Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton's Relationship Wasn't What It Seemed, According to New Book

When Meghan Markle first joined the royal family, everyone imagined she would instantly become BFFs with sister-in-law Kate Middleton, however, their relationship never evolved past being polite with one another. According to a new book Finding Freedom, written by royal reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, the pair had only a "cordial but distant rapport."

In an excerpt published by the U.K. Times, the authors provided a behind-the-scenes look at life within the "institution," including the alleged tension between Meghan and Kate. "The two duchesses’ relationship had struggled to move past the distant politeness of when they first met," the biographers wrote, adding that this was completely obvious when they attended the the King Power Royal Charity Polo Day together last summer — two months after Meghan gave birth to baby Archie.

"While the doting mothers were photographed next to each other with their children, the two appeared to barely exchange a word," Scobie and Durand said. The authors concluded that the strain on Meghan and Kate's relationship was due to Harry's conflict with the monarchy. Things began to look up in the second half of 2019, but once the Sussexes publicly declared their decision to step down as senior royals, their relationship with the Cambridges reportedly got worse.

By March, Meghan and Harry confirmed they made the right choice to cut ties with the royal family when their names were dropped from the official lineup at the Commonwealth Service ceremony. "The decision had been made without their consultation, and they were informed long after the 2,000 orders of service had been printed for guests, with their names notably absent," the book explained.

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Meanwhile, at the event, it's believed that Kate gave Meghan the cold shoulder. "Although Meghan tried to make eye contact with Kate, the duchess barely acknowledged her," the authors wrote. A friend of Meg's revealed that afterwards she felt "emotionally bruised and exhausted" and "couldn't imagine wanting to set a foot back into anything royal again."

As a disclaimer, a spokesperson for the Sussexes said in a statement, “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom. This book is based on the authors’ own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting.”