Though many royal fans had hoped that Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle would become fast friends considering their similar situations, it appears that is not the case. Royal reporter Phil Dampier claimed that despite the fact that the two women had seemed to be getting close — putting on a display of friendship at Wimbledon over the summer — the pair are now “further apart than ever,” according to a report from The Sun .
Part of this is the continued fallout from Harry and Meghan’s shocking announcement that they had decided to step down from being senior royals. As previously covered by The Inquisitr , Kate’s husband, Prince William, was reportedly “incandescent with rage” that his younger brother would make the declaration publicly and against the direct orders of the queen.
The rift was only deepened after Meghan decided to skip Kate’s birthday party, opting to return to Canada and leave her redheaded husband with the fallout instead of trying to mend relationships with her in-laws.
“Meghan’s friendship and relationship with Kate now seems fragile and she obviously made no attempt to go to Kensington Palace to wish her well on her 38th birthday, preferring to return to Canada,” Dampier noted.
“We don’t know the full truth but for now it sadly seems the sisters-in-law are as far apart as ever, as are the royal brothers,” he concluded.
The relationship between the pair had been rumored to be rocky from the start. First came whispers that the former Suits actress had made Middleton cry during a dress fitting for Princess Charlotte. In another fractured interaction, Kate reportedly chastised Meghan for scolding her staff.
In addition to tensions between the two women, there were also reports of a feud between their husbands. It was rumored to be so bad that it was alleged that the Sussexes decided not to visit the queen at Balmoral over the summer to avoid spending time with the Cambridges. Harry and Meghan also decided to make their home base in Windsor instead of sharing Kensington Palace with William and Kate.
However, fans of the American actress-turned-royal will point out the fact that the duke and duchess were sure to leave the St. Andrews graduate a sweet message on social media.
“Wishing a very happy birthday to The Duchess of Cambridge today!” they wrote as a comment under a Kensington Royal picture of Kate.
Though royal fans will no doubt hope that the relationship can be mended, it will be difficult with a potential geographical split after Harry and Meghan expressed their desire to live a large part of the year in North America.