Meghan Markle's Cheeky Behavior Toward Prince William Reportedly Amped Up Harry Feud

Prince William embraced the stereotype of Brits being a bit uptight after word got out that Meghan Markle's love of a good hug was the source of increased tensions between him and Prince Harry. But before the hugging became an issue, The London Times reported that both William, Prince of Wales Catherine, Princess of Wales, were delighted to have Markle join the royal family, with one staffer telling the outlet that "they thought she was a breath of fresh air." In fact, another member of the staff told the outlet that in those early days Markle and William were close, with the staff member once seeing the two bond over a silly version of the 1950s jive dance. But the happy days would not last, as Markle's public displays of affection apparently only made things worse.

The outlet reported that William, Kate, and then-Prince Charles began to actively flinch when Markle would come in for a hug. The touchy-feely American behavior apparently was so out-of-touch with royal decorum that rumors began to circulate that Markle was actually flirting with William. The gossip about Markle behind closed doors stemmed from the fact that she would offer hugs and cheek kisses almost every time she ran into William, with the repetition apparently enough to get people talking. The gossip inevitably made it to Harry's ears and reportedly only widened the growing divide between the brothers. So we can add "excessive friendliness" to the list of things royal family critics can get mad about.

Per The London Times, Prince William and the rest of the royal family's cold shoulder towards Meghan Markle's intimate approach hurt her feelings, leaving her so confused by their rigid nature that a member of the staff once heard her ask, "Why do William and Charles sound so serious all the time?" However, in a move that certainly couldn't have helped the growing feud between William and Prince Harry, Markle also reportedly used to joke that Harry had different parents than William, with a staff member saying her reasoning was that "Harry isn't pompous at all. He's chill." Hopefully, she and a chilled-out Prince Harry have managed to work some hugging into the list of controversial things they've done since leaving the U.K.

And while Markle may come off as the former "Suits" star from sunny California, a former Kensington Palace maid gave some evidence to The Times that maybe Markle had added some fuel to the feud as well. They spilled the tea, saying, "I don't think Harry had even thought much about the fact that he was a spare until well into his marriage. I think she was oversensitive on Harry's behalf and convinced herself he was being treated as completely unimportant." It's a juicy bit of inspiration for the book Harry would go on to write (and which the royal family took drastic action over), and now we can't help but wonder if Markle knew exactly what she was doing every time she brought it in for a big hug with William.