Meghan Markle grew up in Los Angeles, where exchanging hugs and kisses on the cheek when greeting people is considered normal. However, in the British royal family, which follows a strict protocol, this is not the case. Prince Harry, after stepping down from his royal duties, complained about his relatives. According to him, Prince William and Kate Middleton found his wife strange because of her love for hugs.
Royal expert Tom Quinn confirmed these claims. The heir to the British throne and his wife were uncomfortable with Meghan Markle’s tactile manner. “Hugs and cheek kisses from the Duchess of Sussex led to rumors among the staff that Meghan was flirting with William. Obviously, this wasn’t the case, but the tense atmosphere caused by all this affection and the subsequent gossip worsened the rift between the brothers,” said Tom.
According to the author, Kate and William thought Meghan was wonderful when she first started dating Prince Harry. However, tension arose because of the Duchess’s all-hugging approach.
“Meghan would hug Harry’s older brother almost every time they saw each other. Kate, William, and Charles would usually flinch when she approached them for a hug. Meghan, understandably, was upset because in California, everyone hugs everyone,” said the author in his new book, The Secret Life of the Royal Servants, which provides insights into the royals from the perspective of those who serve them.
In the documentary Harry & Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex shared that formality in the royal family is maintained even behind closed doors. She honestly didn’t understand why her love for hugs confused some people. “When I met Will and Kate, I remember I was wearing ripped jeans and barefoot. I’ve always been a hugger, but I didn’t realize it bothered so many British people. I thought, ‘Well, now we can relax,’ but that formality carries over to both sides, and that surprised me,” said the Suits star.
Harry recalled the first awkward meeting between Meghan and his older brother and sister-in-law in his controversial memoir Spare. It happened at the end of 2016 in the Prince and Princess of Wales’ apartment in Kensington Palace.
“I introduced Meg, who leaned in and hugged William, which completely startled him. He recoiled. My brother usually wouldn’t hug a stranger, but for Meghan, it was just a way to greet him. Maybe Willy expected her to bow? That would have been the protocol for a first meeting with a member of the royal family, but Meghan didn’t know that, and I didn’t tell her,” wrote the disgraced son of King Charles III.
