Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are strong, independent women who should have been set up for success by the palace; instead, they were pitted against each other.
That assessment is being handed down by body language expert Judi James, who took a look at the women’s first joint appearance with Prince Harry and Prince William in 2018 for the Royal Foundation, via the Daily Mail. James noticed that there already seemed to be a tug of war between the women because of their vastly different life experiences.
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“The expectation was that we had a new friend and sister; for Kate in much the same way that Fergie and Diana paired off, plus a very glamorous royal quartet to team up for their campaigns and charities,” James explained. But this event was ahead of Meghan and Harry’s May wedding, and the public now knows that things were tense behind the scenes ahead of the big day.
Kate Middleton, Prince William, Meghan Markle.
Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images.
“There was a powerful difference between the more cautious, careful, and rather slow-hand-on-the-tiller campaign approach of William and Kate and the warp-speed urgency, drive, passion, and energy of Meghan,” she noted. “Kate was also heavily pregnant and looked and sounded tired here, sitting back in her seat while speaking softly and smiling politely.”
Meghan’s confident approach was completely contrary to Kate’s “more passive approach, as royals tend to command attention without any need for effort.” It’s an event that has been covered over and over again because it looked like the royal family was going to forge strongly into the future instead of limping along after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
In May 2022, the Royally Us podcast took a deep dive into that 2018 event, noting that “the start of the downfall between the four of them” happened on that stage, per co-host Christina Garibaldi.
“They pointed out that when you go back and watch these clips, it’s really weird,” added co-host Christine Ross. “At the time, we didn’t think anything of it, but when you go back and watch the clips from the event, it’s noticeable.”
A little over a year later, the Sussexes announced their exit from the Royal Foundation as the cracks in their relationship with Kate and William began to show. It would set the stage for the couple’s royal departure and a family feud that continues to brew over five years later.
Click here to see a complete timeline of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s feud with the royal family.
