Why Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle failed to bond in the lead up to her and Prince Harry’s wedding day

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge sits with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Pippa Middleton in the Royal Box on Centre Court ahead of the Ladies Singles Final between Simona Halep of Romania and Serena Williams of the United States on Centre Court during the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon on July 13, 2019 in London, England.
(Image credit: Getty Images / David Gray / Contributor)

New claims have surfaced as to why Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle did not have a closer relationship before Meghan and Harry’s wedding

  • Kate and Meghan's ability to form a close bond was hindered by Kate's third pregnancy with Prince Louis, a royal author has claimed. 
  • Andrew Morton reports that pregnant Kate didn't have ‘the energy’ to bond with Meghan before she married Prince Harry. 
  • This royal news comes after the Queen said goodbye to her summer home and moved house.

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle's relationship has been a subject of much speculation over the years, especially around Meghan and Prince Harry's wedding. Now author Andrew Morton claims that the two failed to bond before the wedding because of Kate’s difficult third pregnancy.

Kate’s pregnancy was announced in September 2018 just months before Harry and Meghan’s engagement. Kate then gave birth to Prince Louis just weeks before their wedding day.

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex emerge from the West Door of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, after their wedding ceremony.

Reports of rift first started swirling around the royal wedding, after it was alleged that Meghan made Kate cry over the bridesmaids' dresses - Meghan later claimed the reverse happened in the couples bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, alleging that Duchess Catherine had brought her to tears during the row.  

Now, in an updated version of ‘Meghan: The Hollywood Princess’, Andrew Morton claims Kate didn’t have time to bond with Meghan because of her pregnancy. Kate famously suffered with a severe morning sickness condition called Hyperemesis Gravidarum during her three pregnancies was often forced to miss royal appearances.

Explaining that Kate and Meghan were unable to form a close friendship during the Duchess' pregnancy, Andrew writes, "Kate and Meghan were neither sisters nor, unlike Fergie and Diana, friends before they joined the Royal Family.

"What is more, during the build-up to Meghan’s wedding, Kate was experiencing her third difficult pregnancy and was focused on her own welfare. She did not have much energy to bond with her new neighbour."

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attends day twelve of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 13, 2018 in London, England.

Morton also explained that despite happily chatting and laughing together during their public appearance at Wimbledon in 2018, there was "little opportunity" for the two to actually form a friendship "away from public events".

He continued, "It was a practical matter as much as anything. Kate spent weekends and holidays at Anmer Hall, the Cambridges’ country home in Norfolk, while Meghan and Harry were approximately three hours’ drive away, living in a large, remote, rented property on the Great Tew Estate in Oxfordshire. Harry’s dream of two united happy families seemed a long way off."

Naomi Jamieson
Lifestyle News Writer

Naomi is a Lifestyle News Writer with the Lifestyle team and has recently earned her Gold Standard Diploma in Journalism from the NCTJ. She has a background in design, having studied Illustration at Plymouth University but has taken a leap into the world of journalism after always having a passion for writing. She currently writes pieces on beauty, fashion, and entertainment for Goodto.com and My Imperfect Life.