Kate Middleton Is "Upset" About Prince Harry & Meghan Markle's Estrangement

The Queen Attends A Service At Westminster Abbey Marking The Centenary Of WW1 Armistice

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published 17 December 2021

Since Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made the decision to leave their royal duties and the U.K., Kate Middleton and Prince William have had a hard time of it—but it has also made the Cambridges stronger as a couple, apparently.

The duchess has been "really, really upset about it all," an insider tells People.

Another source, a friend, says, "Everything with Harry and Meghan has been hugely stressful, but if anything, it's pulled [her and William] closer together. She was upset about it because [William] was so upset. Seeing her husband so distraught was tough."

That said, Middleton has what it takes to withstand this difficult situation. "She's no pushover," the friend adds. "She has an inner strength for sure."

It's hard to know exactly what the relationship between the Cambridges and the Sussexes has looked like since the latter family left in early 2020, and even years before that. There have been several reports indicating that Princes William and Harry are trying to build their relationship back up, but some royal experts are more than skeptical about a possible reconciliation in the near future.

Although the Duke of Sussex has made the trip back to his homeland since moving to California, his wife has yet to come back to the U.K. Their daughter Lili has also never visited.

For a time, there were rumors that the Sussexes wanted to christen their daughter at Windsor, but if this was ever on the cards it now seems to have been tabled—possibly because of Prince William. The U.S.-based royals are also not making the trip to England for the Queen's Christmas celebrations, although these are up in the air anyway due to the rapid spread of COVID in the country.

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.