Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton have not spoken to each other for six months and the two women are further apart than ever, the Sunday People can reveal.
The revelation follows this week’s announcement by Prince Harry and wife Meghan that they are stepping down from their senior roles in the Royal Family and want to become financially independent.
The Queen will oversee an emergency summit on Monday at Sandringham, in Norfolk, between Prince Charles, Prince William and Harry to sort out the next stages of the couple’s plan to quit The Firm.
Meghan, 38, is expected to join in the crisis meeting by video link from the couple’s rented mansion on Vancouver Island, western Canada where she is staying with eight-month-old son Archie.
According to royal sources, she will make the conference call if it works with her schedule owing to the eight-hour time difference between Vancouver and the UK.
As the crisis continues, it is understood Meghan, 38, was left feeling so cut off from the royals that she and her sister-in-law Kate severed all communication on a family WhatsApp chat group.
It is believed the pair have not spoken privately for six months and are further apart than ever following Meghan seemingly ignoring Kate’s 38th birthday celebrations at Kensington Palace and flying back to Canada on Thursday.
Meghan and Harry, 35, were also absent for Kate’s birthday weekend at Sandringham last Sunday.
An insider old the Sunday People: “Meghan feels like some members of the Royal Family look down on her because of her background.
“It has caused her a lot of upset and left relations in a very sorry state. They must find a way to resolve it and move forward as a family united.”
Kate, who enjoyed Meghan’s company while watching tennis from Wimbledon’s Royal box on Centre Court in July, is understood to have been disappointed by Harry and Meghan’s sensational decision to step down as senior royals.
And she is said to be angry that they went ahead with their announcement without getting clearance from the Queen. She and husband William, 37, reportedly found out it was happening only ten minutes before it began leading TV news bulletins on Wednesday night.
Tomorrow the 93-year-old Queen will meet Harry, Prince Charles, 71, and William for the emergency summit on the Sandringham royal estate to sort out the next stage.
It is understood the four will be given written briefings before they meet in person for the first time since this week’s bombshell.
A series of proposals have been drawn up following meetings between senior royal aides, civil servants from the UK and Canada and police forces including the London Met force who provide security for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
A senior palace source said: “Following a series of meetings and consultations across the last few days there are a range of possibilities for the family to review which take into account the thinking the Sussexes outlined in the week.
“Next steps will be agreed at the meeting and the request for this to be resolved at pace is still Her Majesty’s wish.
“The aim remains for this to be in days, not weeks.
“There is genuine agreement and understanding that any decision will take time to be implemented.”
We can also reveal that Harry and Meghan have turned to Elton John after secretly telling him they were planning to quit royal life before they informed the Queen.
They have been inspired by the success of his Aids Foundation, which has raised millions.
And they want to follow its model by hosting star-studded gala dinners to support their chosen charities.
Our insider said: “Sir Elton is constantly at the end of the phone for Harry and Meghan and speaks to them every day.
“He is an inspiration to them and has been an almost motherly figure to them throughout this process. They made their decision on their own but he has been a shoulder to lean on and listened to them as they spoke about their own plans.”
Another source added: “He has been their rock. While he would never tell them what to do he has been a listening ear throughout.”
A spokesman for Sir Elton last night said: “Elton supports the fact that Harry and Meghan are admirably taking control of their lives.
He cares about them both and their family deeply and is fully supportive of any decisions the couple make, knowing they are made by them alone without outside influence and with their future happiness and wellbeing in mind.”
Palace aides yesterday issued a strong denial after the couple’s ITV News at Ten pal Tom Bradby claimed they had been “driven out” of the Royal Family.
Bradby, who has known Harry for 20 years, claimed top courtiers made clear to the couple “there was going to be a slimmed-down monarchy and they weren’t really a part of it”.
We can also reveal Meghan sought advice from former US First Lady Hillary Clinton, who visited the couple at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor in November.
Meghan asked the veteran politician about the practicalities of running a foundation.
