Prince William and Kate Middleton's 'wake-up moment over Meghan Markle' before she married Harry
Meghan had showed off her "impressive" skills during an appearancePrince William and Kate, Princess of Wales felt they had to “up their game” after Meghan Markle joined the family, a book once claimed.
The Prince and Princess of Wales reportedly had a “wake-up moment” when “confident” Meghan, 44, arrived on the scene.
Royal author Katie Nicholl previously made the claims in her book, The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown, published in 2022.
Prince William and Kate’s ‘wake-up moment’ with Meghan Markle
The Mirror previously reported that in the book, Nicholl claimed Meghan’s first public appearance as a board member of the Royal Foundation was a “wake-up moment” for Kate and William.
In early 2018, before Meghan, 44, had married Prince Harry, the pair joined William, 43, and Kate, 43, for a forum for the Royal Foundation.
According to Nicholl, a source claimed that Meghan was really “impressive” during the engagement.
The source claimed, according to the book: “That was a wake-up moment for William and Kate when they realised that Meghan was very impressive, very confident and very capable.”
Prince Harry and Prince William ‘rift’
Elsewhere in her book, Nicholl also spoke about the reported rift between William and his younger brother Harry. Rumours of a feud have surrounded the brothers in recent years.
That was a wake-up moment for William and Kate when they realised that Meghan was very impressive, very confident and very capable.
In extracts from her book The New Royals published in Vanity Fair, Nicholl wrote: “To this day, William still cannot forgive his brother. The brothers’ estrangement also threatens to cast a shadow over Charles’ reign and possibly William’s. Charles knows his public reputation could suffer if he is seen to be turning his back on his youngest son.
“The queen, who was deeply hurt by Harry’s decision to leave his family and the country, nonetheless ensured the door was always open for her grandson and his wife and children to return.”
Read more: Prince Harry and William’s rift would ‘never have gone this far’ if Princess Diana were alive
Harry, 40, and Meghan live in California with their two children – Archie, six, and Lilibet, four.
In May 2025, Prince Harry admitted he would love a reconciliation with his family. He told the BBC: “I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight any more. Life is precious.”
Harry added: “I don’t know how much longer my father has,” amid the king’s cancer treatment.
Royal Insider has contacted reps for Kensington Palace for comment.
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