Real Reason Why Kim Kardashian Refused to Call Meghan Markle a ‘Friend’ on Family Podcast
While Kim Kardashian said she deleted Meghan Markle's photos out of respect for Remembrance Day, body language expert Judi James disagrees.
Just when people thought a new, powerful alliance was forming between the Kardashian-Jenners and Meghan Markle, that idea began to unravel. After the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended Kris Jenner's 70th birthday celebration on November 8, 2025, Kim Kardashian posted photos of them on social media, only to delete them shortly after. While she said the images were removed out of respect for Remembrance Day, body language expert Judi James points out her careful avoidance of acknowledging Markle as a 'friend' as a sign of trouble behind the scenes.
On Khloe Kardashian's podcast, Khloe in Wonder Land, Kim addressed what the sisters dubbed the 'Photogate.' She said, "Mom and Meghan have been friends for some years now, and they have a really sweet relationship. We were told that it was totally cool to post." She continued, "I think they realized it was Remembrance Day, and they didn't want to be seen at a party, even though it's already up, you know... And then I think they realized, like, 'Oh, this was so silly.'" Reflecting on Kim's remark about Markle being close to only her mother, James told the Daily Mail that the SKIMS founder was setting boundaries with the Duchess.
James stressed, "Kim seems to define some degrees of social separation by referring to their relationship with Meghan as: 'Mom and Meghan have been friends for some years now,' rather than calling her 'Our friend.'" She asserted that Kim's hand movements, a hand splay or a winding ritual, were 'slightly defensive' as she emphasized that she did not post the pictures without permission. James added, "When they discussed the issue with Remembrance Day, they mentioned the photo was 'already up', and Khloe added a mention of a Baby2Baby event 'right before.'"
The body language expert decoded Kim and Khloe's comments as suggestive of some annoyance with Markle. "The use of the word 'photos' receives an instant correction and upgrade to 'photogate' to register the drama that swirled around this incident." James opined that Khloe made her feelings towards the situation clear by refusing to address the Duchess by her title, instead calling her 'Meghan Markle' to induce drama. According to her, Kim's tone also became 'partially recitative,' signifying frustration over the 'photogate.'
Although rumors of a rift between Kim and Markle have run rampant after the photo incident, the reality star has clarified that it couldn't have been far from the truth. She said, "If we just made it light and made it funny, you know, I think it would have been, like, received differently, but I hated how that was received for everyone," adding that it was unnecessarily made into something 'so crazy and ridiculous.'
