The first warning sign, as so often in royal stories, was the atmosphere in the room.
What had once been sold to the public as a fresh, modern 'Fab Four' – William, Catherine, Harry and Meghan shoulder to shoulder at charity events – was, behind palace walls, growing sour enough that even seasoned courtiers could feel the temperature drop. Now a new book claims that Princess Catherine privately foundMeghan Markle'abrasive,' believed she and Harry had 'an agenda,' and concluded earlier than most that the couple would ultimately walk away.
The claims come from royal editor Russell Myers inWilliam & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, due to be published later this month. It is not, on the face of it, the sort of authorised hagiography Kensington Palace prefers. Myers paints a picture of Catherine – often depicted as the soothing presence between feuding brothers – realising that this particular rift could not be patched up with another carefully worded text or cosy family summit.
According to Myers, Catherine had long tried to steady the relationship between William and Harry, regarding their earlier fallouts as little more than 'immaturity or stubbornness, on both sides.' That changed after Meghan's arrival and, crucially, the couple's alleged behaviour towards palace staff.
Harry and Meghan's attitude to the people who keep the royal machine running – the private secretaries, press aides and household staff William and Catherine are said to be 'deeply protective' of – was a turning point, Myers reports. The Prince and Princess of Wales came to feel, in his words, that the Sussexes 'had an agenda,' and that this was about more than simply teething problems with a newcomer learning the ropes.
'They definitely thought the Sussexes' behaviour stemmed from something more than being difficult,' he writes.
A source quoted in the book goes further, describing the atmosphere between the two couples as 'pretty toxic.' Meghan, they say, 'was being bullish, Kate found her abrasive. She saw the inevitability of the parting of ways, although perhaps not to the extent of what eventually happened.'
That last line is doing a lot of work. Few inside the palaces, even in the more paranoid corners, appear to have predictedthatOprah interview, or theNetflixseries, or Harry's bookSparewith its detailed catalogue of rows and resentments. But if Myers' account is right, Catherine could see the direction of travel while the public was still swooning over the 'modern monarchy' on magazine covers.
The contrast with how this relationship was initially presented is stark. When Harry and Meghan sat down for their engagement interview in 2017, the tone could hardly have been warmer.
Harry, speaking to BBC journalist Mishal Husain, recalled how keen his elder brother and sister‑in‑law were to meet Meghan once the relationship became serious. 'William was longing to meet her and so was Catherine,' he said, explaining that because they were neighbours they managed to see each other 'quite a few times.' He began to describe how 'Catherine has been absolutely...,' before Meghan jumped in with a single, decisive word: 'Wonderful.'
Source: International Business Times UK
