The Duchess of Sussex appeared on ITV’s Harry and Meghan: An African Journey in 2019 where she admitted she was “not okay” coping with life as a royal and pregnancy. Meghan thanked interviewer Tom Bradby for asking if she was ok, and said: “Thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I’m okay, but it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.”
Following the emotional interview, Kate and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, allegedly tried to reach out to Meghan.
Rebecca English, royal correspondent, said in the Daily Mail the royals offer of support was rejected by Meghan.
She said: “I have been told that Kate — and the Countess of Wessex — both repeatedly ‘reached out’ to the Duchess, particularly after she voiced her unhappiness on a television documentary. But they were rebuffed.”
Ms English also said Prince William was “deeply hurt” by rumours he and Kate “cold shouldered” the Sussex royal.
READ MORE: Prince William ‘bothered’ by Meghan Markle and Harry’s secretive conduct over Archie birth
Earlier this year, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand detailed in their biography Finding Freedom that rumours of an all out rift between Kate and Meghan were overblown.
But the authors did claim there was awkwardness between the royals, and they “didn’t have much in common—other than the fact they lived at Kensington Palace”.
They added: “Meghan would agree with the assessment that the duchesses were not the best of friends.
“Their relationship hadn’t progressed much since she was Harry’s girlfriend.”
Katie Nicholl, royal expert, echoed claims of the royals tensions in the Channel 5 documentary Meghan and Harry: The New Revelations.
She said Kate and Meghan were never “at war” and were cordial, but said their tension came from a difference of personality.
She said: “While there might have been an expectation from Meghan that Kate was going to sit down and show her the ropes, perhaps that was an unrealistic expectation.
“The Duchess of Cambridge is a busy woman but Meghan clearly took that quite personally.”
Ms English also detailed how Prince Harry and Meghan’s departure impacted William “most keenly” out of the Royal Family.
She said: “He has forfeited not just a beloved brother, but someone he expected would stand shoulder to shoulder with him and share the burden of responsibility when he becomes king.”
The correspondent then also questioned whether the royals will be “reconciled”, and quoted a royal source who said Harry could make an appearance at Prince Philip’s 100th birthday and the unveiling of Princess Diana’s statue.
The source believes the Duke of Sussex will attend both events, and added: “And if the two brothers can make that work, then we have hope.”
