Kate Middleton ‘is totally different to opinionated Meghan Markle’

As the Fab Four officially split a royal expert has shed light on why a partnership between an “opinionated” Meghan and Kate would never work.

Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton are extremely different, and the Duchess of Cambridge would not be “well-known” without Prince William, a royal commentator has claimed.

Duncan Larcombe said their contrasting backgrounds could be a reason for the Sussexes breaking away from the charity they share with the Cambridges.

Kensington Palace confirmed today that the Royal Foundation will be divided between the Sussexes and Cambridges as the couples focus on their own separate charitable endeavours.

Speaking to The Sun, Duncan said: “They (Prince Harry and Meghan) are actively trying to create their own team.

“Kate fell into the royal family over a long period of time. Who would Kate be without Prince William? She certainly wouldn’t be well-known.

“Meghan without Harry would have been well-known, so she’s bound to have more opinions about her PR, how they promote themselves as a couple, what they do with their kids.”

The royal commentator said that given Meghan’s background as a Hollywood celebrity, she’s keen to take control of her public image, and doesn’t want to take a back seat — unlike Kate, 37.

Kate and Meghan couldn’t be more different. Picture: Richard Pohle / POOL / AFP.

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Obviously some of the differences between the royal brides are because Kate met William when they were teenage students while Meghan was a divorced 35-year-old when she met Harry.

Kate Middleton famously met Prince William when they were both studying at St Andrew’s University in 2001, and she was around the age of 19.

After graduating, she worked for her parents’ company Party Pieces, and also interned at Jigsaw, before the lovebirds finally tied the knot in 2011.

Meanwhile, then-Hollywood actress Meghan met Harry much later when she was 35 in 2016.

Thanks to her acting, she was worth around $6.97 million at the time, and the high-profile pair enjoyed secret dates at the likes of Soho House, arranged by her celebrity pals.

Duncan added: “Meghan is no shrinking violet, she’s not going to sit back and take Harry’s lead on everything.

“She had a million followers on Instagram before she met Harry. Kate didn’t. So there’s going to be a difference.”

William and Kate first got together as teenagers. Picture: AP Photo/Michael Dunlea, Pool.

Earlier this month at the Queen’s official birthday celebrations, Trooping the Colour, footage emerged of Prince Harry appearing to sternly tell Meghan Markle to turn around on the balcony.

Duncan speculated that this might not have gone down well with the Duchess of Sussex, 37.

He said: “It was interesting about the lip readers with Harry telling Meghan to turn around on the balcony. Clearly Harry is trying to help Meghan and advise her and ease her in.

“But quite clearly at the same time, Meghan has arrived in the royal family with her own knowledge of the media, her own knowledge of her profile and has clearly been upset by some of the things that have been written about her which historically she would have just responded to or dealt with.

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“The royal way is never complain, never explain. Meghan represents a very new entity within the royal family.”

Duncan said it’s rare for a person to join the royal family with their own profile already established, like Meghan has done.

He added: “Harry has stood on that balcony enough times to know you are supposed to face the front at certain moments.

Meghan met Harry after a long career as an actress and celebrity in her own right. Picture: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images.

“You wonder whether they got back to their 11-bedroom tiny cottage and Harry was told off.”

Duncan also said the Royal Foundation split demonstrates that Meghan and Prince Harry are keen to “do things their own way”.

Royal aides have been quick to point out that it’s not the end for the four of them working on individual projects together.

But it’s a major blow for the Royal Foundation, which Meghan only officially joined after her wedding last May, which had intended to harness the star power of all four.

And it comes after Harry and Meghan broke away from Kate and William’s household at Kensington Palace to establish their own.

William and Harry established the Royal Foundation in 2009 to run all their charitable campaigns and ventures.

Kate then joined when she became Duchess of Cambridge in 2011.

They would often appear as a trio at events, and the Foundation had huge successes with projects like the Invictus Games for injured veterans and the mental health campaign, Heads Together.

This story first appeared in The Sun and has been republished here with permission

Originally published as Kate Middleton ‘is totally different to opinionated Meghan Markle’