The Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex pictured at Wimbledon in 2018. Image: Getty
Her relationship with her father may be strained, but her friendship with her new sister-in-law seems to be going from strength to strength. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has reportedly found an ally in Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, as another family drama threatens to engulf the new royal, who wed Britain’s Prince Harry on May 19. The former American actor’s father, Thomas Markle, did not attend the royal wedding, citing ill health after he was revealed to have staged paparazzi photos of himself prior to the big day. Now, the Mexico-based retired lighting director has claimed his daughter has “cut him off completely”, telling the Daily Mail this weekend, “I have no way of contacting my daughter”. “It’s her birthday on August 4 and I want to send her a card. But if I send a birthday card to Kensington Palace, or wherever she’s living now, it’ll just be one among thousands. She’ll probably never see it,” he added.
Though Meghan has maintained a dignified silence, the ongoing rift and Markle’s insistence on airing the family laundry in the press is alleged to have left the newlywed “at her wit’s end”. However, the royal has found a “a pillar of support” in Catherine, Vanity Fair reports, with Prince William‘s wife helping Meghan steer her way through her new role as a member of the Royal Family. “Kate’s well aware of what Meghan is going through. Her family has been dragged through the tabloids and she knows it’s not nice. She’s made a big effort to be kind to Meghan and look out for her,” a source told the publication. “Kate’s made a real effort to be kind to Meghan and to include her. They’re quite different characters but they get along well.”
The two duchesses, who both reside in properties on the Kensington Palace estate, have seen their relationship blossom in private and public. There are rumors the two families regularly share dinner, while the sisters-in-law, both 36, made their first solo outing last month at Wimbledon. “They speak on the phone and Kate makes a point of inviting Meghan over,” the source told Vanity Fair. “I’d say they try to see each other once a week, sometimes with Harry, sometimes Meghan goes on her own. Kate’s really busy juggling three kids; she has a lot on her plate and she has her own friendship group, but she has made an effort with Meghan. She’s been very sympathetic to what’s been going on with Meghan and her dad.”
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