The Princess of Wales has blasted the Duchess of Sussex for her insensitivity after Meghan was reportedly outed as the driving force behind her and Prince Harry’s recent “faux royal tour” of Jordan. According to palace insiders, Kate’s outraged her estranged sister-in-law was swanning around the Middle East, acting like a royal, while the rest of the family was in crisis talks following the shocking arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
We’re told this “tone deaf” move from Meghan has brought any opportunity for a reconciliation between Harry and his brother, the Prince of Wales, to a screaming halt.
“Kate has a tendency to let Harry off the hook when he does this sort of thing and her first instinct is to blame Meghan,” says one well-placed source.
“In this case, she’s not wrong because Meghan was the driving force.”
Both Kate, 44, and William, 43, are annoyed Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44, have been using their royal connection to bolster their public profiles in such a sensitive time. The California-based couple travelled to Jordan following an invitation from the World Health Organisation, meeting with Syrian refugees, talking to burns victims from Gaza and attending a United Nations discussion.
A well-timed trip
While a Sussex insider says the trip had been in the works for some time, the fact it coincided with Andrew’s arrest for sharing confidential information with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, while he was working as a British trade envoy, was seen as a win by the duchess.
“Meghan’s feeling a bit smug,” shares the insider.
“The monarchy is taking a hammering, but she and Harry are getting headlines for their humanitarian work. In her view, it’s a major coup.”
Kate’s frustration grows
However, no one is more annoyed about this than Kate, who’s reportedly furious that Harry and Meghan have piled more pressure on her already-stressed husband.
“The right thing to do would be to keep a low profile, not court attention,” explains our palace source.
This new rift between Kate and Meghan has put the brakes on any chance of a royal return for the Sussexes. Their behaviour is said to have opened old wounds for Kate, who’s never got over the way her brother-in-law wrote about her in his best-selling memoir Spare – including claims she made Meghan cry in the lead-up to the former Suits star’s wedding and comments over Kate’s “baby brain” following the birth of Prince Louis.
Lines that can’t be uncrossed
“She feels there are lines that, once crossed, can’t simply be erased,” offers another insider.
“In Kate’s view, publicly criticising the institution on global platforms did real damage. She believes that kind of exposure chipped away at the public trust. “She thinks repeated public criticism from inside the family is destabilising. It undermines the Crown at its core and – at this already very delicate time for the royals with the arrest of Andrew – William and Kate are dead against the return of Harry and Meghan. In their view, a Sussex return would create more instability, not less.”
A frosty first meeting
Kate has struggled with Meghan from the moment they first met at Kensington Palace in early 2017. According to royal editor Russell Meyer in his recent book William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, that initial encounter caused Kate to remark the actress was “overly friendly”, with a “touch of California”.
Later, as their relationship deteriorated, Kate became increasingly disillusioned with how Harry and Meghan treated palace staff. However, the biggest shift occurred after the Sussexes’ wedding. William and Kate felt that Harry and Meghan had their own “agenda”, writes Russell, and the atmosphere between the two households became strained.
A ‘toxic’ atmosphere
A source quoted in the book describes the mood as “toxic”, claiming Meghan’s “bullish” personality did not sit well with her sister-in-law, who “found her abrasive”.
The biography suggests Kate anticipated Meghan and Harry walking away from royal life. She’s now determined to close the door on any chance of the Sussexes returning.
“There’s a feeling you can’t turn your back on duty, then re-enter when it suits,” reveals our source.
“Kate believes service is long-term, not conditional. She doesn’t believe bringing Meghan back into the fold could help the monarchy. In her view, it would inflame everything.”
