It’s the so-called royal scandal that has undoubtedly been waiting to rear its ugly head ever since Meghan Markle was confirmed to be dating Prince Harry – Meghan and sister-in-law Kate Middleton are apparently at loggerheads.
Since Meghan joined.the royal clan, it’s all been a picture of blissful happiness between her and Kate – from the Duchess of Cambridge offering her advice on being a member of the Royal Family to girly days out filled with laughter at Wimbledon.
So this illusion being shattered was always going to grab headlines.
But over the past month, speculation has been rife that things aren’t quite as rosy inside the Fab Four’s (that’s Meghan, Kate, Prince Harry and Prince William) relationship as had once appeared.
The drama began when it was confirmed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are moving out of Kensington Palace to live in Frogmore Cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
A series of stories soon emerged painting Meghan in an unflattering light, saying she has been at odds with sister-in-law Kate. And according to sources, Meghan is an ‘acquired taste’ and of a very different nature to the Duchess of Cambridge.
Here, we take a look at how the biggest royal drama in recent yeas unfolded and what’s been claimed…
Tiara-gate…
A story emerged claiming that Meghan had ‘demanded’ she wear a green emerald tiara for her 19 May wedding to Prince Harry.
At the same time, the now infamous line of ‘what Meghan wants, Meghan gets’, surfaced, reportedly said by Prince Harry to royal staff prior to their wedding on 19 May. These claims were made in royal reporter Robert Jobson’s new book, Charles At Seventy.
Although, evidently, the Queen does not agree with this statement.
It’s claimed Her Majesty ended up having to ‘have words’ with Harry, telling him his wife ‘cannot have whatever she wants’.
Harry was told the ‘difficult’ Duchess of Sussex could not wear a tiara she had her ‘heart set on’ for her wedding day, because of concerns the green emeralds ‘could have come from Russia’.
Instead, Meghan wore a diamond and platinum bandeau tiara made for Queen Mary in 1932 for her wedding.
The former Hollywood actress has previously said she picked the tiara she wore on her big day after viewing the Queen’s ‘options’ at Buckingham Palace.
She said: ‘When it came to the tiara on the day, I was very fortunate to be able to choose this gorgeous art deco style bandeau tiara.
‘Harry and I had gone to Buckingham Palace to meet with Her Majesty The Queen to select one of the options that were there, which was an incredibly surreal day as you can imagine.
‘And that was the one that, I think, as we tried them on, stood out.’
While talk of the tiara was short-lived, considering it has also widely been reported how Meghan and the Queen have a healthy relationship, having first bonded over their love of dogs, more was to come.
Escape to the country…
Two weeks later, Kensington Palace confirmed that Harry and Meghan had decided to move out of their London residence, Kensington Palace.
Instead, it was reported that the expectant parents would be setting up home in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
While this may have seemed like a sensible move, considering they are about to start a family, and one that mirrored the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s move to Norfolk following Prince George’s birth, it was met with rumours of a rift being behind their decision.
The decision for Harry to move away from William was apparently down to growing tension between the traditionally close pair.
The brothers are also believed to be about to divide their ‘court’ at Kensington Palace to create two separate offices.
They were each other’s main support since the death of their mother in 1997 and Prince Harry moved into Kensington Palace to be close to his big brother and wife Kate.
However a source said: ‘William and Harry’s double act has naturally been supplanted by the two couples and their families.’
What may have fueled this speculation is that it had originally been claimed that Harry and Meghan would move out of Nottingham Cottage, in the grounds of Kensington Palace, to move into the vastly larger Apartment 1, next door to Wills and Kate’s Apartment 1A, in the grounds.
The dress fitting…
By this point, rumours surrounding what really goes on behind the palace doors were coming thick and fast.
One of the most notable stories was one that involved a normally stoic Kate Middleton fleeing Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress fitting for Harry and Meghan’s wedding, apparently in tears.
A source had told the Telegraph: ‘Kate had only just given birth to Prince Louis and was feeling quite emotional’.
However, the reason for her tears is a mystery, with no further reasons given.
A right royal telling off…
Another fan of the flames came last month when it was claimed Kate had give Meghan a firm telling off when she was apparently less than kind to Kate’s staff.
According to The Sun, Kate is said to have been cross with how Meghan spoke to the staff members, telling her: ‘That’s unacceptable, they’re my staff and I speak to them.’
It was then claimed that Meghan ran to Harry and told him how Kate had upset her, which only served to make relations frostier.
While Kensington Palace has remained tight-lipped over much of this speculation, this disagreement has been denied.
Must? At the royal wedding?…
Clearly these rumours of tension within the walls of Kensington Palace acted as a floodgate for more scandalous stories.
