I’ve been waiting for the tabloids to come up with a narrative for the photos of Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge together at their Royal Foundation/Heads Together event. Even the seating arrangement suggested that the royals wanted the stories about Meghan and Kate to spring up, because Meg and Kate were seated side-by-side, and there were so many photos of them interacting. In many ways, that was a smart move, and a subtle way for the royals to control the narrative for a time: no one will believe that Meghan and Kate dislike each other if there are so many photos of them smiling at each other. So now the stories are about Meghan and Kate’s “sudden friendship.” Hm.
Becoming a princess bride requires a bit of work. As Meghan Markle prepares to wed Prince Harry May 19, she’s navigating sessions in royal protocol — covering everything from public speaking to the best way to behave at a state banquet. Fortunately for the future duchess, 36, she has the best advisor just a short walk away. The former Suits star will often make the walk across the Kensington Palace grounds from Nottingham Cottage to Apartment 1A, the sprawling 22-room spread Duchess Kate shares with Prince William, a source reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly. There, over cups of tea, Kate, 36, “will give Meghan advice about adapting to the royal family.”
Just seven years removed from her own princess training, the royal told Markle “that if she ever needed anything, she shouldn’t hesitate to get in touch,” says the Markle pal. Even if it’s just to get a crash course on her new collection of aides. “Keep in mind,” notes the pal, “the aides advising Meghan now are of the same position at the palace as the ones who advised Kate when she first got engaged to William.”
William, 35, is on hand to offer tips as well. “Harry made sure that his brother and sister-in-law are both available to Meghan,” says a source. “You can’t trust anyone more than family.”
And the couple are eager to embrace Markle as an official Cambridge. “Meghan gets along great with everyone,” a source says of the star, who joined the trio onstage February 28 for the inaugural Royal Foundation Forum in London. Most importantly, she’s a great fit for Harry. Says a source close to William and Kate, “They’re so pleased to see Harry in a good place and planning his future.”
It feels like we’ve been getting versions of this story for a few months: Kate is cast as the wiser, more mature “princess” who generously agrees to take the poor, gauche American girl under her wing. I’m sure a lot of people buy it. At this point, I don’t think Meg and Kate dislike each other or anything – I think they’re both being patient with each other, and figuring out how this is all going to happen, because they’re going to be in each other’s lives for a long time. But I still don’t buy Kate as some kind of mentor to Meghan, nor do I buy Kate-as-advisor. They talk, for sure. But I just don’t see their relationship as mentor/mentee, advisor/advised.
Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News, cover courtesy of Us Weekly.
False
+1000 honestly, this could have been the entire body text of the article – all other comments (mine included) are superfluous.
Also, LOL at Meghan being framed as the “Fergie” in this duo.
Why would they need to be super close, anyway? They clearly get along well enough. Once Megan is actually part of the family – i.e. married – I’m sure she’ll find the limitations frustrating. Kate may be more helpful to her then.
The people need them to be close cos that family was never kind to anyone but their blue blood-ers. I want them to be close. Otherwise, they will remain clothes horses…
I hope they have a good relationship because they are going to be neighbors for a long time.
William and Kate notoriously avoid the royal family private events, along with avoiding work as much as possible. I cannot see how Harry or Meghan would benefit from advice from these two, unless it is to watch W&K’s mistakes and learn from them.
Hi nota!
Agree. This is a work push for show. I do think Meghan is just a good worker that will genuinely care. She doesn’t need a mentor like kate. Kate still needs a mentor in the way Meghan might. Protocol.
They seem to have had very different upbringings and have very different personalities, I can’t think what they have in common apart form being married to British Princes, which could possibly bring them together.
Don’t buy the mentor thing either. I think Meghan is much smarter and savvy than Kate. Meghan seems to be making her own mark without the mentoring from others. She may need some help with learning protocol but that would be about it.
Given that KM still breaks protocol after 7 years in, she isn’t the one to advise on it. That’s what courtiers are for.
They all break the alleged protocol.
Even *if* that were true, KM isn’t the one to look to for advice. HM, Camilla, Sophie, Anne – lots of solid options.
This.
