Meghan Markle aware of being 'pitted against' Kate Middleton but denies competitiveness as they are 'on different paths'
Despite the reported rift between Prince William and Prince Harry, there is no rivalry between their respective wives, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, when it comes to the roles they are expected to play within the monarchy.
As a result, while “some competitiveness” exists between the Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex, their better halves are more focused on their respective families than being competitive with each other.
“Meghan is very aware that Kate will be Queen; their roles are very clear,” a royal source told People magazine. “Meghan doesn’t fit the mold, while Kate was groomed for this."
The insider added that while Meghan was a "fully formed person" when she joined the royal family, Kate was still a young student when she met William at the University of St. Andrews. As a result, Kate has had eight years to mold her personality in accordance with the norms of her husband's extraordinary family, while Meghan, who married Harry after less than a year of dating, was thrust into the spotlight without much preparedness.
The fact that the British press has tried to pit Meghan against Kate from the very moment she married Harry has not helped the two women come closer. “What’s challenging is when they are pitted against each other,” the source said. “That’s been challenging to both of them. Meghan has her life, Kate has hers.”
As a result, while the late Princess Diana's sons and daughters-in-law were initially seen hanging out together and attending royal engagements together, the two couples are on “different paths now." That is also reflected in their parenting skills.
While Kate and William are busy raising Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and 1 and a half-year-old Prince Louis in a traditional way, Harry and Meghan are trying to carve out an unconventional route for their 6-month-old son Archie.
“William and Kate toe the line, maybe because they have to, but Harry and Meghan are saying no—no to releasing the names of Archie’s godparents, no to saying where Meghan gave birth,” the source said. “They are trying to carve out a different sort of public life and reset the rules.”
According to other royal sources, Queen Elizabeth II was in the dark about Harry and Meghan's plans to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with Archie and Meghan's mother Doria Ragland in America till her grandson called her at Buckingham Palace and declined an open invite to spend the holidays with the royal family.