Meghan Markle ‘made Prince William uncomfortable’ for 1 reason

Since quitting royal life five years ago, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have not held back from airing their views about their time as senior royals, even going as far as to criticise fellow members of the Firm themselves. In their 2022 Netflix docuseries Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex addressed some of the challenges they faced, with Meghan making one slightly unusual claim.

In the docuseries, Meghan described herself as a “hugger”, and commented on how when she met Prince William, 43, and Princess Kate, 43, she realised how “jarring” this is for British people, suggesting that they were not as welcoming as she had hoped. The mum-of-two said: “’Even when Will and Kate came over and I was meeting her for the first time I remember I was in ripped jeans, I was barefoot.

“Like I was a hugger, I have always been a hugger I didn’t realise that is really jarring for a lot of Brits.” However, now a royal author has explained that Meghan’s hugging made William “uncomfortable” for one reason. This is because it fuelled gossip among staff, with William not liking having lots of attention. Royal author Tom Quinn wrote in his book Yes, Ma’am: “Tensions developed between William and Harry as a result of Meghan’s warm, friendly, hug-everyone approach.

“It made William uncomfortable because she hugged him virtually every time they bumped into each other; the hugging and cheek kissing fuelled gossip among the staff that Meghan was flirting with William, which she was obviously not, but the tense atmosphere caused by all the touchy-feeliness (and the resultant gossip) deepened the rift between the brothers.” Although Meghan may believe William and Kate are not “huggers”, the royal couple have proved time and time again that they are both welcoming and warm when it comes to greeting people.

On royal engagements, both William and Kate are always seen exchanging both handshakes and hugs with members of the public, as well as members of their own family.

Just last week at Royal Ascot, Prince William could be seen with his arm around his cousin Zara Tindall’s shoulders, proving that the prince does not find this affection as “jarring” as Meghan, 43, suggested he once did. Prince William and Princess Kate have never publicly commented on the matter.