Why Kate Middleton Is Better Suited For Royal Life Than Meghan Markle, According To Insiders

Sadly, the feud between William, Prince of Wales, and his younger brother Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, likely started way earlier than we all thought. Though it's difficult to pinpoint the exact moment where it all went wrong between them, tensions reportedly arose soon after Harry's relationship with Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, began in 2016. In "Finding Freedom," their biography of the famous couple, co-authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claimed that Prince William was wary of Harry and Meghan's relationship even in its early days. 

The prince reportedly felt that his younger brother was "blindsided by lust," and advised him to proceed with caution and "take as much time as you need to get to know this girl," per The Sunday Times. Harry took great offense to the "this girl" descriptor and wrote off his brother's presumably well-meaning counsel as the words of a "snob." In fact, in former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond's chat with The Sun's "Royal Exclusive" show, in 2024, she explained it likely came from his own experiences with his lengthy courtship of Catherine, Prince of Wales. 

"Kate [Middleton] was given ten years to peer into the goldfish bowl of royal life," Bond pointed out. "Because their courtship was so long, she was able to judge that she could hack it — and William could see that too." As a result, Kate was well-prepared for all the highs and lows of being a royal and better understood just how different her life would be once everything was official. In contrast, Meghan was essentially thrust into it after a two-year courtship.

When William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, sat down with ITV in 2010 for their now iconic engagement interview, he admitted that the past had played a part in their nearly decade-long courtship. The prince obviously watched his mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, struggle with the limelight, and he didn't want Kate Middleton to face similar pressures without proper preparation. Additionally, William strived to give Kate a realistic outlook on her life as a royal and provide her with ample room to walk away before things got too intense. It's worth noting that in 2007, the Princess of Wales reached a point where she reportedly couldn't handle the public scrutiny anymore, and the beloved couple briefly split up, according to People.

Thankfully, the Waleses eventually worked through their issues and reunited two months later. And, given the promise that William made to Kate's parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, when he married her, it's safe to say that he only grew more protective of her afterwards. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex similarly had to endure excessive media attention in the early days of their courtship. In November 2016, Prince Harry decided to take matters into his own hands and released a statement through his communications office to directly criticize the press for their relentless harassment and sexist and racist remarks about his partner. Notably, Harry also made it clear that he was "deeply disappointed that he [had] not been able to protect her," (via the BBC).