Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton put on a united front for the Queen’s state funeral today, arriving together with Kate’s two older children Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
Meghan, dressed in a black wide-brimmed hat and cape dress, walked with Sophie, Countess of Wessex into the church and ultimately stood alongside Kate once inside.
Meghan and Prince Harry’s children Archie and Lilibet did not join their parents, remaining in California. Meghan and Kate were not photographed talking and appeared stoic, respecting the nature of the ceremony.
While Meghan and Kate were never best friends before, during, or after Meghan’s time as a working royal, in March 2019, a royal source told ELLE.com that the two women “email regularly about mutual interests and their humanitarian work. Both are very goal-oriented, dedicated, and passionate about making a difference and carrying on the Queen’s legacy in their humanitarian and charitable work.”
Meghan has been grateful to Kate for her guidance and support, a royal source added: “Meghan admires how Kate has never put a foot wrong.”
Meghan personally touched on how she saw Kate during her tell-all Oprah interview with Harry in March 2021, along with her feelings on the Kate vs. Meghan feud narrative that played out in the British tabloids. “She’s a good person, and I think so much of what I have seen play out was this idea of polarity where if you love me you don’t have to hate her, and if you love her, you don’t need to hate me,” Meghan said.
Meghan and Kate were both close to the Queen. In Harry’s statement about his grandmother’s passing, Harry addressed how much she meant to him and his family. He wrote:
In celebrating the life of my grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen—and in mourning her loss—we are all reminded of the guiding compass she was to so many in her commitment to service and duty. She was globally admired and respected. Her unwavering grace and dignity remained true throughout her life and now her everlasting legacy. Let us echo the words she spoke after the passing of her husband, Prince Philip, words which can bring comfort to all of us now: “Life, of course, consists of final partings as well as first meetings.”
Granny, while this final parting brings us great sadness, I am forever grateful for all of our first meetings—from my earliest childhood memories with you, to meeting you for the first time as my Commander-in-Chief, to the first moment you met my darling wife and hugged your beloved great-grandchildren. I cherish these times shared with you, and the many other special moments in between. You are already sorely missed, not just by us, but by the world over. And as it comes to first meetings, we now honour my father in his new role as King Charles III.
Thank you for your commitment to service.
Thank you for your sound advice.
Thank you for your infectious smile.We, too, smile knowing that you and grandpa are reunited now, and both together in peace.
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.