she was concerned about not being “warmly welcomed” by other family members.

In the book "Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story," it was revealed that the Royal Family gathered in the palace after the Queen's death to welcome her there for the last time. After the ceremony, everyone enjoyed dinner together.

The Wales appeared to offer an olive branch when they invited the Sussexes to include their car in their police escort when they traveled since they were all going back to Windsor. On September 8, 2022, The Royal Family's social media page announced the Queen's death.

It revealed that the Monarch died peacefully that afternoon at her beloved Balmoral estate. During the Queen's funeral, Meghan attended wearing some jewelry to honor the Monarch.

Harry's wife wore diamond and pearl earrings that the late Queen had gifted her. The late royal presented Meghan with the earrings in 2018 in honor of their first solo joint outing on the royal train to Cheshire. In more recent news, Kate is unwell.

On January 17, 2024, the Wales' joint Instagram account released a statement revealing that Kate was admitted to a hospital the day before. They shared that she'd gone in for a planned abdominal operation which was a success.

However, the Princess was set to remain at the hospital for ten to fourteen days before being discharged to continue her recovery at home. She wasn't expected in the limelight performing her royal duties until after Easter.