Next on the rumour list is how Meghan, described by royal sources as being ‘difficult’, apparently wanted air fresheners deployed before her wedding at Windsor Castle.
Sources claim she was unhappy about the musty odour at the 600-year-old St George’s Chapel and wanted it spritzed before her big day.
However her request received short shrift from Buckingham Palace, who pointed out that if the Chapel was good enough for the Queen, it would be good enough for Meghan.
They noted that monarchs have worshipped there without fuss since 1475 and there was no need to use atomisers.
The request is said to have been made by Meghan’s office at Kensington Palace to the Lord Chamberlain’s Office at Buckingham Palace.
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The latter is responsible for ceremonial matters, including the use of St George’s Chapel where Queen Victoria got married.
A source told the Daily Mail: ‘Apparently Meghan didn’t like the smell of the chapel, which, as you would expect, is a little musty. It’s not unpleasant at all, though.
‘It just smells how you would expect an old building to smell. And that’s something the Royal Family are particularly used to.
‘Meghan wanted staff to go around with these atomisers, like spritzer guns, and spray the chapel with scent before anyone arrived.
‘Royal Household staff stepped in and told her office politely, but firmly, that this was the Queen’s Chapel and it simply wasn’t appropriate.
‘I don’t believe they said no because they thought it could affect the chapel in any way. It was simply the principle of the thing.’
The assistant…
The rumours of the Fab Four’s relations came weeks after it was confirmed that Meghan’s PA had quit her job at the start of November – at the same time the story regarding her tiara ‘demands’ had emerged.
No reason had been giving for the duchess’ right-hand woman packing her bags but, as soon as these unfavourable stories started snowballing, it was claimed that Meghan’s demands had apparently left PA Melissa Toubati in tears.
Toubati, 39, helped to plan the duchess’ wedding to Prince Harry during the six months they worked together, and she apparently ‘put up with quite a lot’.
The source told The Mirror: ‘Her job was highly pressurised and in the end it became too much. She put up with quite a lot. Meghan put a lot of demands on her and it ended up with her in tears.
‘She is hugely talented and played a pivotal role in the success of the royal wedding. She’ll be missed by everyone in the household.
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‘Melissa is a total professional and fantastic at her job, but things came to a head and it was easier for them both to go their separate ways.’
Ms Toubati has previously worked for Robbie Williams and his wife Ayda Field.
Once an actress, always an actress?…
One of the most recent claims to emerge about Meghan comes from her former pal Piers Morgan.
The Good Morning Britain presenter launched a blistering attack on the former Suits star, accusing her of ‘acting her way to the top’.
The American actress and the journalist were friends at the time she started dating Prince Harry.
But he claimed that his one-time friend had ‘ghosted’ him once she met someone more important.
It is said they went for drinks together and she would even feed him future episodes of her TV show Suits before it had aired in the UK.
She left drinks with Piers to head to her first date with the royal and when news of their romance broke, Piers wrote: ‘Meghan Markle is perfect princess material.’
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However, at some point Meghan stopped returning calls to the journalist and it appears Piers is still not over it.
Piers said: ‘I’ve had my own experience with her, which was not great to be honest. I knew her for about a year and a half.
‘I got on with her very well and then “bang” she met someone more important. Immediately ghosted.’
‘I never heard from her ever again and the old slippery slope ladder had gone up and she social climbed her way out of my orbit.
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‘So my experience wasn’t great, I’ve got to be honest with you.
‘And everything I’ve seen since does slightly smack of an actress, a Hollywood actress, seizing her chance and acting her way to the top.’
What about the brothers?
On Saturday, further fuel was added to the rift rumours fire when it was claimed Harry accused his brother William of trying to ‘wreck his relationship’ with Meghan.
The elder brother attempted to get the Duke of Sussex to slow things down but he would apparently accept no criticism of his new relationship.
So while some believe Kate and Meghan don’t get along, the credible new reports suggest the feud between the once-close brothers is the real source of the friction.
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A source told the Sun that Prince William, 36, sat his brother down to have a chat about Meghan, 37, after she was first introduced to the royals.
‘William told his brother they knew nothing about her background, her intentions, what she was really like,’ the source said.
‘He just wanted to stress that becoming part of the Royal Family is a massive undertaking and the pressure and scrutiny is unrelenting.
‘Was Meghan the right one?
‘Harry went mental. He accused his brother of trying to finish the romance before it had begun.
‘The brothers’ relationship has not really recovered.’
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Prince Harry, 34, is said to now be very over-protective of Meghan because he was unable to protect their mother.
A courtier in the Royal Household added: ‘He will brook absolutely no criticism of Meghan – and he is so sensitive he often sees criticism or negativity when there isn’t any.’