Meghan has been working for close to two decades and has far more experience with just about anything besides royal protocol and child rearing. It might be conjecture but I believe she’s far more developed (and interessting lets be honest) as a person than Kate.
@ Notasugarhere : I think Sophie (Prince Edward’s wife) would be better suited to be a mentor if Markle needs one. Sophie (formerly Rhys-Jones) had a real job in London (public relations) and she would know how a non-royal outsider would best adapt to becoming a royal.
I happened to watch a youtube of Meghan at a creative something conference back in 2016 (just SO long ago!). Meghan is all about appreciating her good fortune – be it a car that runs or a fruit basket in her dressing room or her show going for 6 (7?) seasons. I think her and Kate are about as different as possible really and perhaps that will be what works for them. I imagine they will have a friendly connected relationship but if anything, Kate is going to learn so much from Meghan.
Why not, Kate is commoner after all who joined RF , she must have experience of success and fail with RF family. I would appreciate if I have a sister in law giving me short cuts to secrets List of do and don’t . Second Harry was a friend with Kete and supported her. Why she would not support give guidance his wife to be.
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It seems (to me at least) like Meghan is getting all her advice and mentoring from Camilla (and Sophia in part), not from Kate. There’s little Kate can teach Meghan, Kate herself has not figured out diddly squat about the BRF protocol so she can’t be teaching nothing. Example: we were told that Kate is training Meghan to curtsy, well…. Kate’s curtsy leaves quite a lot to be desired for so she can’t teach Meghan anything she herself hasn’t grasped.
Firstly, unless they hold a peerage title, they are commoners. In this case, Harry is a commoner as much as MM even if he is a prince. ‘Prince’ being a style rather than a title.
Secondly, if you are saying commoner to mean non-aristocrat, the entire family seems to have married non- aristocrats in the grandchildren generation eg Sophie Wessex, Mike Tindall, Autumn Philips, the Dukes of Gloucester and Kent’s children have all married non-aristocratic people. Ditto Prince Michael of Kent.
Yeah, not buying it. Meghan is entering this marriage having succeeded in a career notoriously hard to get into. She’s also been married before. And she’s 8+ years older than Kate was when she got married. She just comes into this with a lot more world experience than Kate did and so far seems like a quick study. I’m sure Kate can give her some advice here and there but I just don’t see an active hands-on “mentorship” here.
I don’t know why tabloids are “‘shipping” them, or, alternatively, pitting them as rivals or even enemies. They’re in-laws. Some in-laws get along swimmingly, some hate each other, but I would imagine the majority just get on fine.
Maybe the shipping is to head off building bad press and have it escalate to a degree that disrupts relationships and hurts them as a family.
It happened with Diana, Fergie, both getting so much attention ultimately led to downfall for each and hurt their kids etc.
I think this is a good narrative trying to set a tone expecting respect and no interference from speculative press. I’m ok with it even knowing it’s not true.
Chutney. It’s all about the chutney, Kate says, giving a slow nod and tapping her finger against the side of her nose.
And lace. And buttons.
Lol to the two of you ^.
Kate whispers solemnly, “Wiglets.” and proceeds to show her the secret chamber of wiglets where the impressive collection is kept in a temperature controlled room.
I am a defender of the wiglet, so I hope it is true! Please be true.
Coatdresses.
Honey, Rapunzel, MagnoliaRose, LAK!
You’ve cracked the code!
(wiglets! chutney! buttons! coatdresses! Huzzah!)
Maybe *you* should be Princesses…?
Nah, not buying it. kate is all about herself and her immediate family, I don’t really see her as the type to go out of her way to make someone else comfortable unless there was something in it for herself.
Not buying the story either, but it might just explain Meghan’s terrible clothing choices since becoming engaged. Overlong trousers, ill fitting coats, flyaway hair….. her version maybe of Kate’s endless buttons and lace.
Not buying the mentor crap – they are going to be SIL’s so of course they are going to try and get along but they are 2 very different people with marrying into the BRF being the only thing they have in common. This stinks of Cambridge PR designed to repair her lazy image by cozying up to the newest RF member who is getting all the nice press.
