5 Photos That Seemingly Gave Away Princess Kate’s Dislike for Meghan Markle

For years, royal fans have picked apart every interaction between Princess Kate and Meghan Markle, looking for clues about what really went on behind the scenes. While Kate hasn't publicly confirmed a feud, Markle hinted at tensions during her Netflix docuseries and infamous sit-down with Oprah Winfrey. Photos have captured a few noticeably awkward exchanges, and here are 5 that particularly raised eyebrows.

The photo from the Sussexes’ final official royal engagement in March 2020 was hard to miss, especially because of the apparent awkwardness between Markle and Kate. As per ABC News, the Duchess also recalled the last few days in the documentary Harry & Meghan, saying, “Until that last week in the U.K., I rarely wore color, and I never wanted to upstage or ruffle any feathers, so I just tried to blend in.” Body language expert Blanca Cobb pointed out some instances to Us Weekly: “Kate had zero acknowledgement when taking her seat near Harry and Meghan… Meghan and Harry were smiling at Kate and William, but even when Kate turns around to sit down, there’s absolutely no smile on her face — none.”

Archie’s official christening portrait gave royal watchers another photo of Kate’s noticeably closed-off posture. In the Green Drawing Room portrait, Kate sat on the far end of the sofa, opposite Camilla, with her arms pulled tightly into her torso and only a slight smile on her face. Judi James, a body language expert, told the Daily Mail, “Given all the rift rumors, the rather 'ready to flee' tension in her [Kate’s] pose could be seen as awkwardness, but it could also show a desire to lower her own status signals and not upstage the happy couple.”

The 2019 King Power Royal Charity Polo Match made for some very cute pictures of the royal children, but the adults were a different story. Kate spent much of the afternoon on the grass with George, Charlotte and Louis, while Markle stood nearby with baby Archie. There were surprisingly few moments of the two women actually interacting at the event. Judi James described the separation as “two mothers wrapped up and lost in their own worlds.” She told The Express, “We don't see any shots of Kate getting up to coo over the baby, which you'd expect. Kate stays down, Meghan stays up, and neither seems willing to meet in the middle.”

When Kate and Markle reunited for a Windsor walkabout in September 2022, the photos were supposed to show the family putting their differences aside after Queen Elizabeth’s death. Instead, the distance between the two women was noticeable as they kept their interactions brief while greeting mourners. Royal author Robert Jobson wrote in his book Our King Charles III: The Man and the Monarch Revealed how Kate truly felt. In an extract of the book released by the Daily Mail, he wrote, “Catherine later admitted to a senior royal that, such was the ill feeling between the two couples, the joint walkabout was one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do.”

The 2018 Royal Foundation Forum was the first time the then so-called 'Fab Four' appeared together at an official event, but one exchange was hard to ignore. When the panel was asked if they ever disagreed, body-language expert Suzanne Masefield told Woman’s Day that the two women appeared to turn away from each other. She also noted that Kate and Meghan made little eye contact during the event. Markle later reflected on her Netflix docuseries, saying (via The Standard), “I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside. There is a forward-facing way of being, and then you close the door and go, ‘You can relax now’, but that formality carries over on both sides.”