M
‘They have
more the
makings
of a team
than people
imagined’
—ROBERT LACEY,
ON MEGHAN
AND KATE
Moms with young children don’t often get to
enjoy uninterrupted conversation with their
girlfriends—let alone from the royal box of Wim-
bledon’s historic Centre Court. So when Meghan
Markle and Kate Middleton—the Duchess of Sus-
sex and the Duchess of Cambridge, respectively—
stepped into those coveted seats on July 13, they
relished every moment. Chatting alongside Kate’s
younger sister Pippa, the royal moms “were gen-
uine and sweet together,” says an insider. When
the women’s faces briefly flashed onscreen, they
exchanged knowing looks before bursting into
laughter. And later, when Meghan’s friend Serena
Williams lost the match, “Kate put her hand out
and rubbed Meghan’s back to console her,” says a
close observer.
It was a remarkably sweet moment between
the two women, whom tabloids have cast as roy-
al rivals ever since Meghan came on the scene in
the fall of 2016. “It illustrated a warm relationship
between these women who have young babies and
are in similar situations in their lives,” says royal
commentator Victoria Arbiter. In fact, just three
days earlier the sisters-in-law had teamed up for an
inaugural playdate—the first time Prince George,
6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 1, had
all been together with their 2-month-old cousin
Archie. “They’re each a little more relaxed,” says
the insider. “They have more in common now.”
Just one year ago the women were in dramat-
ically different places in their lives: Meghan, 37,
a newlywed and a royal rookie; Kate, also 37, a
seasoned queen-in-waiting and mom for the
third time. As Meghan attempted to navigate her
new world and Kate juggled
the demands of three young
children, “there was undue
pressure where the whole
world wanted them to be best
friends,” says the insider. When
that didn’t happen, reports of
tension swept the headlines,
especially after Meghan and
Prince Harry, 34, moved from
Kensington Palace—where
Kate and Prince William, 37,
live with their kids—to Windsor, about 25 miles
away; soon after, the couples announced a sepa-
ration from their joint Royal Foundation charity.
But that distance ultimately helped them recon-
nect, say several people within their circle, giving
both couples a little breathing room and “allow-
ing them more time to be like family” rather than
colleagues, notes a royal source. “There is a sense
44 July 29, 2019 PEOPLE
Princes William and Harry saddled up
for a charity polo match on July 10,
but there was even more action on the
sidelines as their families turned out to
watch. “The Cambridge kids are really
lively—even Louis is a handful at his
age,” says one observer. “Kate had
her hands full, and Meghan had hers
full in a different way, walking around
and cuddling the baby.” After the
game a sweaty Harry came over to
greet his wife and son. “They were
together and gazing at Archie,”
says the observer. “It was lovely.”
THEIR FIRST
FAMILY
PLAYDATE!
