Meghan Markle might no longer be on speaking terms with Kate Middleton at the moment, but that was not always the case.
According to the new bombshell book, in Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of A Modern Family, authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand revealed that in 2019, the former actress made efforts to impress and delight Kate.
On her first meeting with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan did not come empty-handed — she brought along a special gift.
Kate received a Smythson notebook, which was used to break the ice and create a bond between the future sisters-in-law. The Smythson of Bond Street also served as a birthday present for Kate.
That private meeting between Prince William‘s wife and Prince Harry‘s then-girlfriend took place in January 2017. Kensington Palace announced Harry and Meghan’s engagement in November 2017.
The Duchess of Cambridge was moved by the gesture, according to the authors, who explained: “Meghan bought a present for the duchess, who had celebrated her birthday just a day earlier. The soft leather Smythson notebook helped to break the ice, as did Meghan’s cooing over then 20-month-old Charlotte.”
The Duchess of Cambridge seems to love the gift because she has been pictured with it as she attended the ‘Back to Nature’ Festival at RHS Wisley in Surrey in late 2019.
Kate is in lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic at Amner Hall in Norfolk with Prince William and their three children — Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two.
Meghan is living in a California mansion with Prince Harry and their baby boy Archie, one.
Scobie and Duran claim in their controversial biography that the Sussexes and the Cambridges grew apart in March 2020 and now they barely speak to one another. The book blames Kate for the royal split.
The authors said: “Kate did little to bridge the divide with Meghan, and the Duchess had definitely sided with her husband.”
The explosive biography about Prince Harry and Meghan’s unhappy time in London has hurt Queen Elizabeth and left Kate and William devasted.
Royal author Andrew Morton had this say: “Kate has been left devastated by the feud enveloping the royal family. There’s no doubt the rift between Harry and William has deeply affected Kate. It upsets her.”
As Harry and Meghan work on establishing their brand in America, many experts believe that they will not have much time to dwell on the past.
