The contentious relationship between Meghan Markle and the royal family is taking center stage again in a new book, simultaneously shining the spotlight on the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate Middleton.
“Catherine, The Princess of Wales,” written by ABC News’ royal contributor Robert Jobson, is due this month on Aug. 6. He reportedly wrote the book with the intention to demystify narratives of the future queen of the monarch as being an enigma that most are unable to relate to.
Days before its release, an excerpt began to circulate, rehashing a blowout that Markle had with husband Prince Harry’s brother. The incident unfolded at the newlywed Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s home a month after their wedding in May 2018.
While in the throes of preparing for the grand wedding, Markle and Middleton had a falling out after the “Suits” actress quipped that her then-future-sister-in-law had forgotten details due to “baby brain.”
At the time, Middleton was pregnant with her and William’s third child, Prince Louis, who was born weeks before the nuptials. Josbon writes that William confronted Markle about the remark, causing tempers to flare.
At one point, William allegedly “pointed a finger at Meg” and admonished her over the comment. “Well, it’s rude, Meghan. These things are not done here,” wrote Jobson. Harry also wrote of the anecdote in the memoir, “Spare,” that was released in 2023.
He said that his wife attempted to clarify the “baby brain” comment as one she had made to friends in the past and did not intend for it to be upsetting, noting Markle understood it was caused by the drastic hormonal shift women endure as a result of pregnancy.
“It caused such a huge row because Meghan was told that she wasn’t close enough to her sister-in-law to discuss her hormones, and it wasn’t the way people spoke to each other within the royal family,” a purported insider told the Daily Mail in 2023, when they reported a snippet of the story.
Last year, Harry also revealed that his brother viewed Markle as “difficult,” “rude,” and “abrasive.” He would go on to write about his brother’s ire in a separate incident. He “grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and … knocked me to the floor,” Harry claimed.
I'm sorry but William must be smoking crack, Meghan Markle went through depression, suicide thoughts, treated different because of her skin colour, her and Harry where chased by the paparazzi like Diana, Had to move to another country, but William sees similarities between is… https://t.co/VSdtmhpsPU
— Benny James (@Beno_ldn) March 18, 2024
Amid worsening familial strain and increased volatility from the British media, Harry and Markle stepped down from their royal duties in January 2020. Soon afterward, they relocated to California.
The following year, in 2021, they had an explosive sit-down with Oprah Winfrey where the Los Angeles native claimed a royal, later revealed to be William, expressed concern about the complexion of her and Harry’s son, Archie, being too dark given her mixed ethnicity.
Markle’s mother is African-American and her father is of Irish and German descent.
