Just Like Kate? Pippa Middleton Disliked, Felt Threatened by Meghan Markle, Too
The royal family reunited for the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey last March 9. For the first time since their "declaration of independence" two months ago, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle joined the rest of the Firm in their last engagement as senior royals.
Their subdued greetings to each other, however, were notable.
Stealing the Spotlight
The rift between the royal couples has even influenced Kate's sister, Pippa.
In December 2018, a correspondent of The Sun revealed that Pippa Middleton was reluctant to invite Meghan to her wedding.
"Meghan faced some opposition from the Middleton family, who didn't want to have her at Pippa's wedding last May," journalist Emily Andrews wrote. They feared that her first public appearance as a member of the royal family would be the focus and would only overshadow the bride on her very special day.
The Middleton family wanted to keep the event simple and give Pippa a great time. Their fear then was that the media would make the whole event about Meghan.
Despite the opposition from the Middleton family, Meghan was welcomed to the evening reception held at Pippa's home village in Bucklebury. Prince Harry discretely left and traveled 50 miles to pick up Meghan and drove 50 miles back, as he wanted them to know how serious he is of her.
Budding Romance
The presence of Prince Harry at Pippa's wedding came as a surprise, too. Many speculated that a romance was budding between the two at the time of Prince William and Kate's wedding in 2011.
In an interview with The Sun, royal insider Duncan Larcombe said that there was a "discussion of a romance between Harry and Pippa."
"But it's quite funny how Harry seems to have found himself a replica of Pippa Middleton in his wife Meghan. Both are comparably similar in terms of personality, temperament, and bubbliness," Larcombe said./
The royal insider added that both women are passionate about "celebrity work," and many are guessing that Meghan would be back at it now that she is not tied with the royal family.
Falling Out
Their "Megxit '' announcement in January surprised everyone, even the royal family. Reports of the royal falling out between Kate, William, Meghan, and Harry have already been circulating months before, and the Sussexes' decision to leave the family did not help.
Some critics claimed that the previously close relationship between Harry and Kate have been seriously affected by the friction between the couples.
Although it remains a mystery why the royals are not as welcoming to Meghan as they were with Kate, the news of their falling out came as if it were expected to happen.
Harry and Meghan started dating in 2016, but they were able to keep their relationship a secret. Word of them being a couple came out in May 2017 -- though the two were yet to be photographed together at that time.
The future Duke and Duchess of Sussex, at that time, were at the Invictus Games opening in Toronto. It has been a home for the former "Suits" actress, so it seemed like the perfect spot to come out and tell the world that they were together.
Canada became even more significant to the royal couple as they picked it to be their second home. At the moment, Prince Harry, Meghan, and their son Prince Archie are residing in Canada as they start a new life away from the pressures of the royal family.
