Kate Middleton, 41, allegedly “jokingly shivered” when Meghan Markle‘s name was mentioned once, according to the new book Endgame by Omid Scobie, Us Weekly reported. The Princess of Wales’ alleged up and down relationship with the Duchess of Sussex, who married Prince Harry in 2018, is one of the many topics highlighted in the royal expert’s release, and gives insight on how close they’ve been over the past few years. Scobie claims the sisters-in-law have had “almost zero direct communication” since 2019, but have shared “short pleasantries” over the years.
Scobie further claims there’s no reconciliation planned for Kate and Meghan, and the former also has no desire to mend a relationship with her brother-in-law Harry, who left royal life and England with Meghan for life in the United States.
The book claims come after Kate and Meghan seemed to be friends after first meeting in 2017. Rumors of a rift between the two started the following year, when it was reported a dress fitting for Meghan’s wedding to Harry sparked a disagreement between the two women. Although it was reported that the incident left Kate in tears, Meghan claimed that she was the one in tears, during a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.
“A few days before the wedding she was upset about flower girl dresses and it made me cry. It really hurt my feelings,” Meghan said in the interview. “She was upset about something, but she owned it, and she apologized. And she brought me flowers and a note, apologizing. And she did what I would do if I knew that I hurt someone, right, to just take accountability for it.”
“Everyone in the institution knew it wasn’t true,” she continued. “I’m not sharing that piece about Kate in any way to be disparaging to her. I think it’s really important for people to understand the truth.”
Kate “watched in silence” as the narrative played out in the public eye, according to Scobie in the book. She did offer an apology, but “the damage from the public rift was already done.”
In addition to Meghan’s public comments about the dress incident, Harry made comments in his memoir, Spare, which was released in early 2023. “[Kate] had other problems with the way Meg was planning her wedding,” he wrote. “It was intolerable — but temporary.”
Endgame will be released on November 28.