The Shady Side Of Kate Middleton

The Duchess of Cambridge once said, "My parents taught me about the importance of qualities like kindness, respect, and honesty. I realize how central values like these have been to me throughout my life," (via People). Since Kate Middleton married Prince William in April 2011, and took her place in the royal family spotlight, she has seemingly lived out those values through her actions most of the time. She has become an advocate for children — especially in regards to mental health issues — and started the Heads Together campaign with William and Prince Harry in 2017. Kate also works with several organizations to promote physical activities and sports (via her official royal bio).

But even the sweetest members of the royal family with the most charitable hearts have bad days. We've learned that Kate is apparently no exception, especially since 2018 when Meghan Markle married Prince Harry and became Kate's sister-in-law. While Meghan seems to have borne the brunt of the incessant tabloid spotlight ever since joining The Firm, Kate has also seen her share of less than graceful moments in the press. Let's review them with a look at the shady side of Kate Middleton.

In November 2018, a report from The Sun claimed that Meghan Markle made Kate Middleton cry during a bridesmaid dress fitting before Markle's wedding to Prince Harry. In Meghan and Harry's bombshell 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey on CBS, she said that this account of the incident was not true. "The reverse happened," Meghan said, implying that Kate actually made her cry. "And I don't say that to be disparaging to anyone because it was a really hard week of the wedding and she was upset about something." Meghan said Kate "owned it" and "apologized," and the women had gotten over it when the story went public months later. "I would hope that she would've wanted that corrected," Meghan continued. "And maybe in the same way that the palace wouldn't let anybody else negate it, they wouldn't let her." Still, Markle called the way the incident was handled a "turning point" in her relationship with Harry's family.

Royal author Katie Nicholl told OK! (via Page Six) that Kate "has never wanted any suggestion of a rift with Meghan to come out in the press. She said that to have to relive it again is "very hard" for the duchess. "Kate felt [the incident] was all sorted, so to have it brought up again was mortifying." This is a lot of drama over dresses, and the sisters-in-law now have a new layer to clear up, but they're probably not going to be sipping tea together in the near future. 

In the world of the royals, one family photo of a joyous event can cause whispers of shady behavior among the public. When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle released a portrait after their son Archie's christening, body language experts were immediately summoned to analyze the whole family's poses. Alarmingly, one such expert, Judi James told Daily Mail that Kate looked "ready to flee." James added, "With a very relaxed and jolly-looking Camilla down one end of this pose, Kate sits at the other looking oddly self-diminished and prim, with her arms pulled into her torso and a part-smile on her face."

Of course, the camera could've just captured a bad moment. But Twitter users went farther, criticizing Kate for wearing the Collingwood Pearl earrings that Princess Diana wore in Harry's christening photos (via Cosmopolitan) on a day that should've been focused on Meghan. One since-deleted tweet (via Express) read: "Attention seeking at a Sussex Family event. Meghan would be roasted for this type of tacky move. Evoking Diana's special moment with Harry at his son's Christening? This simply wasn't [Kate's] role today." Another user wrote that Kate should've lent the earrings to Meghan. We're honestly not sure what Kate's intentions were, but she got off easy compared to Prince William, who was criticized by royal fans for having a "sour" face and who James said was in "nightclub bouncer mode."

Kate Middleton's custom Alexander McQueen wedding dress is absolutely gorgeous. It also nearly tarred the reputation of the iconic fashion brand. We'd be remiss not to tell you about that. Five years after the Cambridges were married, a British bridal designer, Christine Kendall, sued Alexander McQueen for "breach of copyright," naming creative director Sarah Burton, The Times reported. Kendall's lawyer said her client's designs were "unfairly taken and copied." Neither Kate nor the palace was involved in the suit, but Kendall had submitted her designs to the palace as part of an open call for ideas. Kendall reportedly got a thank you note "from the office of Prince William and Prince Harry," but Kate's spokesperson told The Times that The Duchess never laid eyes on the sketches in question.

Alexander McQueen has vehemently denied the allegations. "Sarah Burton never saw any of Ms. Kendall's designs or sketches and did not know of Ms. Kendall before Ms. Kendall got in touch with us — some 13 months after the wedding," a brand rep said in a statement, adding, "We do not know why Ms. Kendall has raised this again, but there are no ifs, buts, or maybes here: This claim is ridiculous."

As of 2021, it's unclear how this saga ended, but we don't think Kate has lost any sleep over it. Are you really a duchess if one of your dresses doesn't start a legal battle?

