Kate Middleton's frosty moment with Meghan Markle at their first joint public appearance since the duchess' bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey has become the subject of a new viral video, as footage captured in the days after Queen Elizabeth II's death has resurfaced on social media site TikTok.
Kate and Meghan's relationship has been the subject of enduring public fascination since the latter's romance with Prince Harry first became public in 2016. Though at first the media reported that the pair were on friendly terms, this soon changed after the royal wedding in 2018, when tabloids published stories claiming that Meghan had made Kate cry in an argument over bridesmaids dresses.
A year after their dramatic split from the monarchy in 2020, Harry and Meghan undertook an interview with Oprah Winfrey which sent shockwaves through the royal family as the couple used the opportunity to publicly settle scores.
In the interview, recorded in their new home state of California, Meghan and Harry discussed how Kate and members of the royal family had at first welcomed Meghan, however they soon saw the new duchess' popularity as a threat.
Meghan claimed that stories she made Kate cry were false, and that it had been the Princess of Wales who made her cry, something she later apologized for.
After the Winfrey interview, Meghan did not attend an event with the royal family for over a year, traveling to Britain for Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022 and returning that September to attend charity events.
During the September visit, the 96-year-old queen died, presenting an opportunity for the public to see Harry, Meghan, Kate and Prince William side-by-side for the first time in more than two years.
Uploaded to TikTok by user, royalsuk_fan, on January 3, footage of the royal foursome taken two days after the queen's death has gone viral on TikTok, gaining more than 600,000 views on the platform so far.
The footage captured the new Prince and Princess of Wales and Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they undertook a joint engagement to view flowers outside Windsor Castle and to meet mourners.
The viral clip focuses on a moment where Meghan shakes the hand of a castle official as Kate watches on, captioned: "The look says all."
The footage has received in excess of 10,000 likes and over 500 comments, many of which have speculated on the state of the royal sisters-in-law's relationship today.
"[Meghan] looks so lost, how can anyone enjoy seeing someone being like this. Kate is mean," wrote one TikTok user.
"Kate totally bossed it that day!" posted another, with a further comment reading: "I don't get why they both receive so much hate."
The royals' relationships continue to fill news reports, particularly following the publication of the Royal exposé Endgame, in November 2023, written by the author of Finding Freedom, Omid Scobie.
For her part, Meghan is the only one of the sisters-in-law to publicly address the polarizing views held by supporters of each royal. In her 2021 discussion with Winfrey, Meghan told fans: "If you love me, you don't have to hate her. And if you love her, you don't need to hate me."
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
