04 December 2023 , 10:46
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Meghan Markle would "never take to" Kate Middleton after this key moment that saw the two women embroiled in an awkward public exchange.
Back in February 2018, before Meghan married Prince Harry months later, the husband and wife joined forces with Prince William and Princess Kate, who were then known as the Cambridges. Coming together to appear on stage at the Royal Foundation Forum, the tension was apparent.
Dubbed the Fab Four, the world was watching as the two young couples collaborated for a good cause, with this being the quartet's first-ever public appearance together - and the last with it being just them for quite some time.
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The Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex have long been pitted against one another (Getty Images)
The two women have appeared alongside one another on several occasions (Getty Images)While at the Foundation Forum event, the couples were quizzed about their charity work, with William and Harry even joking about having disagreements. William admitted there had been family disagreements and Harry added: "Working as family does have its challenges, of course it does. But we’re stuck together for the rest of our lives."
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Also at the event, Meghan famously said: "Women don’t need to find a voice. They have a voice. They need to feel empowered to use it," which left Prince William and Princess Kate both looking on in awe. The Princess even "stood by with expressionless irritation", according to Tina Brown in her 2022 book The Palace Papers.
Camilla Tominey, associate editor at The Telegraph, recently noted that "the awkwardness on display that frosty day provides an insight into the many reasons why Meghan appears never to have taken to Kate – and vice versa."
And in Harry's bombshell memoir Spare, which came out at the start of the year, Harry recalled that backstage before the forum, there had been a tense moment between Meghan and Kate - and it was over lipgloss.
Princess Kate and Duchess Meghan sat beside one another at the Royal Foundation Forum in 2018 (Getty Images)He explained how Meghan asked to borrow Kate's lipgloss, which left the Princess of Wales grimacing. He writes: "Meg asked to borrow Kate's lipgloss. An American thing. Meg forgot hers, worried she needed some, and turned to Kate for help.
"Kate, taken aback, went into her handbag and reluctantly pulled out a small tube. Meg squeezed some onto her finger and applied it to her lips. Kate grimaced. Small clash of styles maybe."
The quartet then never appeared together in a foursome again, apart from their walkabout in Windsor following the late Queen's death in September 2022. They have also united in larger royal engagements such as Trooping the Colour, the Platinum Jubilee, and the late Queen’s funeral.
This comes after it was revealed that the Princess of Wales, who has long been pitted against her sister-in-law, allegedly "jokily shivered" on mention of Meghan’s name in the past. Omid Scobie, the author who worked on Finding Freedom - a bombshell book about Harry and Meghan and their departure from the Royal Family - released his "explosive" new book Endgame last week in which he described their relationship.