Meghan Markle’s debut on the Buckingham Palace balcony following her entry into the Royal Family was allegedly quite awkward behind closed doors, according to Prince Harry‘s explosive memoir.
The incident took place in 2018, after the Trooping the Colour ceremony celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday, just weeks following Harry and Meghan’s spectacular nuptials at Windsor Castle.
Once the royals withdrew inside Buckingham Palace after the military flyover ended, Harry claimed that Meghan tried to crack a joke with Princess Kate, but it completely fell flat, creating an awkward “yawning silence.”
During that year’s festivities, Meghan appeared stunning in a delicate pink ensemble with a matching hat, positioned next to her newlywed spouse, who donned his military dress uniform.
While Meghan seemed to be chatting amicably with Kate, William, and Camilla, Harry insists the mood was far more tense behind the scenes.
In his tell-all book Spare, Harry recalls that once they headed inside, Kate asked about Meghan’s experience of her first Trooping the Color, prompting her to reply: “Colorful.”
Despite Meghan’s comment to Kate being simply a witty observation, it was met with a frosty response, with Harry detailing what happened next.
Harry revealed: “A yawning silence threatened to swallow us all whole.” The Prince used his autobiography to share his viewpoint on the conflicts and tensions between Meghan and his family members prior to the wedding, which likely contributed to the tense environment at Trooping the Colour that year.
He alleges Kate and William participated in “stereotyping” his wife, claiming their behavior created barriers. He also maintains that his brother labeled her as “difficult.”
The Duke also describes a clash between Kate and Meghan over a bridesmaid dress fitting before the ceremony and noted Kate’s reaction when Meghan asked to borrow her lip gloss at an event.
The bond between the two couples seemingly remains fractured, with William and Kate steering clear of Harry during his latest UK visit where he marked the 10-year milestone of the Invictus Games.
However, after Kate’s cancer diagnosis was revealed, sources suggested that Harry and Meghan had discreetly “reached out” to William and Kate, and they also released a public statement backing Kate while respecting her calls for privacy throughout her cancer treatment.
The statement read: “We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace.”