When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle first sparked romance in the summer of 2016, one member of the British royal family reportedly had their guard up. Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, is said to have been “suspicious” of the then-Suits actress, who would go on to marry Harry in May 2018, officially becoming a British royal.
The allegations were raised in author Christopher Andersen’s new book, Brothers and Wives: Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan. According to Anderson, Middleton, who married into the royal family with her 2011 marriage to Prince William, reportedly was hesitant to have a newcomer around. Anderson noted that Middleton is very private in nature and “hesitated” to pursue a friendship with Markle.
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“She hesitated. She has a very tight circle of friends. She doesn’t let a lot of people in,” Anderson wrote, per Geo News. “By all accounts, she’s charming and very intelligent. But she’s also suspicious of outsiders. She delayed even meeting Meghan. And I think that confused Meghan in the beginning. Frankly, it must have insulted her. But they did get along.”
Fast forward several years, however, and things between the royal sisters-in-law are anything but great, according to Andersen, who went on to write, “In the beginning, they were all known as ‘The Fab Four.’ But things aren’t so fab anymore.” Any royal watcher knows that speculation has surrounded the state of the Sussexes and the Cambridges’ relationship for years now, with rumors of a rift beginning around the time Harry and Markle announced in January 2020 that they would “step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family” and instead “work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.” At the time of that announcement, rumors began that there was drama behind the scenes, and those rumors only amplified in March of this year, when Harry and Markle sat down with Oprah Winfrey for their tell-all interview, during which Harry described his relationship with his older brother as there being “space at the moment.”
In the months since that interview, conflicting reports have arisen in regards to the relationship between the Cambridges and the Sussexes, though some have suggested things are on the mend. In August, a source claimed the Fab Four “are talking with one another” frequently, and Harry has traveled back home to the U.K., where he has reunited with his brother, on multiple occasions. Harry and Markle reside in California along with their two children, Archie and Lilibet, following their retirement as working royal.
