So we all know Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle aren't the best of friends by now, but according to a royal biographer, Middleton had kind of a legit reason for not being super present for Markle ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry: She had her pregnancy with Prince Louis to worry about.
Explaining why the two duchesses weren't really set up to be close to each other, Andrew Morton, author of Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, wrote, "Kate and Meghan were neither sisters nor, unlike Fergie and Diana, friends before they joined the Royal Family" (via The Sun).
"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," Morton added. "She did not have much energy to bond with her new neighbour."
While we don't know how cordial the few interactions the women did have were, it only makes sense for Middleton to pay close attention to her own health during that time. She suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum—defined as a pregnancy complication "that affects various areas of the woman’s health, including homeostasis, electrolytes, and kidney function, and may have adverse fetal consequences"—during all three of her pregnancies. Louis was born just weeks before the Sussexes' wedding in May 2018.
"When they sat together in the royal box to watch the Ladies’ Singles Final at Wimbledon in July 2018, the two women were still getting to know one another," Morton said.
And here's another pretty ironclad reason why the now-sisters-in-law didn't really get to hang out during that time. "It was a practical matter as much as anything," the author continued. "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."
Morton previously empathized with Markle, saying that she must have felt "frustrated" by royal life. He also claimed that Prince William's "alleged bullying" pushed Markle and her husband to leave the UK.
Stay In The Know
Marie Claire email subscribers get intel on fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more. Sign up here.
This article has been updated.
RELATED STORIES
Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.
-
Taylor Swift Is "Floored" by the Success of Her New Album
She can't believe it.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Hailey Bieber Calls Husband Justin Bieber a "Pretty Crier" After He Posts Selfies With Tears
The post comes amid split rumors, which Hailey has shut down.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Rihanna Drops a Not-So-Subtle Hint at Her 2024 Met Gala Fashion Plans
"I'm actually keeping it really simple this year."
By Danielle Campoamor Published
-
Chrissy Teigen Went Instagram-Official With Meghan Markle's Jam
A GRID post, y'all.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Curiously, Just as Meghan Markle Sends Samples of Her New Strawberry Jam Out, the Buckingham Palace Shop Starts Promoting Its Own Strawberry Jam on Social Media
The clip promoting the Buckingham Palace Shop’s product—we cannot make this up—is set to Mozart’s “Dissonance Quartet.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Meghan Markle’s New Podcast with Lemonada Media Is Reportedly Delayed “Until Next Year At the Earliest”
There’s a reason for the holdup.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Melissa McCarthy Defends Meghan Markle From Critics Who Are "Threatened" by Her
McCarthy once starred in the duchess' 40th birthday video.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Will Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Appear in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Two New Netflix Series?
Filming for both shows—about polo and cookery—began this month.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Yes, That’s Meghan Markle’s Calligraphy on American Riviera Orchard’s Logo
Everything having to do with the lifestyle brand seems personal to the Duchess of Sussex.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Meghan Markle’s New Netflix Cookery Show Begins Filming Today—But Not Where You’d Expect It to Be Shot
The Sussexes are having a busy week this week, shooting both of their his-and-her Netflix shows and rolling out the first product offering for Meghan’s new lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Meghan Markle’s Lifestyle Brand American Riviera Orchard Reveals Its First Product Offering
Fifty samples were sent out in the company’s first limited edition run of the item.
By Rachel Burchfield Published