Kate Middleton’s Friend Pushes Back on Meghan Markle’s Claims in ‘Harry & Meghan’

One of Kate Middleton’s friends is speaking out in her defense following the release of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan. In the documentary series, Meghan said that she is a “hugger” and that she quickly realized that this wasn’t the right approach when greeting Kate and her husband, Prince William. However, the Princess of Wales’ friend is claiming that Kate is indeed a hugger, as well. 

Hugger-gate began when Meghan recounted when she met Harry’s brother and sister-in-law for the first time. She recalled that she was dressed “in ripped jeans and barefoot” when the pair came over for dinner. She greeted them with open arms but said that this may not have been the best move. Meghan explained, “Like I was a hugger, always been a hugger. I didn’t realize that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits.” She went on to say that the meeting taught her a bit about how the royal family operates.

“I guess I’d start to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside, carried through on the inside,” the Duchess of Sussex said. “There is a forward-facing way of being, and then you close the door and you relax now. But that formality carries over on both sides. And that was surprising to me.” While speaking to PEOPLE, one of Kate’s friends, whose identity was not revealed, opened up about the matter. They claimed that the Duchess of Cambridge would have greeted Meghan warmly in return, saying, “Kate’s a big hugger. She is warm and friendly and greets everyone with a big hug and kiss. It comes naturally to her to be like that.”

The first three episodes of Harry & Meghan were released on Thursday, with the next three to follow on Dec. 15. In the docuseries, Harry and Meghan opened up like never before about their experiences within the British royal family fold. Prior to the release of the next three episodes, Netflix shared a trailer in which the couple shares even more bombshells about their time as full-time working members of the family. Harry even alleged that the royal family treated him and his wife differently in comparison to his brother, William, the heir to the British throne. He said, “To see this institutional gaslighting … They were happy to lie to protect my brother. They were never willing to tell the truth to protect us.”