4 Times Meghan Markle Seemingly Stole the Spotlight From Princess Kate Amid Their Rift

Meghan Markle and Princess Kate have often been pitted against each other by the press ever since the former joined the Royal Family. As their relationship got off to a rocky start, it only added to the conversation. As tensions grew, there have been a few moments over the years when Markle’s moves seemingly drew attention away from Kate, which raised questions about whether the timing was simply a coincidence or intentional. Let's take a look.

Just hours before Princess Kate made her much-awaited return to royal duties at Trooping the Colour in June 2024 after her cancer diagnosis, Markle’s American Riviera Orchard products made headlines. Markle’s friend Nacho Figueras posted a story on Instagram of her brand’s raspberry jam and dog biscuits. Sky News Australia commentator Louise Roberts argued, “I would say this is intentional, but also a bit of a miss-hit because the timing was very, very poor.” However, Markle’s camp revealed to the Daily Beast that the post was not meant to overshadow Kate. “While I am sure the gift packages came with notes requesting social media coverage, you can’t tell Nacho Figueras what to do, so I think it’s certain the timing of his post was his own idea,” a marketing expert told the outlet.

At the 2019 Chelsea Flower Show, Kate and Markle and Prince Harry were connected to two very different gardens. Kate had designed the RHS Back to Nature Garden with landscape architects Andrée Davies and Adam White, while the Sussexes supported CAMFED’s Giving Girls in Africa a Space to Grow garden, designed by Jilayne Rickards. The contrast soon became a talking point, especially after the CAMFED garden won Gold and the Best Space to Grow Garden award. Vanity Fair’s Julie Miller said during the In the Limelight podcast that the Sussex-backed garden had “put Kate’s in the shade,” adding, “If I were Kate, I'd be humiliated they went down this route. I would be angry they hadn't swapped notes before.”

Prince William and Kate were in the middle of their three-day Boston visit in December 2022 when Netflix dropped the first trailer for Harry and Markle’s docuseries. The timing immediately caught attention, as it came on the second day of the Waleses’ U.S. trip, just ahead of William’s Earthshot Prize ceremony. Royal commentator Robert Jobson explained to ABC that he was “not a conspiracy theorist,” but felt the Sussexes were “making the most” of William and Kate being in the U.S. The trailer also featured a particularly striking image of Kate from the 2019 Commonwealth Day service, appearing right after footage of Markle looking distressed. Expert Richard Fitzwilliams told The National, “[That] image from that Commonwealth Day fiasco, which was hardly a generous choice of Kate — specially timed, one might think.”

Christmas last year brought another overlap, when Kate prepared to host her annual Together at Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey while Markle was gearing up for her own festive Netflix special. Kate’s service was set to release on December 5, while With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration premiered just two days earlier. The two projects were very different in style, as Kate’s event focused on community and togetherness and Markle’s special leaned into food, decorating and lifestyle content. Royal expert Hugo Vickers, however, questioned the timing and told The Sun, “It’s always said that whenever Catherine the Princess of Wales starts something, Meghan Markle does something else to cap it, or in some ways clash with it.”