Meghan Markle was reportedly left feeling deeply hurt after Prince William and Kate Middleton rebuffed her attempts at physical affection during their early meetings.
According to royal author Tom Quinn, Meghan’s warm and open approach to greeting people clashed with the more formal demeanor of senior royals. In his new book, Yes Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants, Quinn claims that Meghan’s attempts to embrace the Prince and Princess of Wales in 2017 were met with discomfort.
“Tension developed between William and Harry as a result of Meghan’s warm, friendly, hug-everyone approach,” Quinn wrote in an excerpt published by The Times. “Kate, William, and Charles tended to flinch when she moved in for a hug.” He added that Meghan, who grew up in California, was taken aback by the lack of warmth in return.
“Meghan was understandably hurt, as everyone apparently hugs everyone in California,” Quinn explained. “Meghan even tried to hug a singularly stiff Old Etonian equerry. He too flinched as if she’d tried to poke him in the eye, as another member of staff put it.”
Meghan herself previously acknowledged this cultural difference in the Harry & Meghan Netflix series, describing her first encounter with William and Kate as a surprising moment of realization.
“Even when Will and Kate came over and I was meeting her for the first time, I remember I was in ripped jeans, I was barefoot,” Meghan recalled. “Like, I was a hugger, I have always been a hugger. I didn’t realize that is really jarring for a lot of Brits.”
She went on to explain how the formality within the royal family extended beyond public appearances. “I started to understand that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside,” she said. “There is a forward-facing way of being and then you close the door and think, ‘OK, we can relax now.’ But that formality carries over on both sides, and that was surprising to me.”
The revelations highlight the stark contrast between Meghan’s American upbringing and the royal family’s traditional customs, which may have contributed to the growing tensions between the Sussexes and the rest of the monarchy.
As Meghan and Prince Harry continue to carve out their lives away from royal duties, the cultural and personal differences that once divided them from the Firm remain a point of discussion among royal watchers.
