Inside Meghan Markle’s thorny relationship with Kate Middleton

Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton got off to a great start when the actress started dating Prince Harry, but then things soured.

Rumours of Meghan Markle’s contentious relationship with Prince William’s wife, Kate Middleton, have been swirling since the former Suits actress started dating Prince Harry in 2016.

But the royal record was set straight during Meghan’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this month, with Meghan blaming the press for inventing stories to fuel their sisterly feud and royal insiders for vilifying her.

We’re taking a look back at when the relationship between Meghan and Kate began, how things progressed and where they are now.

Fab-ulous friends

In the very early stages of Meghan and Harry’s relationship, the TV star was immediately welcomed in by the royal family.

Not only was Meghan seen hanging out with the Queen, but she and Harry were spotted at several appearances with William and Kate. At each gathering, the couples looked like a tight-knit family.

The pairs were quickly dubbed the “Fab Four” by the public, with the masses loving their every move.

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The Fab Four in 2017. Picture: Adrian Dennis/AFP

A royal rift begins

However, it didn’t take long for the media to start reporting details of an alleged rift between the women.

In 2017, prior to her engagement to Harry, eyebrows were raised when Meghan was nowhere to be seen at the wedding of Kate’s sister, Pippa Middleton. She reportedly didn’t show up over worries that the press would compare her derrière to the bride’s famous rump.

However, some believe the catalyst for Meghan and Kate’s tension stemmed from their husbands’ quarrels.

Reports claimed that William had doubts that Meghan would be a good fit as Harry’s wife.

And things seemed to heat up after sources claimed that Harry was mad at William for not rolling out the red carpet for Meghan when it was clear she would be joining the royal family.

Prince Harry stands with his fiancee Meghan Markle as she shows off her engagement ring. Picture: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP

The floral feud

Meghan and Kate’s beef in the media seemingly came to a head when reports surfaced that Meghan made Kate cry days before her wedding to Harry over her alleged strict guidelines on what Princess Charlotte could wear as a flower girl.

At the time, reps for the royal family did not deny the claim.

Princess Charlotte waves by her mum at Harry and Meghan’s wedding. Picture: Jane Barlow/AFP

Living for love

The relationship between the couples seemed even more strained when Meghan and Harry decided to move from the grounds of Kensington Palace in 2018, where William and Kate’s apartment is situated, to the Windsor Castle grounds at Frogmore Cottage. At the time, Meghan was pregnant with baby Archie.

Megxit makes a muck

Tensions boiled over between Meghan and Kate when the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry announced they would be leaving their duties as royals in 2020.

Once Harry announced his plans to quit the royal family, his relationship with William suffered, thus distancing their wives from one another even more.

Kate was reportedly “exhausted” from having to take on more royal responsibilities after Megxit was underway, with a source saying at the time, “Kate is furious about the larger workload. Of course she’s smiling and dressing appropriately but she doesn’t want this.”

Meghan and Harry officially left their jobs as senior royals in February 2021. Meghan has since claimed she never planned on resigning from her role but had to for mental health reasons.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in March 2020. Picture: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP

May the best royal Win-frey

Meghan and Harry sat down for a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey days after their exit from the royal family was made official.

During the bombshell interview, Meghan set the record straight on her relationship with Kate.

Meghan claimed that the media inaccurately reported her rift with Kate over flower girl dresses, saying that it was actually Kate who made her cry.

“Everyone in the institution knew it wasn’t true,” Meghan told Oprah, adding she wasn’t sure why no one from the royal family had denied the reports.

Meghan, who revealed she is pregnant with a girl during the interview, also clarified that the ordeal was blown out of proportion.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry with Oprah Winfrey.

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“There wasn’t a confrontation,” she said, adding, “I don’t think it’s fair to her to get into the details because she apologised, and I’ve forgiven her.”

And the two women have apparently buried the hatchet.

“It was a really hard week of the wedding and she was upset about something, but she owned it, and she apologised, and she brought me flowers and a note, apologising,” Meghan said.

The two seem to be on perfectly good terms again, despite William and Harry’s ongoing issues.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission