Meghan Markle and Princess Kate fell out ahead of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding day, with claim and counter claim made after the upset was made public.
Prince Harry sought to put his stamp on the debacle, writing his version of events in the Duke’s bestselling memoir, Spare.
Tabloid reports carried claims Meghan had allegedly made Kate cry in a falling out over Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid’s dress in the run-up to the Sussexes’ wedding. During the Sussexes’ groundbreaking interview with Oprah Winfrey in early 2021, the Duchess of Sussex claimed that “the reverse happened”, and it had been the the then Duchess of Cambridge to have made her cry before the nuptials.
Harry, writing in Spare, said Kate had contacted Meghan four days before the wedding day to say the dresses needed to be remade.
He wrote that Meghan was unable to reply to Kate’s text straightaway, coming as it did amid “endless wedding-related texts” and the “chaos” which surrounded her father, Thomas Markle, who prior to the big event was forced to undergo heart surgery.
The Duke explained: “So the next morning she (Meghan) texted Kate that our tailor was standing by. That wasn’t sufficient.”
Princess Kate, according to her brother-in-law, complained that Charlotte’s dress was “too big, too long, too baggy”. The future queen said Charlotte “cried when she tried it on [at] home”.
Meghan is said to have replied that she told Kate the tailor, Ajay Mirpui, had been standing by at Kensington Palace to help address any issues.
The Duchess is reported by Harry as texting Kate: “Can you take Charlotte to have it altered, as the other mums are doing?”
To which Kate reportedly replied: “No, all the dresses need to be remade.” According to Harry, Meghan asked him if Kate was aware of what was going on with her dad, and the Princess of Wales said she was well aware, but the wedding was in four days’ time.
Meghan reportedly snapped back: “Yes, Kate, I know.” Harry recounted his wife telling the princess: “I’m not sure what else to say. If the dress doesn’t fit then please take Charlotte to see Ajay. He’s been waiting all day”. Kate is reported by Harry as replying: “Fine.”
Harry goes on to write that he arrived home to find Meghan “sobbing on the floor”, with Kate visiting the next day with flowers and a card to say sorry for the misunderstanding.
The Duke notes: “Emotions were running high, of course, after the stress of the last week, the last month, the last day. It was intolerable — but temporary. Kate hadn’t meant any harm, I told her.”
Neither Buckingham Palce nor Kensington Palace have responded to the claims and allegations the Sussexes have levelled at the Royal Family in Spare, their TV appearances and Netflix docu-series, Harry & Meghan.
Mr Mirpui later told the Daily Mail that he felt for all those involved, arguing that no one would want children wearing ill-fitting clothes to a wedding.
He said weddings are stressful at the best of times, “especially one” at such a high level. The tailor continued: “I can understand why anybody would be upset if the dresses weren’t fitting – it’s nerve-wracking.”