Once Meghan moved to London, Prince Harry is said to have accused his brother and Kate of not being welcoming to her.
Meghan was said to have wanted Kate to show her the ropes but the Duchess was suffering from severe morning sickness with Prince Louis and was unable to help.
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A source added: ‘Meghan felt rebuffed and so just stopped trying.’
The brothers apparently each took the side of their respective partners.
And while the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke of Duchess of Sussex have appeared in public together only a handful of times, they did openly admit to squabbles during an appearance to promote their Royal Foundation charitable work earlier this year.
When asked by host Tina Daheley whether they ever had any disagreements, Prince William said ‘Oh yes.’
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Prince Harry added that they ‘come so thick and fast.’
When asked if they had been resolved, Prince William laughed and replied: ‘We don’t know.’
Prince Charles is said to have stepped in on more than one occasion to bring his boys back together again.
But is it all just hype?
The question has to be raised of whether or not all of this speculation surrounding Meghan and Kate’s relationship is just tabloid fodder.
Ever since Meghan was revealed to be dating Harry back in November 2016, the two ladies have been pitted against each other.
While a number of palace sources have come forward with tales of frosty relations within the Fab Four, is all as it seems?
It should be noted also that Kensington Palace has refused to dignify the rumours with a response.
After all, Harry and Meghan’s move from Kensington was clearly supported by the Queen as she gifted them Frogmore Cottage.
In a statement, the palace said: ‘Windsor is a very special place for their royal highnesses and they are grateful that their official residence will be on the estate.’
A Mail source also responded to claims of a rift between the two women, insisting there has been ‘no dramatic falling out’ but that actually, the two women are just very different people.
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Another source said: ‘While there are some tensions behind the scenes, Kate is pretty unflappable and nothing has become bad enough to make Harry and Meghan want to move out. People are genuinely pleased to see them so happy,’ the source said.
‘The truth is that there simply isn’t enough room at Kensington Palace for them and I know they have been looking at Windsor as a possibility since before the wedding.’
Reports the two brothers have fallen out was also quashed by the source.
‘The idea of the two of them as “the boys”, the brothers doing everything together and living in each other’s pockets, has been pushed with good intentions, but hasn’t really existed for some time,’ they said.
‘The truth is that they have both just grown up. They are rare in that they live together and work together, but there has been a stepping back.
‘They are still incredibly close but now Harry has married and is about to become a father, it’s a good time for him to be planning his own future. There is no acrimony.’
This week it has also emerged that the Fab Four are apparently on a ‘family text chain’ by a source who has rebuked the ‘feud’ claims.
A source told Us Weekly that any rumours of a feud between them are untrue, saying: ‘There is no fighting going on between Kate and Meghan.
‘Kate is lovely. She’s British, she’s reserved… It takes some time for her to become comfortable and trusting for anyone in the outside world.’
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It is also very believable that Harry and Meghan do wish to avoid the gaze of the public when they bring up their first child. After all, there is no reason, with Harry being sixth in line to the throne, for them to live in London.
William and Kate’s three children – Prince George, five, Princess Charlotte, three, and Prince Louis, eight months – will be under more of a spotlight because of their place in the line of succession.
Their new home is 20 miles away from Wills, Kate, George, Charlotte and Louis.
Seeing his niece and nephew photographed on school runs or while playing in the surrounding Kensington gardens is said to have influenced his decision.
‘The Cambridges have their garden in the back, which is nice, but there is no real other space for children to play in,’ one source told the Mail.
‘Frogmore, which is inside the Windsor security zone [where the main house is only open to the public for a couple of days a year] is secluded, peaceful, tranquil and, most importantly, private.
‘No one will see them coming or going.’
It was also reported that Apartment 1’s current occupants, the Queen’s cousin, the Duke of Gloucester, 74, and his Danish-born wife, Birgitte, 72, were not too keen on the idea of moving and wanted to stay patter. That, naturally, would have put a spanner in works for Harry and Meghan’s plans to move in.
Furthermore, while there may have been reports of tension closer to Harry and Meghan’s wedding, it has also been reported that William and Kate were both in high spirits throughout the entire day.
It’s more recently been reported that Harry and Meghan are very much looking forward to spending Christmas in Sandringham with the rest of the Royal Family and – more importantly – they will be staying an Anmer Hall, the Cambridges’ Norfolk residence.
A source told the Telegraph: ‘Harry and Meghan really enjoyed staying at Anmer Hall last year, especially spending quality time with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, and there’s no reason why they won’t want to do the same this year, especially as Meghan is going to be heavily pregnant.
‘It’s the best of both worlds in that they can take part in all the festivities at the big house, while retreating into their own space when needed. There would be total astonishment if Harry and Meghan don’t stay with William and Kate.’
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