Meghan Markle’s real feelings about Kate Middleton made clear with unflattering three-word nickname

Another day, another serving of royal tea — this time courtesy of Meghan Markle, her rumored tiff with Kate Middleton, and one less-than-flattering nickname. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’d already be aware of the feud between the Duchess of Sussex and the Princess of Wales, ignited in the wake of Markle and Prince Harry’s sensational exit from the royal family back in 2020.

Since then, the Duke and Duchess haven’t made things anymore friendly, with multiple bombshell interviews and revelations working only to widen the gap between the two families. 

Now, thanks to an explosive book written by royal expert Tom Quinn, we’ve been given an inside look into exactly what the relationship between Markle and Middleton was like, and let’s just say, it’s not all roses. The book, titled Yes, Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants, details what life was like for the pair while they were still members of the royal family — and according to Quinn, the Duchess had some strong feelings about her sister-in-law. 

“Meghan thought Kate was just too eager to please, too much a goody-two-shoes girl,” Quinn claimed. Apparently, this feeling between the pair spoke to broader conflicts around how they each approached royal life, with Middleton reportedly more willing to be told what to do, and more accepting of the duties that came with the role. The book also hears from a former royal staffer, who also sheds light on the differences between the pair. 

“In many ways, it was just the same as the kind of backbiting gossipy criticism that Meghan had to put up with,” the staffer recalled, “but Kate is actually a much stronger person than Meghan in many ways.” The story goes that Markle viewed Middleton’s acceptance of her role as “passivity,” and that this became a “bugbear” for the Duchess, who “wanted Kate to be feistier and make her own mark.” 

The pair’s differing tolerance levels of the duties required of them sowed the seeds of discontent, since “what Meghan saw as Kate being pushed around, Kate saw as an essential part of being a member of the royal family.” Of course, we’ve now all seen how those contrasts have played out, but Quinn’s book also claimed that stark differences also existed between the pair’s respective husbands. 

One of the major bombshells detailed in Yes Ma’am is Markle’s rumored belief that — given the contrasts in their personalities — Prince William and Prince Harry might have different parents. Markle thought this because Harry is “spontaneous and chill” in comparison to the more “serious” William. Of course, this is a rumor that has dogged the brothers for some time, especially given Harry’s striking resemblance to James Hewitt, the paramour of his late mother, Princess Diana.

Also littered throughout the book are claims that Middleton had to treat Prince William “like her fourth child,” rumors that Markle flirted with the Prince of Wales, and gossip that Harry and William referred to Queen Camilla as the “Wicked Witch of the West.” Between that and “goody-two-shoes girl,” we’re going to need a glossary of Buckingham Palace nicknames, stat.