KATE Middleton worried that Prince Harry hadn’t met Meghan Markle’s father before the two were married, a royal biographer claims.
The Duchess of Cambridge – thought of as a sister by Harry – was privately concerned that Meghan “appeared embarrassed” of some relatives, Ingrid Seward says.
Read our Meghan and Harry live blog for the latest updates
William, Kate and Harry were previously extremely close, with Harry a frequent guest at their home in London.
But divisions began to form when he quickly fell in love with Meghan.
William had already cautioned him on not rushing with “the girl” – words that Finding Freedom authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claim “p***ed off” Harry, who “wore his heart on his sleeve”.
And Kate then began to worry about Meghan’s relationships with her father Thomas, Ingrid claims.
It comes as:
- Prince William ‘can’t tolerate’ how Meghan has treated Kate Middleton, a senior royal source claimed
- Kate got the giggles as she and William played golf on a royal visit today
- Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are looking for a new employee as they take on greater responsibility
- Harry and Meghan may be ‘cut’ from the Royal Family in Prince Charles’ plan to save cash
- Harry revealed Kate’s hugely embarrassing nickname for William in the best man’s speech at their wedding
- And an expert said that during that same speech, Harry referred to William as a “perfect brother” – a bond that has “now broken”
The turning point came when Harry invited Meghan to spend Christmas at William and Kate’s home in Norfolk, Anmer Hall, shortly after their engagement.
Kate and Wills “praised Meghan for mucking in and playing with George and Charlotte” after the stay.
But Harry then guest-edited Radio 4’s Today programme a couple of days later – and revealed his loved ones were “like the family she never had”.
The claims caused huge upset in Meghan’s family – and her half-sister Samantha later said Harry’s words were deeply hurtful.
And for Kate, pregnant with Louis and suffering with hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness that can utterly debilitate its sufferers, it was “all a bit worrying”, Ingrid said.
“She could not understand why Harry had never met his future father-in-law, nor why Meghan, who Harry assured was The One and ‘ticked all his boxes’, appeared embarrassed about her family and unwilling to speak about them apart from her mother,” she said.
Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland was the only family member to attend the wedding.
Father Thomas, who has repeatedly given interviews to the press about his relationship with his daughter, was not invited.
He has also never met the couple’s son Archie.
In an interview with Good Morning Britain, given just a day after Meghan and Harry’s chat with Oprah aired in the UK, he said the couple “didn’t care if I died” after his heart attack.
He also hand-delivered a letter to Oprah’s home asking for the chat show host to interview him too.
Meanwhile, the Duchess has faced a court battle after a national paper printed extracts of a five-page letter she’d written to Mr Markle.
A judge ruled the paper did breach her privacy – although publisher ANL is appealing the decision.
Harry and Meghan briefly addressed her relationship with her dad in their Oprah interview.
In a separate interview with James Corden, Harry said he knew his future wife was “special” on their second date.
He told the former Gavin and Stacey actor that “everything was done back to front” due his royal status, which meant cosy nights in rather than attending glitzy dinners.
He said: “Rather than going to friends’ houses or out for dinner where there were other distractions [we had] no distractions. It was great.
“We went from zero to 60 in the first two months.”
And Ingrid said: “Both William and Kate wanted to like Meghan if for no other reason than Harry was so madly in love.
“But the women had little in common beyond some polite chatter and their shared interest in tennis.”
And the troubles worsened with Megxit – and the now-notorious interview with Oprah.
During the explosive chat, the couple said a senior royal had made a racist comment about the colour of son Archie’s skin before his birth.
It was also claimed that Kate Middleton had made Meghan cry – an allegation said to have made William particularly upset.
Meghan and Harry’s popularity with Brit adults has taken a tumble to its lowest-ever point since the chat screened.
And Ingrid said: “Now, after all that has happened, Kate is burdened with the task of peacemaker.
“Her huge strength and inner resolve will stand her in good stead, but mending this broken relationship might be the one thing she cannot conquer.”
