Princess Kate ‘Grimaced’ in Meghan Markle Exchange

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An incident between Princess Kate and Meghan Markle has resurfaced following claims made by Prince Harry in his memoir Spare. According to Harry, a seemingly minor request during a joint royal appearance highlighted early tensions between the two women.

The event in question took place in February 2018 at the first annual Royal Foundation Forum. At the time, Meghan had recently become engaged to Harry and was preparing to marry into the Royal Family. The forum marked her first official appearance alongside Prince William and Princess Kate.

During the event, Meghan reportedly asked to borrow Kate’s lip gloss, something Harry described as “an American thing.” In his account, Kate appeared reluctant, reaching into her handbag and handing over a tube. Meghan then applied some gloss to her finger before using it on her lips.

Harry claimed that Kate “grimaced” at the exchange and seemed uncomfortable with the gesture. He suggested the episode was a small cultural clash, writing that it was “something we should have been able to laugh about soon after, but it left a little mark.”

The Duke also speculated that Kate may have been “on edge,” concerned about comparisons between herself and Meghan, who was attracting significant media attention at the time.

The account forms part of Harry’s wider criticism of the strained relationships within the Royal Family, particularly between the Sussexes and the Prince and Princess of Wales. Meghan and Harry eventually stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and moved to the United States, where they have continued to speak publicly about their experiences.

Princess Kate has never publicly commented on Harry’s version of events, and Kensington Palace has traditionally avoided responding to personal claims made in the Duke’s memoir or interviews.

Observers note that the lip gloss story is a relatively minor incident compared with the broader tensions that later unfolded between the Sussexes and the rest of the Royal Family. Nonetheless, the anecdote has drawn attention because it reflects the differences in background and style between Meghan, a former American actress, and Kate, who was already established in her role as a senior royal.

The 2018 Royal Foundation Forum was intended to showcase the “fab four” William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan,  working together on charitable projects. Instead, Harry’s retelling suggests the event marked the beginning of underlying friction.

With Meghan and Harry no longer part of royal life, the moment stands as one of many early signals of a relationship that would later become defined by distance and division.