Princess Kate, the Princess of Wales, made a thoughtful gesture at the very last minute during what was supposed to be the final engagement that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would have as senior members of the Royal family.
It is said that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex "became emotional and upset" as they were attending the Commonwealth Day service in 2020. This occurred after they discovered that they would not be allowed to join Queen Elizabeth II and the other senior royals in the main VIP reception.
The news that Prince Harry and Meghan were expected to make their own way to the front of Westminster Abbey, where they would wait with the Earl and Countess of Wessex before the arrival of other senior royals, was said to have caused them a great deal of dissatisfaction.
There were reports that the Prince and Princess of Wales made an effort to diffuse the unpleasant situation by offering to join Prince Harry and Meghan while they waited for the arrival of the late Queen and their father, King Charles III. This was done because they did not want to add additional public drama to the issue.
The Mail Online reported that things did not go according to plan, as 2,000 orders of service that had previously been printed made it abundantly evident that Prince William and Princess Kate would be arriving with the main party.
Unfortunately, it was stated that this peace gesture did not alleviate the tensions that were already present, and as the two spouses took their places in the Abbey, they looked to exchange pleasantries that were extremely brief and unpleasant.
In a meeting that was noticeably warmer and more casual than the one that took place the year before, Meghan and Princess Kate welcomed each other with a tender kiss on the cheek. In this particular instance, the sisters-in-law only spoke to one another for a few brief moments, and Prince William and Prince Harry likewise appeared to be fairly reserved with one another.
The author of the book "Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War between the Windsors," Tom Bower, who writes about the royal family, reported that a "monumental argument" had taken place after "Palace officials... decided to publicly humiliate [Harry and Meghan]."
"Reality hit two days later, on 9th March. A monumental argument blew up after Harry was told that he and Meghan could not join the family’s procession through Westminster Abbey for the annual Commonwealth Day Service. Although the order of service listed Harry and Meghan walking behind the Queen, Palace officials had revised their decision. Suspicious about the Sussexes they decided to publicly humiliate them,” Tom penned, as per The Mirror.
"Harry was told that having stepped down from royal duties, he and Meghan would sit and wait with the congregation. The prospect of the televised image of their isolation in the Abbey appalled them. By then they were keenly aware of Kate and William's antagonism. William had not offered a brotherly welcome and Kate was outright distant towards her sister-in-law,” the royal author went on.
"Eventually, to end the dispute, William and Kate agreed they too would wait with Harry and Meghan. As the members of the Royal Family filed into the Abbey, the frayed relationships could not be concealed. Kate had blanked the Sussexes and William’s greeting was cold. Harry looked strained. Meghan's face showed bemusement,” Tom furthered.
Business Times has reached out to Princess Kate and Meghan Markle for comments.
