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Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle were never the closest of friends, but it might not be any fault of their own. Kate and Meghan’s husbands, Prince William and Prince Harry, have been in a feud since pretty much the time Meghan and Harry began dating. As a result, it might have prevented Meghan and Kate from having any sort of meaningful relationship.

But Meghan recently made a sweet gesture toward the Princess of Wales when she hid her own charitable engagement so as not to overshadow Kate.

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle
Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle | Karwai Tang/WireImage

Meghan Markle sweetly put herself second to Kate Middleton amid cancer diagnosis

On March 22, Kate shocked the world when she revealed that she had been diagnosed with cancer. The princess had been out of the royal spotlight since Christmas, and the conspiracy theories had reached such a level that she likely felt she had to come forward and reveal her diagnosis.

But just one day prior, Meghan had visited Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and read to sick children, yet it didn’t make the news until early April — and that was intentional on Meghan’s end. After learning of Kate’s diagnosis and plans to announce, Meghan reportedly held off on photos of her own outing in order to give respect to Kate and her announcement. Harry and Meghan released a brief statement to the press after Kate’s cancer announcement, wishing the princess privacy and healing.

Then, in early April, news of Meghan’s hospital visit went public, and while some people questioned the delay in the news, others quickly put together that it was the Duchess of Sussex’s way of being respectful to her sister-in-law.

Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton
Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton | Karwai Tang/Getty Images
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Meghan Markle also might have been protecting herself

Meghan has been hounded by the media ever since she started dating Prince Harry. She has learned to protect herself from some of the chaos, and unfortunately, some people might have taken it the wrong way if Meghan had published those images immediately following Kate’s announcement. She might have also been protecting herself from scrutiny by the press, as some would have undoubtedly accused her of trying to overshadow Kate.

In Meghan and Harry’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan went out of her way to tell Oprah that Kate is a “good person.” Having gone through so much in the royal family, it certainly wasn’t a remark she needed to make unless she felt it was true. It also works alongside the theories that Meghan and Kate never actually hated each other but rather never had the chance to develop a close relationship.

It’s unclear where things stand with the women today and how much they interact, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Meghan has reached out to Kate amid the news in a more private way.