Skip to main content

Kate Middleton and Prince Harry once shared a close bond and exuded an endearing sibling-like relationship before their equation was irreparably strained after the latter and his wife, Meghan Markle, decided to estrange themselves from the Royal Family in early 2020. 

It was also said that the tension between Kate and Meghan played a crucial role in the former cutting ties with her brother-in-law. However, before this, the Royal dynamics had a different story to tell. 

The Duke of Sussex had once called the future queen “the sister I never had and always wanted.” Harry was also seen with Prince William and Kate at their various public engagements, where they were seen to be sharing some light-hearted moments too. 

Despite being estranged from Kate, the Duke of Sussex also praised her in his 2023 memoir, Spare. He wrote, “I liked seeing Kate laugh. Better yet, I liked making her laugh. And I was quite good at it.” 

Prince Harry had also jokingly reflected that he wanted a “serious girlfriend” so that they all could love and share some happy memories. However, after Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018, rifts emerged between the two couples before the full-blown Megxit scandal. 

In his book, William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story,  author Russell Myers revealed that the Princess of Wales believed that the discord between her husband and his younger brother was mainly due to their “heir and spare dynamic.” 

However, Myers revealed a major turning point that shifted Kate Middleton’s belief system in the conflict between the brothers. The author reflected that it was “Harry and Meghan’s attitude to palace staff” that left the mother of three extremely disappointed. 

The author wrote, “She believed William and Harry’s fundamental differences as the ‘heir and the spare’ had created the inevitability of Harry wanting more from his role than being a bit-part player.” 

According to Myers, the Princess of Wales initially thought that her brother-in-law’s sour relationship with her husband had stemmed from a place of immaturity and stubbornness. 

However, the speculated reports of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex allegedly misbehaving with the palace staff left William and Kate in distress. 

The author stated, “At first she had thought William and Harry’s squabbles were rooted in immaturity or stubbornness, on both sides, but Harry and Meghan’s attitude towards palace staff, who she and William cared about, set the couples on an entirely different course.” 

This was in reference to the bullying allegations that were directed particularly towards Meghan Markle in 2021 even though the latter vehemently opposed the same and called it a “calculated smear campaign.” 

Needless to say, as the relationship between Prince Harry and Prince William remains damaged, the distance between the former and his sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, also remains deep. 

The dynamics between the two couples have not changed despite Harry and Meghan moving to the U.K. recently with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. 

Harry and Kate were last seen together at the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022. Later, the Duke of Sussex had also joined William and Kate in King Charles’ coronation in May 2023. 

Best in Royal family