Meghan Markle’s decision not to wear shoes when she first met Princess Kate spelled out immediately that they were not destined to be friends, as it was an indicator of their clashing personalities, a royal expert has claimed.
Mail on Sunday editor Charlotte Griffiths chatted to Mark Dolan on GB News about the frosty relationship between the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex, as she said a reconciliation between the two “isn’t likely”.
She said: “They were never friends in the first place. I think Kate could probably put on a good show if she had to. A bit like when the Queen died, they had to walk around the crowds together.
“That wasn’t too convincing, but she might be able to do a more convincing double act if it came to it many years down the line, and they ended up doing a royal engagement together again.
“I think Catherine was quite cool towards Meghan and never particularly warm to her. But Meghan didn’t give her any leeway for that. Meghan expected a hug on their first meeting, and turned up with no shoes on.”
The editor added that for a first meeting with the future Queen of England, it should be expected that the person greeting her would be wearing shoes.
Ms Griffiths supported the claim that Kate and Prince William were never especially warm towards Meghan, but also believed that Meghan should have handled the situation better.
She said that while Kate was never “warm and fuzzy”, Meghan was “too easily offended” both by the Royal Family and seemingly the British press in general.
Host Mark Dolan admitted that when Meghan first came onto the royal scene the press and public alike adored her, as they saw her as the next Princess Diana.
He said: “When Meghan Markle arrived on the scene, Fleet Street was delighted because they found Kate charming but a bit dull. They looked at Meghan, and thought, there’s our new Diana. She was the one that was storyboarded for all of the fame and glory.”
Ms Griffiths however slightly countered his claim, saying: “I don’t know if we thought she was the new Diana, but we thought she was going to be this amazing, glamorous figure.
“She made more headlines because she was fresh meat and that is how it goes. I think it probably is of her own making because she just couldn’t give it time.”
The royal expert also made reference to an incident back in 2018, when Meghan came across extremely well during the Royal Foundation Forum with Kate and Princes William and Harry as she discussed the work she hoped to do with the charity.
However, while Meghan’s “star” rose quickly and burned out brightly, the editor attributed Kate’s success to her ability to sit back and steadily grow her confidence while gradually becoming a bigger presence on the royal stage.
