What really happened. Prince Harry detailed the circumstances that led to Meghan Markle‘s now-famous fight with Princess Kate in the days leading up to the Sussex wedding.
The Duke of Sussex, 38, claimed that his sister-in-law, 40, texted the Suits alum, 41, about a problem with Princess Charlotte‘s bridesmaids dress shortly before Meghan and Harry’s May 2018 wedding, in an excerpt from Spare obtained by Us Weekly.
The former actress didn’t respond right away, thanks in part to the drama surrounding her father, Thomas Markle, and his possible attendance at the ceremony. When she did reply, she told the Princess of Wales that a tailor was on standby at Kensington Palace to alter dresses for Charlotte, now 7, and the other bridesmaids.
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton. Shutterstock
“This wasn’t sufficient,” Harry wrote. “They set up a time to speak that afternoon.”
The BetterUp CIO said Meghan again advised Kate to have Charlotte’s dress altered by the tailor, but the Duchess of Cambridge allegedly told her soon-to-be sister-in-law that the outfits needed to be completely remade. “Meg asked if Kate was aware of what was going on right now. With her father,” Harry continued. “Kate said she was well aware, but the dresses. ‘And the wedding is in four days!’”
The former military pilot claimed Meghan and Kate continued going “back and forth” about the dresses and a party for the page boys until Kate agreed to take Charlotte to the tailor. “A short time later I arrived home and found Meg on the floor. Sobbing,” Harry continued, adding that he didn’t think Kate meant any “harm” by the exchange. “I was horrified to see [Meghan] so upset, but I didn’t think it was a catastrophe. … Indeed the next morning Kate came by with flowers and a card that said she was sorry.”
Prince William, King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Princess Kate and Prince Andrew attendthe wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018 at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, England. Shutterstock
After the wedding, however, reports circulated that Kate was the one in tears because of something Meghan had said or done. When the Sussexes gave their tell-all interview to CBS in March 2021, Meghan claimed that the reverse was true.
“A few days before the wedding she was upset about flower girl dresses and it made me cry,” the Bench author explained. “It really hurt my feelings.” She went on to say that Kate apologized with flowers and a note, adding, “She did what I would do if I knew that I hurt someone, right, to just take accountability for it.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018 at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, England. Shutterstock
The former Tig blogger also reminded viewers that royal fans needn’t pit her against Kate, despite the fact that the duo are repeatedly compared to one another. “If you love me, you don’t have to hate her,” Meghan said. “And if you love her, you don’t have to hate me.”
In his memoir, Harry claimed that Meghan was shocked by the report that she’d been the person to make Kate cry. “I read the story in disbelief. Meg didn’t,” the U.K. native wrote. “She heard about it, however, since it was the only thing being discussed in Britain for the next 24 hours, and as along as I live I’ll never forget the tone in her voice as she looked me in the eye and said: ‘Haz, I made her cry? I made HER cry?’”
Spare will be released on Tuesday, January 10.