Cultural differences and early misunderstandings led to tension between Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle from their first meeting, expert says.

There has been tension between Meghan Markle and Princess Kate (Image: Getty)

The relationship between the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has long been a subject of public speculation and media scrutiny.

Recent revelations from royal experts and insiders suggest that the tension between the two women may have started from their very first meeting.

According to Robert Lacey, a royal historian and the author of Battle of the Brothers, the seeds of discord were planted early on.

Lacey claims that Prince William, Kate’s husband and the future king, had suspicions about Meghan’s attitude toward the royal family from the beginning.

In his book, Lacey writes that William perceived Meghan as “hostile” to the royal system and believed she had an “agenda.”

Prince William perceived Meghan as “hostile” to the royal system (Image: Getty)

This perception seemingly influenced Kate’s view of Meghan, making her “wary” of her sister-in-law from the start.

The first meeting between Kate and Meghan took place in 2017 when William and Kate visited Prince Harry and Meghan for dinner.

Despite Meghan later describing Kate as “wonderful” in her engagement interview with Harry, she has admitted that their initial introduction was somewhat awkward.

In the Netflix documentary series Harry & Meghan, Meghan recalled the encounter, noting the cultural differences that immediately stood out.

“Even when Will and Kate came over, and I had met her for the first time… They came for dinner, I remember I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot. I was a hugger, always been a hugger. I didn’t realise that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits,” Meghan shared.

She elaborated on her experiences, highlighting the unexpected formality that persisted even behind closed doors.

“I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside.

“That there is a forward-facing way of being, and then you close the door and you go, ‘Oh, great. Okay, we can relax now.’ But that formality carries over on both sides, and that was surprising to me,” Meghan explained.

Further insights into this early meeting were provided by Prince Harry in his 2023 memoir, Spare.

Harry recalled how Meghan had cooked dinner for the occasion and how the evening had gone well, despite William’s illness.

He described Meghan’s attempt to care for his brother by offering homeopathic remedies, which William politely declined following Kate’s remark that he would never use such unconventional treatments.

“The only possibly discordant note I could think of was the marked difference in how the two women dressed, which both of them seemed to notice,” Harry wrote.

“Meg: ripped jeans, barefoot. Kate: done up to the nines. No big deal, I thought.”