Beautiful and dutiful
Kate and Meghan’s peace pact
Reunited for the first time since Prince Harry publicly admitted to being on “different paths” to his brother, the former Fab Four managed to put their differences aside to pay their respects at a series of moving British Remembrance ceremonies last week.
The two couples, whose fallingout has dominated headlines in recent months, joined the Queen and other senior royals at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London last Saturday, followed by an emotional service the next day.
Palace aides were said to have been panicking over how they would ensure the important occasions remained drama-free, but were delighted that the focus remained firmly on the solemnity and significance of honouring those who lost their lives in World War I.
“It would have been devastating
if the drama between the couples spilled over into the public arena again, especially during such important and solemn occasions,” tells our source.
Now, Woman’sDay can reveal that behind the scenes, it was a breakthrough phone call between the duchesses themselves that ensured speculation over their rift was kept to a minimum.
Our well-placed insider claims that despite their fractious relationship, Kate reached out to Meghan, 38, in the days leading up to the events, and they agreed to devise a plan together.
“They were both very aware that this is one of the Queen’s most
important events on her calendar and neither of them wanted to do anything to detract from that. While aides were trying to manage seating plans and arrival times, Kate and Meghan decided to make their own arrangements.
“They knew all eyes would be on them and their interactions, as well as Harry and William’s, so they took matters into their own hands, agreeing to keep their distance.
“They decided to arrive at different times and keep enough space that it would be hard for them to be photographed together. They were determined the focus wasn’t on them, their husbands or their rift.”
But their plan to keep apart also meant they wouldn’t need to pretend to be friends, adds the source.
“Kate and Meghan have very little to say to each other. Even their phone call was brief and businesslike. The reality is they have nothing in common and disagree on almost every subject. So to pretend to be best pals for the sake of the cameras would have been very difficult for both of them.”
At their first engagement, a heart-warming gala tribute to Britain’s war heroes, Meghan looked stunning in an open-necked black gown, paired with exquisite ruby heart earrings by Kiwi jeweller Jessica McCormack. And Kate was regal in a navy off-the-shoulder dress, a lacy black headband and pearl earrings lent to her by the Queen.
Both women smiled broadly as they arrived and took their seats – Kate in the same row as Prince Charles and Camilla, with Meghan and Harry in a row further back. While the couples didn’t interact, there was no sign of tension or frostiness and the event was seen as a huge success.
Tells our source, “There had been a huge amount of built-up tension and anxiety around the concert and ceremony given it was their first reunion in months, and both Kate and Meghan breathed a sigh of relief once it was over. But it went perfectly smoothly and everyone was civil, which was the aim.”
A day earlier, Meghan had joined her husband at the “Field of Remembrance” at Westminster Abbey, where she planted a cross amid a vast sea of red poppies, before mingling with veterans.
Meanwhile, the Cambridges were nearby, launching a new charity, the National
Emergencies Trust. Kate and William, both 37, met with emergency crews who attended terrorist attacks and the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy.
But on Sunday, the couples were brought together for the annual remembrance service at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, where they again kept to themselves.
Kate and Camilla stood on either side of the Queen on a balcony of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to watch proceedings, while Meghan was with the Duchess of Wessex on a separate balcony.
Charles, 71, led the proceedings, laying a wreath on behalf of his mother, while William and Harry, 35, also laid tributes. “It was a very symbolic event,” tells our
source. “And one in which the succession plan was very clear. The Queen was flanked by the two women whose husbands will one day be King.”
The harmony, however, was short-lived when soon after, news emerged that Harry and Meghan have decided not to spend baby Archie’s first Christmas with the royals, and instead plan to enjoy the holiday with Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland, 63.
In a formal announcement last week, Buckingham Palace announced the couple’s decision “is in line with precedent set previously by other members of the royal family and has the support of Her Majesty the Queen”.
But insiders say the announcement couldn’t be more badly timed. Royal commentator Phil Dampier suggests the couple might have a change of heart in coming weeks.
“But if they just don’t want to be with the Queen and the rest of the royals, it is very telling and worrying.”