Meghan Markle's Alleged 'Flirty' Behavior Once Sparked Romance Rumors With Prince William

There's certainly no shortage of red flags in the relationships between members of the royal family these days. The feud between William, Prince of Wales and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex is probably the most-talked about bad blood within the famous family. Interestingly, though, there was also apparently some discomfort lurking inside the relationship between Prince William and Meghan Markle. And, it reportedly started long before Harry and Meghan ditched their royal roles.

In a new article from The Times, journalist Tom Quinn gives some insight into the early days of the familial dynamics between William, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Harry, and Meghan. When Meghan and Harry first got serious, William and Kate were reportedly fond of their new sister-in-law. A junior staff member recalled, "They thought she was a breath of fresh air."

Yet, this reportedly quickly took a turn for an unexpected reason. Meghan apparently tends to be touchy-feely and is far from stingy with her hugs. William was reportedly uneasy about Meghan's tendency to hug him whenever they saw each other, and this caused him to flinch when a hug from his sister-in-law was imminent. This dynamic prompted gossip among staff members who interpreted Meghan's warm, welcoming body language as flirtation toward William. As far as Meghan was concerned, however, this behavior was just something she picked up from growing up in California, where hugs tend to be given freely.

It's hard to believe that Prince William's reported dislike for Meghan Markle was built on a foundation of her penchant for hugging. So, it's no surprise that there was seemingly more to his issue with her than her touchy-feely nature. In the 2020 book "Battle of Brothers: William and Harry – The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult," author Robert Lacey explained why it didn't take long after Meghan joined the royal family for William to turn against her. "He felt Meghan was 'stealing his beloved brother away from him,'" Lacey wrote (via The Mirror). William also reportedly believed that Meghan had ulterior motives for becoming a royal — a notion that he expressed to Prince Harry before the pair tied the knot.

Evidently, William was quick to form a negative opinion about Meghan, and things have only gotten exponentially worse since then. Among the many startling revelations in Harry's 2023 memoir "Spare," he recalled an altercation between him and William in which William "grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and ... knocked me to the floor" (via The Guardian). This reportedly came after William expressed his views about Meghan, which Harry believed were simply "parrot[ing of] the press narrative," which was notoriously scathing toward his wife. According to Harry, William described Meghan as "difficult," "rude," and "abrasive." So, whether William found Meghan too "abrasive," too interested in hugging, or anything in between, it seems clear that he wasn't a fan.