How Kate Middleton Delivered the Ultimate Royal ROAST Slapdown to Meghan Markle’s Racism Claims: “Throwing out baseless racism claims like confetti for attention..”

First, the disgraced Duke of York was spotted – to the surprise of many – walking with other members of the Royal Family to their traditional Christmas service in 2022.

Then, in February this year, he and his ex-wife were photographed leading royal mourners as they walked to the memorial service for King Constantine of Greece. What did it all mean? And why had Fergie – long banished from other such occasions – suddenly been welcomed so publicly back into the royal fold?

Remarkably, a senior figure in the royal household suggests that by extending a hand to the Yorks, King Charles was trying to send his elder son William a very pointed message. Not about Andrew – but about Prince Harry.

‘Perhaps the King is subliminally trying to show William that forgiving one’s brother and giving him a second chance is a strength, not a weakness,’ said the source. ‘Prince William disagrees – and as for his own brother, as far as he is concerned there is no way back.’

In other words, the feud between Harry and William looks set to continue, possibly for the rest of their lives…

It is worth recalling just how close the warring princes once were, and how wholeheartedly and warmly Harry had welcomed Catherine Middleton – whom he regarded as ‘the sister I’ve never had and always wanted’ – into the Royal Family.

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle

On her wedding day, Harry – serving as his brother’s best man – said in his speech at the private reception that their mother would have been ‘proud’ to witness the marriage of her son to the ‘beautiful’ Catherine.

It was only on the advice of his then girlfriend Chelsy Davy that he dropped a reference to the bride’s ‘killer legs’ – though he later disputed this account in his memoir, Spare.

As for William, he called him the ‘perfect brother’.

And for the next few years, Harry remained one of the most important people in William’s life. He was at the christening for Prince George, while the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex and Princess Anne were left off the restricted guest list.

He was one of the first to receive a snap of the new-born Princess Charlotte before Catherine had even left hospital.

Meghan Markle

In 2016, Harry and the Cambridges launched the ambitious Heads Together campaign through their Royal Foundation. Catherine had suggested the idea to her husband as a campaign to draw attention to mental health.

They dovetailed well: William focused on the reluctance of young men to discuss their mental wellbeing, Harry on how it affected the lives of service personnel and veterans, and Catherine on improving the lives of young children.

Then, in 2017, came Meghan Markle. Even before Harry introduced William and Catherine to the American divorcee, they seemed impressed, as the couple were big fans of the Netflix legal drama Suits, in which she had a starring role. Harry said their ‘mouths dropped’ when he told them he was dating Meghan, and his brother turned to him saying, admiringly: ‘F*** off?’

When Clarence House announced the engagement between Harry and Meghan in November 2017, Catherine told the press: ‘William and I are thrilled. It’s such exciting news. It’s a happy time for any couple, and we wish them all the best and hope they enjoy this happy moment.’

Privately, however, William was concerned that his brother was rushing towards marriage without knowing Meghan all that well. He suggested to Harry that he cool the romance and give the actress more time to adjust to royal life.

Harry felt affronted, and his relationship with William quickly began to deteriorate. Meanwhile, Meghan had moved into cosy Nottingham Cottage on the Kensington Palace estate with Harry. When they went to have drinks at William and Catherine’s palatial apartment, she was apparently ‘taken aback’ at the disparity between the brothers.

‘I am not saying Meghan was jealous, but she was surprised how lavishly Harry’s brother was living compared to where they were living,’ said a close source. ‘It was perhaps the beginning of all the tensions between the couples.’

Meghan understood, of course, that William was in the direct line of succession, but she felt that Harry, as a royal prince, deserved more than he had.

On Christmas Day 2017, the two young couples were pictured arm-in-arm as they walked to St Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham. They became known as the ‘Fab Four’ – but even then, they were anything but united.

At the outset, Charles had made a concerted effort to form a relationship with Harry’s fiancee. ‘She is so intelligent and so nice,’ he said. ‘She makes Harry happy. We could not like her more.’

Harry, however, later claimed that his father told him there was ‘not enough money to go around’ for Meghan, because he was already having to pay for William and Catherine.

Harry was furious – feeling that he and Meghan were entitled to lavish handouts from ‘Pa’ in return for agreeing to serve the crown. In fact, according to close sources, Charles ended up giving Harry a ‘substantial sum’ and did not cut him off financially.

At first, public reaction to Meghan was overwhelmingly positive, with ‘the new kids on the block’ hogging most of the headlines – to the point that William and Catherine may have unconsciously raised their game. There were whispers of pettiness, even jealousy.

William, who expected to be treated with deference due to his place in the succession, was put out when Meghan and Harry slotted in a morning engagement in Cardiff in January 2018 that clashed with one of his. Competitive by nature, even when it comes to media coverage, he chose that same afternoon to debut a new and dramatic buzz-cut during a visit to a London hospital.

Some members of Charles’s household were amused that William had felt so affronted. After all, the prince rarely showed much deference to his father.

At the Royal Foundation Forum in February 2018, there were clear tensions among the Fab Four as they sat before a backdrop with the message ‘Making a Difference Together’. William spoke first. Afterwards, the host asked if they ever had family disagreements. ‘Oh, yes,’ William said.

‘[They are] healthy disagreements,’ Harry added quickly. When asked for more detail, he added: ‘I can’t remember, they come so thick and fast.’

When Meghan’s turn came to speak, she name-checked the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements and talked of empowering women to use their voices. Harry, clearly smitten, seemed in awe of her public-speaking skills. William and Catherine, however, shuffled in their seats and looked decidedly uncomfortable.

Cracks between the two couples continued to widen – with the help of petty slights, whether imagined or otherwise.

There was the time Meghan asked to borrow some lip gloss, and Harry felt Catherine had handed hers over reluctantly. According to him, Catherine ‘grimaced’ after Meghan had squeezed some onto a finger and applied it to her lips.