In a rather unusual move, the Royal Family has responded in public and strong fashion to a new magazine profile about Kate Middleton.
Earlier this week, Tatler released a cover story titled “Catherine the Great” that purported to take readers behind the scenes of this famous Duchess’ busy and interesting life.
For example, the story alleges that Middleton and Meghan Markle don’t get along because the former wanted the latter’s bridesmaids — which included Kate’s daughter, Charlotte — to wear nylons back in May 2018.
Markle, reportedly, felt differently.
The two clashes. Middleton cried. Markle prevailed. And there’s been tension ever since.
This may seem petty, but a source told the publication that such a disagreement got to the heart of a major difference between Kate and Meghan — one believes in Royal protocol, while the other scoffs at it.
Furthermore, this same profile claims that Middleton is “furious” that Markle and Prine Harry have quit the Royal Family.
Why?
Because it has meant a much larger workload for Middleton and, as a result, far less time with her three kids.
“Of course she’s smiling and dressing appropriately but she doesn’t want this. She feels exhausted and trapped,” reads the Tatler expose.
Continued an anonymous source who spoke to this magazine:
“[Middleton is] working as hard as a top CEO, who has to be wheeled out all the time, without the benefits of boundaries and plenty of holidays….
‘Meghan and Harry have been so selfish. William and Catherine really wanted to be hands-on parents and the Sussexes have effectively thrown their three children under a bus.”
Yikes, huh? Harsh, no?
But… valid? Truthful? Accurate?
No, no and no says Kensington Palace, which has taken the rare move of firing back at these claims in a brief statement.
“This story contains a swathe of inaccuracies and false misrepresentations which were not put to Kensington Palace prior to publication,” a palace spokesperson said on Wednesday.
In its own statement, meanwhile, Tatler has replied to the Royals:
“Tatler’s Editor-in-Chief Richard Dennen stands behind the reporting of Anna Pasternak and her sources.
‘Kensington Palace knew we were running the ‘Catherine the Great’ cover months ago and we asked them to work together on it.
“The fact they are denying they ever knew is categorically false.”
There’s a lot of ground covered in this cover story, of course.
And while neither Kate nor Prince William have specified which elements of the profile are allegedly false, a People Magazine source says there’s no truth to the aforementioned section about Kate feeling overwhelmed by Markle’s decision to move to Los Angeles.
Middleton and Prince William, for their part, are isolating with their three kids at their country home, Anmer Hall.
They took part in their first-ever Royal engagement via video call last month, talking with a school in northern England where the students of essential workers are being cared for amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the call, the Prince and Duchess met staff and children … and even got to see their arts and crafts projects for Easter.
It’s perhaps worth noting, meanwhile, that Kensington Palace did not specifically say reports of a rift between Middleton and Markle are false.
Probably because we all know these two really do hate each other.
