Harry Reveals Meghan’s One American Habit Left Kate ‘Disgusted’ And Sparked an Awkward Standoff

Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, and Prince Harry at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on December 25, 2018.
April 24 2025, Published 11:01 a.m. ET
According to insiders, when Meghan Markle once requested help from Kate Middleton, she grimaced, leading to an unexpected tense standoff. The awkward exchange highlighted the strained bond between the two ladies. The incident in question happened in February 2018, when the 'Fab 4' attended an event at the Royal Foundation Forum. In his memoir, Prince Harry recalled the awkward moment between Markle and Middleton, which was allegedly over a lip gloss.
As reported by The Mirror, Harry wrote, "Meg asked to borrow Kate's lip gloss. An American thing. Meg forgot hers, worried she needed some, and turned to Kate for help. Kate, taken aback, went into her handbag and reluctantly pulled out a small tube. Meg squeezed some onto her finger and applied it to her lips. Kate grimaced. Small clash of styles, maybe." Harry argued that they should’ve just laughed it off, but the media picked up on it and made it seem like a bigger deal, as reported by Page Six.
Harry claimed that Middleton’s tension stemmed from knowing that her comparisons to Markle would be inevitable. In his book Endgame, royal author Omid Scobie also spoke about the relationship between the two Duchesses and claimed that Middleton did not want a close relationship with Markle. As reported by Harper’s Bazaar, Scobie wrote, “For Meghan, who found much of her time as a working royal a lonely and isolated experience, there was a hope that Kate would be someone she could at least turn to for an encouraging word during her lowest points, including her emotional difficulties during her pregnancy.”
He added, “They were once both outsiders, middle-class women brought into the house of Windsor for unimaginably different lives. Kate, however, was uninterested in forming this kind of bond.” A source allegedly told Scobie, “She [Middleton] spent more time talking about Meghan than talking to her.” Over the years, this rift has only grown. Markle and Middleton have only had a few polite exchanges since 2019, and a real reunion between the two seems unlikely. During an ITV interview with Tom Bradby, Harry also revealed that Middleton and his brother, Prince William, didn’t connect with Markle right from the beginning.
Harry admitted that no one expected him to fall for someone like Markle, who had already built a successful career. He acknowledged that there was a lot of stereotyping—something which he was also guilty of. When asked what he meant, Harry said, "American actress, and that was playing out in the British press in the media at the time as well.” Another American habit of Markle that irked Middleton was her hugging of William and her when they came for dinner. Harry also shared that William thought that she would greet him with a handshake as per protocol.