Inside Princess Kate and Meghan Markle's relationship - in their own words

When Meghan Markle first joined the royal family, the future looked bright.

There was great excitement that Prince Harry had found his 'One', and Meghan seemed to have the perfect ally in Princess Kate, who had also joined the Firm as an outsider and could show her the ropes. 

Indeed, William, Kate, Harry and Meghan were quickly dubbed the "Fab Four", and the monarchy looked to be in safe hands. But that special partnership was short-lived.

Less than two years after their marriage, Harry and Meghan stepped down as working royals and relocated - first to Canada and then to Montecito. 

They also unleashed a series of public criticisms against the monarchy - and individual members of the family - which saw them become essentially estranged from the Firm. 

Now, with Harry and Meghan back in Britain, speculation has once again surfaced as to whether a reunion might be on the cards for William, Harry and their wives. 

© Chris Jackson

But what have Kate and Meghan actually said about each other in the past? We take a closer look…

Kate on Meghan

Princess Kate very much seems to have taken a leaf out of the late Queen Elizabeth's mantra, 'never complain, never explain', particularly in light of the Sussexes' fallout with the royals. 

But prior to that, she did share her views on the Suits actress - beginning with her celebrating the news of Harry and Meghan's engagement in November 2017.

© Samir Hussein

In a joint statement with her husband, Prince William, Kate said: "We are very excited for Harry and Meghan. It has been wonderful getting to know Meghan and to see how happy she and Harry are together."

Kate later told reporters: "William and I are absolutely thrilled. It's such exciting news. It's a really happy time for any couple and we wish them all the best and hope they enjoy this happy moment."

The following year came the news that Meghan was pregnant with the couple's first baby. And Kate was quick to gush about the future new arrival during a visit to Leicester in November 2018. 

When asked if she was excited about Meghan’s baby news, Kate replied with a resounding, "Absolutely!"

"It's such a special time to have little kiddies," she added. "And a cousin for George and Charlotte, as well, and Louis. It'll be really special."

Kate was no less enthused following the birth of Harry and Meghan's second child, Lilibet, in June 2021.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson released a statement at the time expressing the royal family's "delight" - written on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II, then-Prince Charles and Camilla, and William and Kate.

© Photo: Getty Images

"The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been informed and are delighted with the news of the birth of a daughter for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex," the spokesperson said.

William and Kate subsequently shared a supportive message on X (formerly Twitter) that read: "We are all delighted by the happy news of the arrival of baby Lili. Congratulations to Harry, Meghan and Archie."

Just days after Lilibet's arrival, Kate was quizzed about her new niece during an engagement with First Lady Jill Biden. Asked if she has any wishes for the newborn, Kate replied: "I wish her all the very best. I can't wait to meet her. We haven't met her yet. I hope that will be soon."

Meghan on Kate

Meghan first made mention of Princess Kate before the two women had even met. 

Writing on her former lifestyle blog, The Tig, the actress reflected on the public's fixation with royalty, writing: "Grown women seem to retain that childhood fantasy. Just look at the pomp and circumstance surrounding the royal wedding and endless conversation about Princess Kate."

Meghan's next mention of Kate came when she and Harry sat down for their engagement interview. 

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During the conversation with British broadcaster Mishal Husain, both Harry and Meghan spoke about her introduction to members of the royal family, including Prince William and Kate.

"William was longing to meet her and so was Catherine," Harry said.

The Prince went on to add that "Catherine has been absolutely...," with Meghan finishing the sentence, saying: "She's been wonderful."

But in March 2021, everything changed. Harry and Meghan sat down for their explosive bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which they alleged that an unnamed member of the royal family had made racially insensitive comments about the skin colour of the couple's future children, and that King Charles had cut them off financially.

Meghan also spoke about her relationship with Kate. 

She denied tabloid stories that she had made Kate cry in an argument over Princess Charlotte's bridesmaid's dress before her wedding to Harry, saying: "The narrative with Kate - which didn't happen - was really, really difficult  and... I think that's when everything changed, really."

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Meghan said the "reverse" of the story actually happened, with Kate being the one to make her cry over the dress. "I don't say that to be disparaging to anyone, because it was a really hard week of the wedding and she was upset about something, but she owned it, and she apologised," she said.

"And she brought me flowers and a note, apologising. And she did what I would do if I knew that I hurt someone, right, to just take accountability for it."

Meghan went on to say that she didn't think it "fair to her to get into the details of that, because she apologised and I've forgiven her."

Elsewhere in the interview, Meghan suggested that the palace was willing to protect Kate from negative stories in the press - but not her. 

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She said: "I think so much of what I have seen play out is this idea of polarity, where if you love me, you don't have to hate her. And if you love her, you don't need to hate me."

Comparing negative press attention they both faced from the media, Meghan continued: "Kate was called 'Waity Katie,'" she said, in reference to the nickname given to Kate before becoming engaged to William.

"While I imagine that was really hard, and I do, I can't picture what that felt like, this is not the same. And if a member of this family will comfortably say 'We've all had to deal with things that are rude,' rude and racist are not the same."

The following year, in December 2022, Meghan again spoke about Kate in the Sussexes' Netflix series  - and seemed to backtrack on her initial account of their first meeting.

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She said: "When Will and Kate came over, and I met her for the first time, they came over for dinner. I remember I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot. I was a hugger. I've always been a hugger; I didn't realise that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits.

"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. And that was surprising to me."