Time will tell what kind of Duchess meghan will be but she can’t be any worse the the one allegedly ‘mentoring’ her.
I don’t know. On that Christmas walk, she definitely was looking to Kate and William for encouragement. Neither of them were born into this life. I don’t find it so odd to think that Kate would share tips of navigating new expectations. But then again, I like them both, and hope they do become close friends.
Agree.
I don’t know about mentoring in the sense of the story, but Kate really does look happier lately. I can imagine they are getting to know each other. It would be nice for both of them if they found some common ground and friendship.
@BrandyAlexander, good example. and at that christmas ceremony, Kate got the curtsy wrong and ditto Meghan.So unless Meghan is looking at Kate’s mistakes and learning from the them ie not to repeat them, Meghan ain’t being mentored on nothing by duchess do little.
“The new Fergie and Diana” headline is shady as hell!
In reality how much are these two women going to be in contact with one another, anyone else remember why Harry was asked about Kate when she and William got engaged and he said something like he was looking forward to getting to know her, she had been in Willaim’s life years at that point they just don;t seem like a very close bunch.
I know right… AS IF Meghan is the Fergie! Going on sexy yacht antics alone, Kate is the clear frontrunner.
*ps no shade on sexy yacht antics… had I a yacht I’d do no different!
My you are a dark horse. lol
I am not sure anyone would want to be seen as the Fergie.
Come to think of it, wasn’t there some boat-based drama involving Diana? Maybe it’s not a good measure of Ferginess…
On measures of dowdy dressing and grifting, Kate is probably most Fergish. But I don’t want to overlook Kate’s concerted efforts in SingleWhiteFemaling Diana. Certainly, Meghan has more Dianesque charisma, but Kate has wedding dress realness and mumsy Sloane-ranging nailed.
As for me and my house, we’re just wannabe sexy yachters 😉
@Lela, I don’t believe anyone said Meghan and Kate are not friendly, in fact Kaiser says she believes they are friendly. And I don’t see any attempts of pitting one against the other here TBH! I myself don’t see Kate helping Meghan with anything, if anything Meghan is getting training from Harry, Duchess of Cornwall and probably Countess Wessex, but not from Kate.
Kate may not be a mentor for how to be a princess, but I’m sure she’s a lot of help for Meghan on how to fit in with the royals. A former outsider’s point of view will be different than Harry or Will’s. Kate has already made the mistakes *coughchutneycough* so hopefully she’s helping Meghan in that regard.
After 7 years it is clear that KM is still incredibly uncomfortable around the extended British Royal Family. Much better mentors in that bunch than her future SIL.
Sophia Countess of Wessex is in a more similar positions as Meghan, they both were working women who had actively worked and were holding jobs for years before they met their princes, they both continued to work while dating said princes and they both gave up their jobs to marry the men they love. Sophia would be a more suitable mentor than Kate Middleton. My suspicion though is that Meghan is referring to Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, than to Kate Middleton, for direction and mentorship.
These headlines about Kate mentoring MM sound like Kate is writing fan-fic.
Naw.
Kate’s all: Writing fanfic = too much work 😛 That’s what the PR Peasants are for.
PippaTip: To fool the peasants, simply hire peasants, to do the fooling.
@Elaine … that Pippa Tip is DIVINE <3
I think Meghan would have better luck asking the wall for advice vs Kate.
Kate and Megs won’t be braiding each others’ hair nor will they become royal rivals. They seem to be getting along, have clearly spent time together and understand they will need one another.
Agreed – basically, they’re coworkers.
I haven’t seen a photo where the two of them make eye contact.
I have.
But, wait, Meghan isn’t going to be “an official Cambridge”. Good job, US Weekly.
Caught that too! Big ol’ sign that this is fake!
Good catch. It seemed jarring to me too, but I thought maybe there is a protocol I am unaware of in the BRF.
Not unless William and Kate adopt her.
According to a school official at Kate’s secondary school she was good at helping newcomers feel comfortable. This is why I can believe she and Meghan would get along well.
“She was made a guardian for new pupils in the first year, a job that she took seriously. She would take care of the newcomers. You could see that Catherine wasn’t a threatening character. The new girls could talk to her and approach her. They fely comfortable with her.”
