Meghan Markle ‘is very aware’ she’s being ‘pitted against’ Kate Middleton, pal claims: It's 'challenging'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A royal source close to Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle insisted there’s no rivalry between the Duchess of Sussex and the future queen consort.
“Meghan is very aware that Kate [Middleton] will be queen; their roles are very clear,” the insider told People magazine for this week’s cover story. “Meghan doesn’t fit the mold while Kate was groomed for this.
“What’s challenging is when they are pitted against each other,” continued the pal. “That’s been challenging to both of them. Meghan has her life, Kate has hers.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Instead of being competitive against each other behind palace doors, the source claimed that both women are more focused on their growing families.
Meghan Markle (left) with Kate Middleton during happier times. (Getty)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Middleton, 37, has three children with Prince William: Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 1.
Markle, 38, welcomed her firstborn Archie in May of this year.
“It’s very much still about taking care of him and putting family first,” a friend of the former “Suits” star told the outlet. “William and Kate toe the line, maybe because they have to, but Harry and Meghan are saying no — no to releasing the names of Archie’s godparents, no to saying where Meghan gave birth. They are trying to carve out a different sort of public life and reset the rules.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Back in October, author and former correspondent Phil Dampier said to UK’s Express that Middleton warned Markle that “every royal goes through a bad patch."
“Catherine has told Meghan that every royal — including herself — goes through a bad patch with the press but the important thing is to learn by mistakes, move on and get through it,” claimed Dampier.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kate Middleton at a state banquet in honor of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands in October 2018. (Getty)
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The outlet pointed out that the mother of three is all too familiar with being under the glaring spotlight over the years. Middleton was previously nicknamed “Waity Katie” by the British tabloids after allegedly hanging on for years until William, her college sweetheart, proposed.
Middleton was also branded “lazy” by critics after a source claimed she was giving up her job at her parents’ party supplier company to “prepare for her future life.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dampier alleged Middleton and William are determined to help Markle and Harry cope with the struggles of ongoing negative press attention in the U.K.
“It would be a disaster if Harry and Meghan quit and lived abroad,” said Dampier. “William and Kate would be devastated.”
Dampier alleged Middleton feels sorry for the new mother, who admitted she was “not OK’ in the ITV program “Harry & Meghan: An African Journey.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE WON'T JOIN THE QUEEN FOR CHRISTMAS AT SANDRINGHAM
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex visits mothers2mothers during her royal tour of South Africa with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex on Sept. 25, 2019, in Cape Town, South Africa. (Getty)
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“Behind the scenes, I’m told Kate is doing her best to bring everyone together and help Meghan,” he said. “None of them want to let the queen down, so Kate is trying to patch things up in private. I’m told she has reached out to Meghan and has spoken to her on the phone. Kate feels sorry for her and knows that Meghan is struggling.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It was in that same documentary where Harry hinted at the ongoing rumored rift between him and his older brother.
“Inevitably stuff happens,” explained Harry. “But we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. We’re certainly on different paths at the moment. I’ll always be there for him and as I know, he’ll always be there for me. We don’t see each other as much as we used to because we’re so busy, but I love him dearly.
“The majority of stuff is created out of nothing,” added Harry. “As brothers, we have good days and we have bad days.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Numerous sources have long insisted there were deep tensions between the brothers after Harry revealed to his family he wanted to marry the former American actress after less than a year of dating. When William cautioned Harry that the whirlwind romance was moving too quickly, Harry reportedly became angry and hurt.
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Prince Harry (left) and his older brother Prince William watch a flypast to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on July 10, 2018, in London, England. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}William dated Middleton for about eight years before tying the knot in 2011.
After previously working together, the royal couples split their offices and charitable endeavors last June. Markle and Harry’s office moved out of Kensington Palace and into Buckingham Palace, where Queen Elizabeth II resides. Middleton and William’s office remains in Kensington Palace, where they live with their three children.
Markle and Harry reside at Windsor Castle’s Frogmore Cottage with their son.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the documentary, Markle got candid about coping with the intense media scrutiny after becoming a member of the British royal family when she married Harry in May 2018.
“I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a ‘stiff upper lip,’” explained Markle. “I really tried, but I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Britain's Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle hold their baby son Archie as they meet with Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town on Sep. 25, 2019. (Getty)
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“I never thought that this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair,” continued Markle. “And that’s the part that’s really hard to reconcile. If things were fair… If I’d done something wrong, I’d be the first one to go, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I would never do that.’ But when people are saying things that are just untrue and they are being told they’re untrue but they’re allowed to still say them — I don’t know anybody in the world who would feel like that’s OK.’”
Markle said before she tied the knot with Harry, some of her friends warned her that becoming a member of the royal family would mean being under the constant glare of the public spotlight and losing her privacy.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“In all fairness, I had no idea, which probably sounds difficult to understand and hear,” said Markle. “But when I first met my now-husband, my friends were really happy because I was so happy, but my British friends said to me, ‘I’m sure he’s great but you shouldn’t do it because the British tabloids will destroy your life.’
“And I, very naively — I’m American,” continued Markle. “We don’t have that there — [I said], ‘What are you talking about? That doesn’t make any sense. I’m not in any tabloids.’ I didn’t get it. So it’s been, yeah, it’s been complicated.”
Markle also got candid about the negative attention she has received from the media during her pregnancy and first months with Archie.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meghan Markle's alleged request for privacy has sparked a fiery debate on social media. (AP)
“Any woman, especially when they’re pregnant, you’re really vulnerable, and so that was made really challenging,” said Markle. “And then when you have a newborn, you know. ... and especially as a woman, it’s a lot.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed,” continued Markle while holding back tears. “It’s um… yeah. I guess, also thank you for asking because not many people have asked if I’m OK. But it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.”