A source tells New Idea that Meghan’s surprising recent decision to retreat from her lawsuit against the Mail on Sunday may be on account of the Duchess of Cambridge being called in as a surprise “superstar witness”.
“Whether it’s true or not, nobody knows for sure – obviously the Mail’s representation would keep something like that under lock and key, but Meghan is apparently convinced they’ve got someone huge on-side.”
A potential “courtroom clash” between Meghan and Kate, both 39, is just the latest in a line of “awkward spats” between the royals.
According to our insider, very few people know that the feud between the Duchesses began at Kate’s sister Pippa Middleton’s 2017 wedding.
At the time, Meghan, then just Prince Harry’s girlfriend, was originally omitted from the guest list. But Harry assured the Middleton sisters that the Suits actress would be discreet and got Meghan invited to the reception.
The source reveals that this situation ultimately left Meghan feeling “like a pariah” and she was convinced that Kate had badmouthed her.
“Feeling terribly snubbed, she complained to Harry that it was the night from hell – which was obviously overheard and got back to Kate within seconds. It was the talk of the party.”
Since then, other subsequent “awkward incidents” included the well-reported moment that Meghan made Kate and her daughter, Princess Charlotte, cry before her own wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.
Other “tit-for-tat incidents”, as the source puts it, included when Meghan allegedly sent back a bunch of flowers Kate had delivered as a peace offering, and also Meghan not being invited to Kate’s birthdays.
Harry and Meghan’s exit from the Royal Foundation followed, but ‘Megxit’ became the final straw.
“The Sussexes left the Cambridges high and dry in favour of setting their own agenda,” claims the source. “And Kate and William are furious over how they’ve now been left to shoulder their generation’s responsibilities.”
The source speculates that a courtroom showdown might be the next chapter in the bitter feud.
“[The Cambridges] absolutely cannot have the Sussexes destroy Buckingham Palace’s relationship with the media over a petty copyright and privacy squabble.”