Kate Middleton tried to reach out and support her sister-in-law Meghan Markle in the aftermath of an emotional television documentary, but the Duchess of Sussex gave her the cold shoulder, British media report.
ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey aired in 2019, containing an emotional interview with Meghan where she admitted struggling with royal life and revealed that not many people had asked if she was okay.
"Any woman, especially when they're pregnant, you're really vulnerable, and so that was made really challenging. Then when you have a newborn, you know. Especially as a woman… it's a lot. So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed," Markle said.
"I guess, also thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I'm okay, but it's a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes."
It was among the first times Markle had publicly discussed the issues she faced with the British press following her marriage to Prince Harry in May 2018.
Rebecca English, the Royal Editor for the Daily Mail, has now revealed that she understands following that difficult interview, Kate Middleton - the wife of Harry's brother and the future king William - as well as Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, "repeatedly reached out" to Meghan.
However, English writes that "they were rebuffed".
When Prince Harry and Meghan dramatically left their senior royal roles last year, it was reported that Markle was hurt by how Kate and William reportedly treated her.
"It is William, however, who has felt Harry's decision to leave the family most keenly," English says.
"He has forfeited not just a beloved brother, but someone he expected would stand shoulder to shoulder with him and share the burden of responsibility when he becomes king.
"William was also deeply hurt by suggestions from the Sussex camp that he, and particularly his wife, had cold-shouldered Meghan."
