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It’s no secret that Meghan Markle wasn’t welcomed into the royal family with open arms and it’s the reason why she and Prince Harry settled into their sunny California life instead. Royal experts are still pondering what went wrong and a new book by Tom Quinn, Yes Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants, sheds some light on the culture clash.
The author spoke to Fox News Digital about the issues of Meghan’s warm personality — yes, her hugging was a problem. He claimed that palace staffers found her need to touch them “rude” while Prince William, King Charles III, and Kate Middleton would “flinch” at the affectionate moment. It felt like her loving embrace was culturally inappropriate for the chillier royal family.
“Tension developed between William and Harry as a result of Meghan’s warm, friendly, hug-everyone approach,” Quinn wrote in the book. He alleged that the “hugging and cheek kissing fueled gossip among the staff that Meghan was flirting with William, which she was obviously not.” William and Kate seemed to be on a different page from Meghan and Harry which only “deepened the rift between the brothers” and created a “tense atmosphere.”
The hugging issue exposed
In the 2022 Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex recounted how things got off to a rocky start. “They came for dinner,” she said. “I remember I was in ripped jeans, and I was barefoot. I was a hugger, always been a hugger. I didn’t realize that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits.” The culture shock was real.
“I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside,” Meghan added. “That there is a forward-facing way of being. And then you close the door, ‘Oh, great. OK, we can relax now.’ But that formality carries over on both sides and that was surprising to me.”
The misunderstanding about royal family formalities seemed to reach the palace because there were suddenly photos of Kate hugging people at royal appearances. A source told People in 2022, that the Princess of Wales is “a big hugger” who is always “warm and friendly.” William and Kate have taken a softer approach to their reign over the last few years, so the criticism was constructive. Still, the family feud hasn’t ended.
Meghan and the royal family can’t go back and rewrite history. As Quinn pointed out, Meghan was “very warm” and she “couldn’t understand why the family was so cold. He added, “She came from a tradition where if you met someone close to you, you hugged them.”
It’s crazy to think that “hug-gate” created such a frenzy at the palace, but the cultural differences gave Prince Harry an exit plan that he wanted all along. He’s happily adapted to American life with Meghan and his young family.
Click here to see Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s complete relationship timeline.
