The Palace “Does Not Love” That Prince Harry Leaked Meghan Markle’s Texts with Kate Middleton

(Image credit: Getty)

published 21 January 2023

Apparently Prince Harry felt “strongly” about including a 2018 text message exchange between wife Meghan Markle and sister-in-law Kate Middleton in his new book, Spare—and, according to Us Weekly, Buckingham Palace (totally unsurprisingly) “does not love” the fact that he did so.

“They claim it’s just part of the story, and, in any event, it’s egregious of Harry to publish these abbreviated excerpts,” a source tells the outlet, adding that the texts “clearly show that there are two sides to every story.”

“Harry feels strongly it’s important to get the true account of what happened out there,” the source says.

The texts surround the infamous “bridesmaid’s dress incident” that the press initially claimed made Kate cry, but that Meghan refuted to Oprah Winfrey actually made her cry. The back-and-forth between the two (then) duchesses—Kate is now the Princess of Wales—about Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid’s dress for Meghan’s wedding to Harry is included in the book, like this bit of the exchange:

Kate: Charlotte’s dress is too big, too long, too baggy. She cried when she tried it on at home.

Meghan: Right, and I told you the tailor has been standing by since 8 a.m. Here. At KP [Kensington Palace]. Can you take Charlotte to have it altered, as the other mums are doing?

Kate then asked for “all the dresses [to] be remade”; Meghan reminded her that she was dealing with ample stress, with the wedding itself and the added drama surrounding her father, Thomas Markle. After the exchange, Harry wrote in Spare that he found Meghan on the floor in tears.

The source tells Us Weekly that Harry’s use of the texts demonstrates “that Meghan was under intense stress at the time,” and that the situation with Kate “didn’t help.”

“There may well be other emails and texts, but nobody on Kate’s side will be releasing anything like that,” the insider says.

A source previously told the outlet “it’s obviously business as usual as far as their royal duties go,” and that the royal family has no desire “to dignify” Harry’s behavior.

“There’s an acute awareness that Harry and Meghan seem to be looking for a reaction,” the source says.

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.