Kate's 'fingers went white' in tension-filled clear-the-air chat with Meghan

11 January 2024 , 07:00

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The Princess of Wales with sister-in-law Meghan Markle back in 2018 (Image: Getty Images)

It had long been known that Meghan Markle failed to really hit it off with the Princess of Wales when she married into the Royal Family, but few knew to what extent.

Indeed, it wasn't until a year ago, when Prince Harry released his explosive memoir Spare, that the tension-filled relationship between the two women was finally laid bare for all to see. In the book, 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 with Meghan in 2019 (Getty Images)

But the two women, along with Harry and Prince William, all decided to have a clear-the-air chat shortly after the Sussexes' honeymoon. However, things got so tense that Kate's fingers supposedly went white. Harry describes the moment in his memoir after he and Meghan were invited over to see William and Kate for tea.

He recalls how both couples aired their grievances including Kate, who asked for an apology from Meghan as she gripped a leather sofa so tightly her "fingers were white". According to Spare, Kate wanted Meghan to say sorry for making a remark about her hormones and having "baby brain" while she was pregnant.

The book then recounts how Meghan apologised and explained that is how she speaks to her friends. But the encounter took a turn when Harry claims William "pointed a finger at Meg", then allegedly blasted: "Well, it's rude, Meghan. These things are not done here." To which Meghan responded: "If you don't mind, keep your finger out of my face."

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Harry's observation in Spare comes after Meghan also took aim at Kate during her and Harry's Netflix docuseries. 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."

Jennifer Newton