The Question Everyone Is Asking About The Royal Women Following The Queen's Procession

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the British royal family has been showing an uncharacteristic amount of unity. Drama normally follows the family wherever it goes, but so far, there's been none, not even between Prince William and Prince Harry. King Charles III seemingly addressed the issue head-on during his first speech as reigning monarch. "This is a time of change for my family," he said, before acknowledging the new positions Camilla, Queen Consort, and Prince William, Prince of Wales, now held, per ET Online.

In his speech, the king also extended his love to "Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas." The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down from their official roles as senior members of the royal family two years ago when they moved to the United States. Since their move, and subsequent interview with Oprah Winfrey, the relationship between Prince William and Prince Harry has seemingly been tense. One source told ET Online that the Sussex's interview with Oprah left a lack of trust for the couple, especially with Prince William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine Middleton, Princess of Wales.

Another source told ET that, most recently, the royal family is "distressed" that despite "claiming a need for privacy — she [Meghan] continues to publicize family matters in the public." This is something the source believes had a direct influence on Meghan not being invited to Balmoral with Prince Harry.

These tensions may have had an effect on the queen's procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey on Wednesday, September 14.

While some royal fans believe Prince William and Prince Harry's reunion is the real deal, critics are skeptical about their wives. Questions about the relationship between Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and Catherine Middleton, Princess of Wales, were raised again on Wednesday, September 14, during the procession of Queen Elizabeth II's casket from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. Despite the Princess of Wales being overheard by The Telegraph telling one family that it was "[a]t times like this, you've got to come together," Kate, and Camilla Parker Bowles, Queen Consort, were riding in a separate car. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex and wife of Prince Edward, rode in their own vehicle behind Camilla and Kate (via People).

Royal watchers speculated that the separation was due to the fractured relationship between the two women. "Catherine DOES NOT have a good relationship with [Markle] and that's common knowledge," one critic Tweeted. Yet, even back in 2020, Elle reports that royal biography Omid Scobie wrote in "Finding Freedom" that while they weren't close, Meghan felt like the press pitted her against Kate — if you're Team Sussex, you can't also be Team Wales.

Reportedly, Kate didn't put much effort into cultivating a relationship with Meghan when they were both living at Kensington Palace. According to Scobie, a source told him that the shared address was the only thing Kate felt she had in common with the American actress (via Elle).