When royals become parents, they have a team of people to help them raise their children as they carry out their responsibilities to the public. But parenting under such an intense spotlight comes with a lot of scrutinies. For example, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were criticized for taking a vacation without their son Prince George when he was just seven months old, the Daily Mail reported. William and Kate stayed at the Cheval Blanc Randheli Hotel in Malé, the capital of the Maldives in March 2013. The trip was billed as a "second honeymoon" and Daily Mail noted that the couple was "accompanied by several taxpayer-funded Scotland Yard detectives."

The romantic trip took place just a month after William went on a four-day hunting holiday in Spain with Prince Harry. As for Kate, she had recently returned from a family holiday in Mustique with Prince George and "a full group of police bodyguards." Even though the Cambridges had recently hired a nanny, while his parents were in the Maldives, Prince George stayed with his grandparents Carole and Michael Middleton and had "his own Scotland Yard security detail." William and Kate were relaxing before a tour of New Zealand and Australia that George would be in attendance for. In a separate article, the Daily Mail reported a supposed "storm of protest" by taxpayers who criticized the trip. 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's staff at Kensington Palace threatened to strike in 2016 when the charity that manages their salaries threatened a pay cut of about $5000 a year, Today reported. The strike threat came shortly after an upgrade to the palace that cost about $3 million. But a former staff member told Today that people who take the job "don't do it for the money" ... "There is this privilege, this idea that 'I'm working next to a royal," the staffer said. To be clear, the staff members who were threatening to strike were not the ones who work most closely with William and Kate in their personal lives, and the strike doesn't appear to have happened. 

Just because The Cambridges escaped controversy then, that doesn't mean former royal staff members have never spilled the tea about Kate Middleton's disposition. "[Kate's] a lovely, lovely girl ... she totally adores her husband, and they're devoted to each other," Princess Diana's former butler Paul Burrell once told 9 News, comparing the duchess to her late mother-in-law. "But, that extra something, which you would call the 'X-factor,' the magic quality — charisma, it's not there," he said.

To be fair, is it even possible for anyone to live up to Diana's legacy? 

Kate Middleton doesn't have many rivals, but if someone has made it her bad side, it's for a good reason — like allegedly having an affair with her husband, Prince William. We know how it sounds. But The Sun originally reported in 2019 that Kate told William her friend and neighbor at The Cambridges country house, Anmer Hall — Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley — was to be "phased out" of their friend group (via Elle). The Sun was reportedly careful when describing Kate's reasons, but In Touch ran a cover that explicitly stated "William Cheats On Kate — With Her Friend," (via Lainey Gossip).

"It is well known that Kate and Rose have had a terrible falling out," an alleged source from the original report in The Sun said (via Elle). "William wants to play peacemaker so the two couples can remain friends, given they live so close to each other and share many mutual friends. But Kate has been clear that she doesn't want to see them any more and wants William to phase them out, despite their social status." The Daily Mail reported this story was mere "gossip" and the article is no longer accessible on The Sun's website. So, maybe Kate's real rivals are sites that report falsehoods that could end her marriage — just a guess.

As of March 2021, Kate Middleton and her sister-in-law Meghan Markle had reportedly not spoken "directly in over a year" a source told Us Weekly. "[Kate and Meghan] were never that close, but the reason they're not speaking is because of the rift between Prince Harry and Prince William," the source continued.

This is sad, but understandable, because William and Harry's feud isn't one that can be patched up over a pint. "There is real animosity that the brothers have toward one another, and that has spilled over to Meghan and Kate's relationship, making it very hard for them to be friends or even friendly," Us Weekly's source said. Meghan and Kate are apparently very different people, so there isn't much else to bond over outside of being married to royal brothers. The ladies reportedly "didn't see eye-to-eye when it came to day-to-day life in the palace."

While claiming to Oprah that Kate made her cry during a squabble involving bridesmaids' dresses before her wedding, Meghan made sure to add, "If you love me you don't have to hate her, and if you love her, you don't need to hate me." Despite the fact that Markle said she's forgiven Kate and that Kate is a "good person," William is reportedly angry. "William is very protective of Kate and can get very angry," Prince William and Prince Harry's biographer, Penny Junor, told People. "For Meghan to name Kate in a negative light is worse than being attacked himself."

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry put the royal family in a state of "crisis" after their CBS interview with Oprah Winfrey, People reported. The couple spoke about much more than a tiff over bridesmaids dresses — including racially insensitive questions about their son Archie's skin color from a family member, and Meghan being denied help from one of the "senior people" who advises the family when she "didn't want to be alive anymore" at one point during her first pregnancy.

A source told People that the acting members of the royal family were angry at Harry and Meghan after the interview."There were genuinely mixed emotions and deep sorrow and shock there too." A statement on behalf of Queen Elizabeth read in part, "The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately."

Kate is included in all of this by association, especially because she's the only person who was called out by name in the interview. A source told Us Weekly that Kate "wishes she knew more" about the mental health struggles Meghan mentioned.

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.