Meghan Markle's arrival on the royal scene after her engagement to Prince Harry was a "wake-up call" for the Prince and Princess of Wales, a new book has claimed.
After being welcomed into the royal fold, Meghan was quickly brought on board to join the Royal Foundation alongside her husband-to-be and her new in-laws William and Kate. Royal fans were delighted when the two couples, who were then dubbed the 'Fab Four', took part in their first engagement together. The foursome took part in a forum and Q&A session for the foundation, where they gave an update on their charitable projects.
But in the new book The New Royals by royal expert Katie Nicholl, a source claims that this engagement was a "wake-up moment" for William and Kate as Meghan gave a confident performance during the engagement - leaving the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to realise they needed up "up their game".
She writes: "The Cambridges had already signalled their intention to be more than 'ornamental royals' and had, along with Harry, made a huge success of their mental health campaign Heads Together.
"But Meghan was the breakout star of the foursome. She was polished, passionate and funny, using all her TV-honed skills to present her case.
"'That was a wake-up moment for William and Kate when they realised that Meghan was very impressive, very confident and very capable', according to a source."
Since then, much has been made of of the rift between the two brothers with their frosty relationship reportedly sparked by William's concerns over Harry's fast-developing relationship with Meghan ahead of their royal wedding in 2018.
The tense row quickly boiled over - with Harry claiming his brother was "trapped" within the royal system during a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey after quitting as a senior royal.
However, since the Queen's death just over two weeks ago, a temporary truce between the two has been put into place - at least until Harry's memoir is published.
The future of their relationship still hangs in the balance despite the siblings appearing on a public walkabout together with their wives in a show of unity following the Queen’s death.
The brothers also stood shoulder to shoulder during a solemn procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall last week, guiding Her Majesty on a final journey before her lying in state.
But in a striking picture taken on the day of the Queen’s funeral, the divisions in the family were laid bare as Prince Harry walked on the outside of the King and his heir.
One royal insider said: “The family continue to be in mourning and are now finally being allowed to grieve for the Queen away from the gaze of millions.
“However, any talk of a truce between the Prince and the Duke would only be temporary.
“There is still a serious amount of distrust in the air and there hasn’t been any cause for that to change.
“The feeling is very much that there is little point in pursuing a repair in relations until all the cards are on the table.”
