We’re endlessly entertained by royals, whether they’re fictionalized or actual living monarchs.
Unsurprisingly, there’s two royals we love to focus on the most: 36-year old commoners-turned-duchesses
by the names of Kate and Meghan. Ever since the news broke that Meghan Markle
was dating Prince Harry, the question of whether Markle would get along with her future sister-in-law,
Kate Middleton, was raised. Take a look at exhaustive history of these
two women, and decide for yourself if they seem more like besties — or frenemies.
July 7, 2014. Our story begins two years before Meghan and
Harry even met, because if you recall, Meghan had a lifestyle blog called The Tig. And legally,
if you had a blog in the early 2010s, you had to talk about Kate Middleton, which Markle
did. The Tig published an interview with Princess Alia Al Senussi of Libya, which began with
these three sentences: “Little girls dream of being princesses.
I, for one, was all about She-Ra, Princess of Power. And grown women seem to retain this
childhood fantasy. Just look at the pomp and circumstance surrounding the royal wedding
and endless conversation about Princess Kate." This is the first record we have of either
of them speaking about the other.
October 21, 2016. News breaks that Prince Harry is dating Meghan
Markle. The very same day, speculation begins that Kate is “jealous” of Meghan. Gross,
likely untrue (they hadn’t even met yet!) but pretty unsurprising, given the way women
are often pitted against each other.
November 7, 2016. A source said that “Kate is really keen
to see what Meghan is all about,” which is British speak for “Kate wants to meet
Meghan.” That makes sense! We know Harry and Kate are close, so of course Kate wants
to meet his new girlfriend.
November 8, 2016. The world learns that Meghan and Kate have
worn the same dress before. Does similar taste mean they are destined to be best friends?
Hard to say — the two still haven’t met yet.
January 15, 2017. Kate and Meghan finally meet! Prince Harry
introduces them at Kensington Palace, and since Kate’s birthday was just a few days
prior, Meghan gifts her a dream journal. The source for the original report claimed that
Kate loved it, but unsurprisingly, other outlets speculated that it was an odd gift.
May 21, 2017. Pippa Middleton gets married, and there is
much speculation before the wedding about whether Meghan would be invited. Meghan doesn’t
attend the ceremony, but does attend the evening reception. Did all this public drama cause
tension between Meghan and Kate? We can’t know, but it seems that Meghan handled the
situation gracefully.
October 18, 2017. A source said that Meghan is a “secret weapon”
for Kate as she deals with severe morning sickness during her third pregnancy, going
so far as to claim that the two were speaking every day, either in person or on FaceTime.
So nice!
November 27, 2017. Meghan and Harry announce their engagement,
which Harry reportedly consulted Kate about. They give an interview in which Meghan calls
Kate “amazing” and “wonderful.” Kate tells reporters that she is “absolutely
thrilled” about the engagement.
December 25, 2017. Meghan attends Christmas morning services
with the royals, a tradition normally reserved for spouses only. The first photos of Meghan
and Kate together emerge. Although the four look cheery here, it’s
later reported that Harry was frustrated with William for not being welcoming enough to
Meghan. Apparently their dad, Prince Charles, had to step in and tell Will to be a little
warmer.
January–March, 2018. During this period, news outlets run a lot
of feel-good Meghan and Kate stories. Express reports that Kate is helping alleviate Meghan’s
pre-wedding butterflies. People publishes an article comparing Kate and Meghan to Princess
Diana and Sarah, Duchess of York — two women close in age who married royal brothers, and
were famously great friends. Later, they report on the “growing friendship”
between Meghan and Kate. There are articles saying that Kate gives Meghan fashion advice,
that Kate is helping Meghan adapt to royal life, and that they’re bonding, again.
While all these stories are nice, they do put a lot of pressure on Meghan and Kate to
be close — and stay close.
May 19, 2018. Meghan and Harry get married! The press briefly
fixates on a “side eye” from Kate to Camilla Bowles during the unexpectedly political sermon.
One of Kate’s favourite designers, Emilia Wickstead, told reporters that Meghan’s
wedding dress, designed by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy, looks identical to a gown of
her own. Emilia Wickstead subsequently makes a statement on Instagram denying the story
and saying that Meghan looked “absolutely beautiful” on her wedding day.
Although Kate and Meghan are surely aware of this debacle, it seems doubtful they let
it come between them.
June 9, 2018. The two appear publicly for Trooping The Colour
(aka the Queen’s birthday celebration), both in large headpieces. They’re smiley,
their outfits are coordinated, and they’re both expert curtsiers!
July 14, 2018. Meghan and Kate have their first public outing
as a duo at Wimbledon! Just two royal ladies who look great in prints, out watching tennis
together.
July 30, 2018. Meghan is leaning on Kate as she deals with
the public drama surrounding her father. Like we said, overexposed ladies need to stick
together.
October 12, 2018. Meghan and Kate appear at Princess Eugenie’s
wedding with their husbands. Meghan wears a coat, which, in the royal world, is enough
to spark pregnancy rumours.
October 15, 2018. And the rumours turn out to be true! Meghan
and Harry announce their pregnancy, and Will and Kate are “delighted” by the news.
October 28, 2018. Speculation about a possible rift between
the two couples picks up after William and Harry decide to no longer share an office.
November 2018. Kate and Meghan feud rumours run rampant.
Speculation is fueled by Harry and Meghan’s decision to move away from Kensington Palace
and into the Windsor Estate. One persistent rumour, that Meghan was rude to Kate’s staff,
was actually denied by the Palace, in an unusual move. The Telegraph reported on some drama
dating back to Meghan and Harry’s wedding, with two sources claiming that “Kate was
left in tears following a bridesmaids dress fitting for Princess Charlotte.” Sounds
bad, but royal weddings seem really stressful to plan, no?
Kate attempts to squash rumours by telling reporters how excited she is for her kids
to have a cousin.
December 7, 2018. Then, attention turned towards the brothers,
rather than their wives. Will the drama ever end?!
December 14, 2018. The Palace releases the official Christmas
cards for both the Cambridges, aka Will and Kate, and the Sussexs, aka Harry and Meghan.
The two cards are strikingly different, with Will and Kate in vibrant colour surrounded
by their three children and Harry and Meghan in black and white facing away from the camera.
We can’t say if the cards are intended to emphasize the creative differences between
the couples, but they sure do have that effect.
December 25, 2018. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry joined Prince
William and Kate Middleton for the royal family’s annual walk to church services in the English
countryside on Christmas Day. Despite multiple reports this year claiming
that the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex do not get along, Meghan and Kate
looked as happy as ever to be spending time together over the festive season.