Meghan Markle’s hugs ‘caused tension’ between Prince William and Prince Harry

Meghan Markle’s open approach to the royals went down like a lead balloon with protocol-obsessed members of the Firm who disliked her very American “hug everyone” outlook.

Meghan Markle’s propensity to be “touchy feely” with members of the Royal Family is said to have caused tension among Prince William and Prince Harry.

The Duchess of Sussex is said to have had a “hug everyone” approach after she joined the Royal Family – which caused some issues.

Tension is said to have developed between the brothers as a result of Meghan’s warm, friendly, hug-everyone approach, according to a report in The Times.

Meghan Markle kisses Prince William. Picture: Supplied

Royal sources told the outlet that Princess Catherine, Prince William and King Charles would flinch whenever Meghan moved in to embrace them.

This is said to have hurt the duchess, with her tactile manner making the Prince of Wales particularly uncomfortable.

“Meghan hugged him virtually every time they bumped into each other,” a royal source told The Times.

“The hugging and cheek-kissing fuelled gossip among the staff that Meghan was flirting with William, which she was obviously not, but the tense atmosphere caused by all the touchy-feeliness (and the resultant gossip) deepened the rift between the brothers.

“In fact, William’s rather awkward, even inhibited personality — an inheritance from his father — was baffling for the more spontaneous Meghan.”

Meghan Markle couldn’t understand the reserved royals. Picture: AFP

A member of staff recalled to The Times that Meghan asked why Prince William and King Charles “sound so serious all the time”, and joked that the “chill” Prince Harry had different parents as he “isn’t pompous at all”.

In fact, Meghan is said to have been nicknamed Mystic Meg for turning Prince Harry into a “tree-hugging leftie” with her woke, new age views.

Princess Catherine – who sources claim often has to move to calm Prince William down – enjoys teasing him about his family.

As he gets older, she believes he looks more like his great-great-great-grandfather Edward VII.

And Camilla descends from Edward’s favourite mistress, which Kate loves to remind her husband about.

It’s reported that Kate – not yet understanding the strict rules for dress – once laid out an outfit for her future husband and he joked “she looked as if she’d just run through a charity shop covered in superglue”.

Meghan Markle had a very California mindset when she entered the Royal Family. Picture: AFP

The sources say the royals’ needier side – having grown up with servants to organise everything – clashed with Meghan’s independent mindset.

It was her who picked up on how Harry seemed to be being brushed aside, with one member of the royal comms team saying she didn’t think Harry even thought about the fact he was a spare “until well into the marriage”.

A running joke was reportedly that Harry was very much like the Prince Regent character in Blackadder.

It was joked that the duke would, without a servant, take two weeks to put on his trousers.

Due to all the rules – which Camilla herself is said to have told Charles were “b******s”, they are often prone to temper tantrums.

Running baths at exactly the same time each day and having to have consultations about perfectly pressed suits means if things don’t go exactly to plan they are liable to explode.

Prince Andrew, for example, is said to have fired a staff member after taking a disliking to a mole on his face.

And Prince Edward once tore into his driver for looking in his rear-view mirror too much.

Meghan, meanwhile, “really disliked the hierarchy” and wanted to “finish Princess Diana’s work” – though allegedly “on a part-time basis”.

Meghan is said to have “felt constrained by protocol” from the start.

Her influence on Harry is said to have been seen by the royals as “rejecting the values and traditions of his family”.

Originally published as Meghan Markle’s hugs ‘caused tension’ between Prince William and Prince Harry