KATE STILL REIGNS AS MEGHAN SLIPS
The battle of the royal wives has entered a new phase with the screening of the documentary Harry & Meghan, but it is the Princess of Wales who is winning people over with her calm demeanour, writes
COMPARISONS between Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are increasingly running in Kate’s favour, with the Netflix special Harry & Meghan doing little to bolster the Duchess of Sussex’s falling popularity on either side of the Atlantic, royal commentators say. According to a Newsweek poll in October, the Duchess of Sussex was “significantly more popular” in the US than the UK, but still trailed Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Harry in the popularity stakes. Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said Meghan has been gearing up for an intense performance to boost her waning popularity above the Princess of Wales. “Meghan despises being in the background, that’s for sure,” he said. “Playing the victim has potency. She knows this. It’s given Meghan’s brand clout in America and while she’s losing favour in Britain, being ‘woke’ and highlighting injustice works with the young people in both the UK and States.”
Harry and Meghan’s Oprah interview in 2021 – when they called out palace racism – won them fans in the US but cost them dearly in the UK, Mr Fitzwilliams said. While royal watchers had tried to fashion Kate and Meghan as the new Di and Fergie in the early days of the “Fab Four”, the Oprah interview strained the relationship between the sisters-in-law.
In the interview Meghan disputed reports she made Kate cry before her wedding, saying “the reverse happened”.
Worse was to come in the Harry & Meghan series, with the Duchess of Sussex criticising Kate for not being a hugger, and for seeming to have one face or the public and another behind closed doors.
While Meghan has made much of “speaking her truth”, Kate has been lauded for playing the royal game better. By maintaining a dignified silence she won a legion of loyal supporters in Britain, commentators said.
In November an analysis of global Google searches, TikTok views and Instagram hashtags by Financial World ranked the deceased Queen Elizabeth II as still the most popular member of the royal family, with 4.7 million Google searches a month.
The Princess of Wales came in second place overall with 1.4 million Instagram hashtags, 2.9 million Google searches per month and 6.3 billion views on TikTok.
But in terms of online searches, Meghan proved herself to be a person of intense interest, with people Googling her name an average of 4.5 million times per month.
The Fab Four – Kate, William, Harry and Meghan – presented a united front for the Queen‘s funeral but privately the rift between the women and the brothers is wider than ever.
The fight for popularity now comes down to the young vote INGRID SEWARD
“The fight for popularity now comes down to the young vote. Meghan created an age division among royal supporters after Oprah. The royal family lost a legion of young followers afterwards and now it’s about who can win them back,” said royal biographer and editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine Ingrid Seward.
“The young people in the UK despise Meghan for recounting her version of events of life within the royal family to Oprah, but these so-called truths were not challenged in the interview.
“Yet in America, where they are more fanatical, Meghan is an icon and seen as someone who has made Harry happy and it’s true, he’s obsessed with her and she was his ticket out of his brother’s shadow and the royal family and he’s grateful for that, it’s an obsessive love,” she said.
While Meghan continues to fight to be heard, royal observers say she was always at a disadvantage, with a tainted history and previous marriage that was criticised by royalists and in the media.
Kate, who was 19 when she met William and dubbed “Waity Katie” for waiting years for him, at least had the advantage of time to acclimatise to life within The Firm. She has been consistently building her brand as the Queen consort in waiting since the monarch’s death, learning the power of diplomatic dressing for everything from the Ascot races to the school run.
“She’s backing the institution that she’s devoted her life to,” said royal writer and author of The New Royals, Katie Nicholl.
“She is a hugely successful royal who’s had the benefit of time and experience over Meghan. Both come from backgrounds that are not royal but
Kate started with a blank canvas and had 10 years to prepare. Meghan was at a different stage in her life and had less than two years to adapt. She and Harry are always in a rush to do things – (but) you don‘t hurry things in the royal family; change takes time in an age-old institution, and Meghan is learning that at a cost,” she said.