Princess Kate’s brutal reaction to Meghan Markle’s Trooping the Colour joke laid bare

During Meghan Markle’s debut for her first Trooping the Colour in 2018, shortly after joining the Royal Family, she tried to make a lighthearted joke which didn’t go down well, according to Prince Harry. The Duchess was left red-faced at the event, which was only weeks after Harry and Meghan had tied the knot at a their A-list ceremony in Windsor.

In Harry’s bombshell memoir, Spare, he wrote Meghan had tried to crack a joke with Princess Kate, but it did not get the reaction they were expecting and instead, it led a brutal “yawning silence”. Princess Kate asked newlywed Meghan what she thought of her first Trooping the Colour to which Meghan simply replied: “Colourful.” The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had joined the nation and the monarchy for the first time to celebrate the late Queen’s official birthday at the Trooping the Colour ceremony.

Although Meghan’s answer was short and to the point, it did not get a positive reaction, as Harry wrote in his memoir. Harry explained: “A yawning silence threatened to swallow us all whole”. Large crowds turned out for the parade in Horse Guards Parade for the Queen Elizabeth II’s official birthday, and many were eagerly anticipating the arrival of the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex – just three weeks after they tied the knot. Meghan experienced the pomp and pageantry of the event for the first time when she arrived on Horse Guards Parade with Harry in a carriage, along with the late Queen’s cousin, the Duke of Kent.

While Meghan was seen chatting with Kate, William, and Camilla on the balcony, Harry claims things were far more tense behind the scenes. Both dressed for the occasion though, Meghan opted for a Carolina Herrera blush off the shoulder dress, whereas Kate wore a baby blue dress from Alexander McQueen, and a hat by Juliette Botterill.

After stepping down as senior working royals in 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan will not be making an appearance at Trooping the Colour this year to celebrate Harry’s father, King Charles’s second official birthday celebration. Last night, Princess Kate revealed she will be attending Trooping the Colour today despite her ongoing cancer battle. In an incredibly open and honest message, the Princess of Wales revealed her innermost thoughts and fears that she’s “not out of the woods yet”.

Kate added that she has “good days and bad days” while she continues to undergo preventative chemotherapy, explaining that during the latter she is left “weak and tired”. But when she is well enough she can focus on the things that give her joy, most notably her family and her work. A new image of Kate, taken earlier this week in the grounds of Windsor Castle, accompanied the royal’s deeply personal message. It is understood that the picture reflects that connecting with nature is something that continues to support her recovery.

Kate is set to travel down the Mall with her three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, in a state carriage.