Prince Harry recalls noticing one major difference between Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle

Kate Middleton Meghan Markle
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince Harry is one of the most talked-about people in the world, with his memoir Spare breaking records earlier this year, becoming the fastest selling non-fiction book of all time. 

Spare recounts Harry's life from his point of view, detailing his relationship with the rest of the royal family, particularly his brother Prince William and his sister-in-law, Kate, Princess of Wales.

Unsurprisingly, he also weighs in on his wife Meghan Markle's relationship with the royal fold, with her association with family members, particularly Kate Middleton, dominating the headlines these past few years. 

In his memoir, Prince Harry reflected upon their first meeting - a dinner at Nottingham Cottage where Harry and Meghan hosted Kate and William.

While conversation flowed around Wimbledon and Suits, Prince Harry recalled noticing one major difference between Meghan and Kate - their formality, especially in terms of dress.

"The only possibly discordant note I could think of was the marked difference in how the two women dressed, which both of them seemed to notice," Prince Harry wrote in Spare. "Meg: ripped jeans, barefoot. Kate: done up to the nines. No big deal, I thought."

Meghan previously spoke about the incident during their Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, recalling the difference in formality with her and Kate, as well as with the rest of the family.

"When Will and Kate came over, and I met her for the first time, they came over for dinner, I remember I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot," she explained. "I was a hugger. I've always been a hugger, I didn't realise that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits. I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside."

She continued: "There is a forward-facing way of being, and then you close the door and go 'You can relax now', but that formality carries over on both sides. And that was surprising to me."

This is not the only incident where this is reported to have happened, with Prince Harry also recalling a joke being told by Meghan Markle that did not land with Kate.

According to Harry, Kate turned to Meghan at her first ever Trooping of the Colour - the official celebration of the Queen's birthday, to ask her how she found it. But when Meghan reportedly joked back, "colourful", Prince Harry recalled "a yawning silence threatened to swallow [them] all whole".

The Princess of Wales features frequently in Spare, with Prince Harry known to have previously shared a sweet bond with her. In fact, his sweet description of his first impression of Kate went viral, describing her as the sister he never had.

Prince Harry's memoir Spare is available to buy now.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.