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Sisters-in-law Catherine and Meghan in pictures

How their friendship has evolved through the years.
Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle seen laughing together at Wimbledon
Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle seen laughing together at Wimbledon
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When Meghan Markle took her first steps towards joining the royal family in 2017, all eyes were on her relationship with Kate Middleton.

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Hopes were high that the two women would become fast friends as Kate showed Meghan the ropes of royalty and helped her adapt to her new title as the Duchess of Sussex.

In the early days it really looked like the friendship royal fans were so eager to see would, in fact, flourish.

But then the rumour mill started turning.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at Sandringham on Christmas Day in 2018.

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Headlines warned of a royal feud and โ€œduelling duchessesโ€, while unnamed sources whispered of tears and tantrums behind palace walls.

It was hard to know what to believe, and with each new joint outing, Kate and Meghanโ€™s interactions were picked apart for any signs of discontent between the two women.

Now they live on opposite sides of the world, Kate with the rest of the royals in the UK, Meghan and Prince Harry in California with their two children.

In 2020, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex first moved to the US, royal commentators claimed it would spell the end of any sisterly bond between Kate and Meghan.

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Meghan Markle waves to Kate & Wills as they arrive at the annual Commonwealth Day service for 2020
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But how much of what the tabloids printed about the duchessโ€™ relationship was true?

And will they be able to reconnect now that Meghan has welcomed her daughter, Lilibet Diana, and Kate has said sheโ€™s eager to meet her new niece?

Read on for the full history of Meghan and Kateโ€™s relationship, and how they may come to be close friends yet.

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December 2017

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge first met Meghan Markle in January of 2017 but wasnโ€™t pictured with her until December of that year, after Meghan and Prince Harry announced their engagement.

Not much is known of their first meeting, but the book Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claims Kate was very accommodating. โ€œThe meeting ended with Kate letting Meghan know that she was always welcome to contact her if she needed anything,โ€ it explained.

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December 2017

Kate said in November 2017 that she and Prince William were โ€œabsolutely thrilledโ€ by the news of Harry and Meghanโ€™s engagement.

The following month, she was photographed chatting with Meghan as they attended church at on Christmas Day at Sandringham with the royal family for Meghanโ€™s first royal event. Hopes for a budding friendship were high.

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February 2018

The duchesses reunited a few months later for a joint event with Harry and William for the Royal Foundation. The two couples were dubbed the royal โ€œfab fourโ€ and Meghan and Kate seemed to enjoy one anotherโ€™s company on the stage.

โ€œWe have different opinions, and they work really well [together]. Working as family does have its challenges; of course, it does,โ€ Harry quipped at the event.

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May 2018

Kate attended Meghan and Harryโ€™s royal wedding on May 19, 2018 and there were plenty of comparisons to her nuptials in 2011.

While Kate certainly didnโ€™t steal the show on Meghanโ€™s big day, it was later claimed that the two women had bickered over Princess Charlotteโ€™s bridesmaid dress in the lead-up to the ceremony. There was even talk that Meghan had made Kate cry at one fitting.

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(Getty)

July 2018

Everything seemed rosy when Kate and Meghan attended Wimbledon together a few months later, the duchess snapped chatting happily and sharing a few laughs. It was their first public engagement without their respective husbands, and the two seemed to be getting along swimmingly as sisters-in-law.

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July 2018

Though the royals ladies looked nothing but friendly at their Wimbledon appearance, more rumours of division between them started swirling in the second half of 2018.

British outlets reported that the supposed blow-up over Charlotteโ€™s bridesmaid dress had seriously affected their relationship, leaving the two women โ€“ as The Telegraph claimed at the time โ€“ โ€œat breaking point.โ€

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November 2018

After weeks of tabloid speculation about Meghan and Kateโ€™s relationship, Kensington Palace put out a rare statement to dispel the rumours.

It specifically addressed a story that claimed Kate had a go at Meghan after the Duchess of Sussex was allegedly rude to Kateโ€™s staff. โ€œThis never happened,โ€ the palace said of the supposed row.

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December 2018

A year after they were first photographed together, Meghan and Kate returned to Sandringham for another Christmas with the royal family. They were snapped laughing and chatting as they headed to church with the rest of the royals, seeming to quell rumours of a feud.

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March 2019

As 2018 came to an end and 2019 began, the Sussexes announced their plans to separate from Cambridges. Previously, the two couples had worked together with a shared royal household but Harry and Meghan struck out alone with the new Sussex Royal household.

There was, of course, speculation that a feud between Kate and Meghan was behind the household split, but the two women seemed friendly at this March event. The following month, she and Harry relocated to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor after more than a year of living close to the Cambridges at Kensington Palace.

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July 2019

Not long after giving birth to son Archie, Meghan joined her sister-in-law and the Cambridge children for a day out at the polo. Their attendance was low-key, but the two women seemed to be friendly as they stood on the sidelines with their youngest children while Harry and William played polo.

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July 2019

Kate and Meghan also returned to Wimbledon in 2019 looking happier than ever. They were photographed whispering to one another and giggling at the event, and it really seemed like their friendship was on the up and up.

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January 2020

At the start of 2020, Harry and Meghan announced their plans to leave the monarchy. Many took this as proof of a feud between Kate and Meghan (or Harry and William), calling it the fallout of months of division between the couples.

In statements at the time, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex simply said they wanted to step back and focus on a more private life with their young family.

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March 2020

In March, the Sussexes attended their final event as senior royals alongside William and Kate. Though Meghan was snapped waving to Kate as she arrived, there was limited interaction between the two women.

Many outlets claimed there was tension between them, and any interactions from Kate were โ€œfrosty.โ€

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March 2021

This year, Meghan set the record straight on the rumour about her and Kate arguing over Charlotteโ€™s bridesmaid dress at her 2018 wedding. The Duchess of Sussex confirmed to Oprah Winfrey that there was a conflict, but claimed it was actually Kate who left her in tears at one dress fitting.

โ€œBut she owned it, and she apologised, and she brought me flowers and a note apologising. And Iโ€™ve forgiven her,โ€ Meghan said of the moment. She was also quick to call Kate a โ€œgood personโ€ and say that people shouldnโ€™t pit the two of them against one another. The clash was reportedly over whether or not the bridesmaids should wear stockings with their outfits.

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August 2021

More than a year after Harry and Meghan left the monarchy, thereโ€™s talk that the two duchesses are working on rekindling their friendship. Following the birth of Meghanโ€™s daughter, Kate said she was excited to meet her new niece, and the two mums have supposedly been in contact.

โ€œMeghan and Kate are actually getting along really well and have been in touch more often,โ€ an insider told Us Weekly. โ€œMeghan and Kateโ€™s relationship was never that close. And now theyโ€™re closer than ever and working on their relationship for the sake of the family.โ€

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