23 December 2023 , 18:15
753
0
The Royal family are renowned for their 'never complain, never explain' policy, but one royal expert believes Kate Middleton has found a way to fire back at her haters.
The mum-of-three, who turns 41 next month, has been at the centre of feud rumours with her sister-in-law Meghan Markle, 42, for years. There have been claims of tears, rows over 'baby brain' comments, and even that the women locked horns about whether Princess Charlotte should wear tights to Harry and Meghan's wedding in 2018.
There was more insight into the dynamic of the two very different women in Omid Scobie 's first book Finding Freedom. In the pages, he took aim at Kate and blamed her for failing to foster a “meaningful” relationship with Meghan. He claims that the two duchesses never got past more than a polite friendship, and apparently Kate didn’t do much to make Meghan feel welcome. The Sussexes thought Kate didn’t help “bridge the divide” between the brothers as their own relationship soured, as she’s “fiercely loyal” to her husband and the royal family.
Read now:Prince Harry and Meghan 'might not be included' in King Charles' Christmas tradition
Kate Middleton looked angelic at her recent Christmas carol concert (PA)
Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle never truly gelled (Getty Images)In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry recounts several times that his wife seemed at loggerheads with his sister-in-law in the early days of their romance. He says the two women had a row over bridesmaid dresses in the lead-up to his wedding that left Meghan in tears and that Kate "grimaced" when the duchess borrowed her lipgloss.
Kate Middleton swears by £19.99 rosehip oil that helps 'reduce wrinkles & scars'
Meghan also took aim at Kate during her and Harry'sNetflixdocuseries. As she recalled their first meeting she said she was"surprised" by the behind-the-scenes formality of members of the royal family. Speaking in episode two of the six-part Harry & Meghan docuseries, 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."
Kate used to get on well with her brother-in-law Prince Harry (Getty Images)More recently, there was more drama brought to Kate's door by her US-based in-laws. The Dutch translation of Scobie's second book, Endgame, named her as one of two senior members of the Royal family who commented on the then-unborn Prince Archie's complexion.
While Kate has never publicly acknowledged any of these accusations, claims or reports, royal expert Duncan Larcombe believes she is fighting back in her own, albeit silent, way. Speaking to Best magazine, he said that he thinks she is standing up to them by ‘keeping calm and carrying on’ - and looking picture perfect.
He said: “She sends secret messages to the Sussexes through her outfits. Kate continues to look fantastic and very regal. She knows what she’s doing. She’s fighting back in her own way. The more intact she appears, the more the public seem to side with her.
“The best way that Kare can take revenge on Harry and Meghan is by doing what she’s doing. And by following the mantra of ‘keeping calm and carrying on’, she’s doing what many members of the royal family have done historically.
Meghan Markle implied that Kate Middleton was cold and overly formal (Netflix)"And it’s working. The more that the Sussexes have attacked her and the less she’s reacted to it, the more the public have warmed to her. We’ve seen that in the opinion polls - Kate’s at an all-time high when it comes to her popularity.”
Last Christmas, shortly after Meghan claimed that she had been banned from wearing bright colours by the 'establishment', Kate and several other high profile female members of the Royal family arrived for her annual Christmas carol service wearing a striking shade of maroon. It was believed that this was a combined effort to undermine their estranged relative's comments.