It’s standard practise to be assigned a new student if you are older and vice versa when you board. It’s part of the pastoral care of schools. The idea is that the person you are assigned is like a little / big sister and you help them until they acclimatise to school. You stay in touch throughout the year mostly because you live together in the same boarding house. And 99% of the time everybody is nice to everybody else because you are stuck in the same boat and trying to survive the situation. No room or inclination to be unkind or horrible to anyone
Praising Kate for doing something she was required to do like other students is really keeping that bar very low indeed.
The school employee expressed sentiments that I am not inclined to argue with. I have no reason to doubt her or presume she is exaggerating to make Kate look good in retrospect.
Enough Already: The reason i don’t place high value on anyone praising any student for that programme is because that is the way they (we) are praised. Ask any housemistress about their former charges and they trot out that programme as the example of your saintliness. Every.single.student is described that way.
The comments about Kate are in the media so people assume that means she was indeed special, but the wording used is standard PR talking points used by most housemistresses at most schools.
The real test is whether any of her former little sisters say the same thing about her because then you know she was indeed kind and made an impression. Coming from a housemistress i’d take that with a pinch of salt.
In my experience that is not the case. Many girls at boarding schools and/or all girls schools can be absolute monsters. If 99% of girls at your boarding school were nice then you were probably either incredibly lucky, or simply unaware of bullying going on elsewhere.
@Meggies, I’m assuming thats the reason for Lak’s “The real test is whether any of her former little sisters say the same thing about her because then you know she was indeed kind and made an impression.” non?
Meggles: Saying most boarding schools are full of monstrous girls or the schools were monstrous sounds like YOU were in the 1% because they are not.
Bullying is impossible to hide in a boarding school. Living in such close proximity makes it hard to keep such a secret and you are expelled immediately if you are found to be bullying other pupils. It’s not like bullying in prison. There is also a difference between teasing or pranking and bullying.
There is always a small number of girls (and boys) who do not enjoy the boarding school experience and never acclimatise to it. They label the rest of the student body as monstrous instead of accepting that they never adjusted and it wasn’t the right fit for them.
I went to boarding school on 3 different continents and the experience is almost universal. It’s not lucky to find good pastoral care when that is the raison d’etre of the schools for decades now. Boarding schools are not the horrors of our parents’ age.
Is Kate telling her how to pull out of 115 year traditions by not showing up for the Irish Guards on St. Patrick’s Day? Lots of great advice I’m sure, from Katie Keen.
Yeah because she totally did that without William’s approval. It’s a royal tradition so he or KP sign off on those decisions. I blame the heir here.
Royals set their own schedules and make their own decisions, as stated frequently by royals and courtiers.
It seems the courtiers were fed up, because the press were informed that she didn’t want to set up the expectation that she attend each year. After that started to raise eyebrows, we got the silly, “She wants to spend time with the kids before a tour.”
She’s at fault for deciding a hair appointment was more important than the Irish Guards. So tired of people infantilising and excusing her behavior.
Nota
I blame William for that one. Period.
This reads like wishful thinking from an American magazine that wants to see these women close and Meghan succeed. The two women have vastly different backgrounds and I always get the impression that Carole and Pippa and that family are all the people Kate really wants and needs in her life. She lived her whole life in England – she has a whole life there. Meghan has to create one. I doubt Kate will be any more than a polite acquaintance. And maybe that’s best – no chance for the “best friends gone wrong” narration the media incessantly pushed about Diana and Fergie.
It doesn’t matter if they get along, Meghan will be queen one day, right? *
*so much sarcasm
Really?! We’re going to do this again?
Meghan is much cleverer than Kate, though, and much more independent too.
I hope not. We will be stuck with work shy, bad shoes, buttons galore, hair nets and lace until the end of time.
I think that it will be the other way around. Meghan has already shown better skills and intuiton than Kate has ever done. Hopefully Kate will look at Meghan and realise how fulfilling her role could be if she actually found something she cared about.
This is from US Weekly who is now on par with InTouch and the National Enquirer.