Sophie Grégoire Trudeau distanced herself from Meghan Markle—who previously described her as a "dear friend"—before pivoting to her sympathy for Princess Kate during a newspaper interview.
The Duchess of Sussex gushed about their relationship after the retired TV host was a guest on her Archetypes podcast in 2022.
Trudeau, who separated from husband and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2023, was asked about Meghan during an interview with U.K. broadsheet The Times but quickly moved the subject on.
Journalist Louise Callaghan wrote: "When I bring up Meghan Markle, who did an interview with Grégoire Trudeau on her podcast where she gushed about a day spent hanging out at the pool with her and her children, where they got "giddy like absolute schoolgirls," she does not gush back.
"'I know her,' she says, before adding that they haven't spent much time together, and telling me how terrible she feels for Kate Middleton after her cancer diagnosis ('my heart just sunk when I saw what was happening')."
Princess Kate had abdominal surgery in January sparking a prolonged absence from the public eye during which speculation became fevered about whether Kensington Palace was hiding something.
After Kate was forced to apologize for Photoshopping a Mother's Day picture the social media theories went into overdrive and became increasingly dark, focusing on her mental health and marriage.
The saga bounced her into announcing that she had in fact been diagnosed with cancer, which had mostly been removed, and was undergoing a preventive course of chemotherapy.
It is not completely clear why Grégoire Trudeau chose to emphasize her distance from Meghan rather than their past proximity, beyond the Archetypes podcast there is an old photo of her planting a kiss on Meghan's cheek in a photo booth at the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards in Toronto.
However, the social media debate among royal fandoms is at times vicious and heavily tribal with rival camps prone to viewing public figures entirely through the prism of which side of the divide they fall on.
The former "first lady"—though they do not use the title officially in Canada—may simply have been careful not to be viewed as "Team Meghan" at a time when so much sympathy lies with Kate.
During Archetypes, Meghan said of Grégoire Trudeau: "She knows what it feels like to be a mom, and a partner, and specifically a mom and a partner in the public eye—and also how crushing the guilt of expectations can become."
"We splashed in the water, then threw some pool floats in," she continued. "By the way, the inflatable pizza slice proved to be a big hit, which I found online.
"And I kid you not the one without pepperoni was a few dollars less than the one with pepperoni. And yes, I'm still talking about the inflatable pizza, float for the pool."
Jack Royston is Newsweek's chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston 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
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
