People William And Kate Reportedly Can't Stand
Being royal is not for the faint of heart. Sure, the glamor and the privilege are appealing, but it all comes at a cost, namely the entire world speculating over every detail of your life. No matter how trivial, royal biographers, reporters, and laypeople alike are constantly theorizing what's really going on inside Buckingham Palace.
In 2023, Prince Harry emerged as the true hero for anyone with an affinity for royal family drama, publishing his memoir "Spare," which was rife with intimate details regarding his relationships with many of his family members following his decision to step away from the crown and move to the United States with his wife, Meghan Markle. According to Harry, life for the Windsors is far more dramatic than we ever suspected.
We also got a glimpse into a different side of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The couple overwhelmingly appears to be affable and imperturbable, but per Harry, rumors of William and Middleton's dislike for him — and Markle — are based in truth. Given this new perspective, we looked back at other stories of people the royals have been accused of disliking, and it's just as interesting as you'd hope. From family and friends, to others with a British address, these are all the people William and Kate reportedly can't stand.
Kate Middleton doesn't like Meghan Markle
Family dynamics are tough, and transitioning a new person into the family can be difficult, especially when that family is a centuries-old institution responsible for representing a world power. Although Meghan Markle was seemingly met with open arms when she first joined her husband Prince Harry's family, details from their documentary series, "Harry & Meghan," as well as Harry's memoir, "Spare," are suggesting otherwise.
And one relationship seems to be particularly fraught. Markle reportedly was at odds with her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, far before Megxit, with bits of their feud taking place prior to Markle and Harry's royal wedding. As Harry shared in "Spare," much of the drama surrounding the days leading up to the nuptials was due to an ill-fitting bridesmaid dress. "Charlotte's dress is too big, too long, too baggy. She cried when she tried it on at home," Middleton reportedly texted to Markle (via Page Six). Markle responded with, "Right, and I told you the tailor has been standing by since 8am. Here. At KP. Can you take Charlotte to have it altered, as the other mums are doing?"
Another source of tension spawned from Markle asking Middleton to borrow her lip gloss. "Kate, taken aback, went into her handbag and reluctantly pulled out a small tube. Meg squeezed some onto her finger and applied it to her lips. Kate grimaced," Harry wrote (via Page Six). The royal also noted there was plenty he left out of his book, so we're guessing there's more to the story.
Kate Middleton doesn't like Prince Harry
The general public was foaming at the mouth over the release of Prince Harry's memoir "Spare." The highly anticipated book became the fastest-selling non-fiction book in history, per Guinness World Records, dethroning the previous record-holder, President Barack Obama. As the publisher said, "The first full day of sales of Spare represents the largest first-day sales total for any non-fiction book ever published by Penguin Random House."
Not everyone was so thrilled by the memoir's release, though. As Us Weekly reports, Kate Middleton was upset by the mention of her name. "Kate feels that Harry's actions are atrocious," a source said. "She is appalled at him for dragging her name through the dirt and is finding it hard to forgive."
Although Harry did recount some positive memories he has with his sister-in-law, most of what the royal said about Middleton in his memoir was negative. In addition to revealing text messages sent to his wife and dismay over shared beauty products, Harry also claimed Middleton and her husband, Prince William, encouraged him to wear a Nazi uniform as a costume. "I phoned Willy and Kate, asked what they thought. Nazi uniform, they said. I rented it, plus a silly mustache, and went back to the house. I tried it all on. They both howled," Harry said.
Prince William doesn't like Prince Harry either
All families fight, right? As Prince Harry has shared through multiple media, he and his brother, Prince William, have been at odds for years, and after the release of Harry's memoir, reconciliation might not come any time soon. Per Harry's book, he and his brother had a physical altercation.
"He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me ... He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog's bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out," Harry wrote (per The Guardian).
But how exactly did the brothers get to this place? There's a lot to unpack, and it reportedly includes hurt feelings over many of Harry's personal and professional choices, including his decision to step down as a senior member of the royal family, his move to the United States, and his multi-million dollar deal with Netflix. But per The Sun, the strain between the brothers began when Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, chose to move out of Kensington Palace. "There has been a bit of tension between the brothers," a source told the outlet. Fast forward a few years and the brothers seem to be on worse terms than ever.
Kate Middleton supposedly had a feud with Rose Hanbury
It's hard enough to make friends as an adult, let alone when you're one of the most famous people in the world and a literal princess. And in 2019, amid ample rumors of a rift between Kate Middleton and her sister-in-law Meghan Markle, Middleton was subject to another swirl of tabloid fodder, this time suggesting she and her friend Rose Hanbury had a falling out. Per Yahoo, in a since-removed report from The Sun, claimed that Middleton and Hanbury were no longer friends, and that Middleton had directed her husband, Prince William, to end his friendship with her as well. Another since-removed report by The Sun cited a source saying, "It is well known that Kate and Rose have had a terrible falling out. They used to be close but that is not the case any more."
The rumors surrounding the new nature of Middleton's relationship with Hanbury persisted, leading other outlets to speculate about what the cause of the potential falling out might have been. InTouch (via Lainey Gossip) alleged that William and Hanbury had an affair while Middleton was pregnant, suggesting that was the cause of Middleton and Hanbury's supposed feud.
Kensington Palace never released any public statements concerning the rumors at the time they first surfaced, but in "Harry & Meghan," the Netflix documentary starring Markle and Prince Harry, Harry said, "They were happy to lie to protect my brother. They were never willing to tell the truth to protect us," leading some to believe he was referring to his brother's purported affair.
Kate Middleton doesn't like The Sun
You can't believe everything you read. And if you ask Kate Middleton, she might warn you to be especially cautious of the British tabloid newspaper, The Sun. Thanks to a since-removed report by the popular outlet, rumors of a falling out between Middleton and her friend Rose Hanbury circulated. "They used to be close but that is not the case any more ... Kate has been clear that she doesn't want to see them any more and wants William to phase them out, despite their social status," a source told The Sun (via Yahoo News!).
The news was reportedly not taken well by Middleton, as a source explained to The Daily Mail, "These hurtful rumors of a fall-out are simply false. William and David were in touch with each other over the weekend, not knowing whether to laugh or complain. Both wives are hurt by the suggestion that there is any argument or even a coolness between them. They have plans for future events involving their charity." The report by The Daily Mail went on to claim the royals and Hanbury's party had contemplated leveling formal complaints against The Sun, but they ultimately overlooked the issue.
She can't stand the paparazzi
Apparently The Sun isn't the only media source Kate Middleton isn't fond of in Britain. Due to her position in the public eye, Middleton's life is lived under a microscope, the paparazzi serving as the operators of the instrument. And as Tina Brown claimed in her book "The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor – The Truth and the Turmoil," Middleton has no time for the particularly aggressive members of the media who will seemingly stop at nothing to get a photo of the royal family, treatment she reportedly first experienced while dating her husband, Prince William. "Kate was relentlessly pursued in London. She was hounded when she left her Chelsea apartment in ways reminiscent of the harassment of the young Lady Di," Brown said in her book (via Yahoo News!)
Lady Di, of course, is referencing Princess Diana, William's mother, who famously died in a car accident in Paris in 1997. Diana's relationship with the media was one that is still talked about to this day, with many blaming her death on the paparazzi. This speculation has also led to wide discussions over how her death did or did not alter the way the media interacts with celebrities. If you ask Middleton her thoughts on the subject, she might say the paparazzi are just as ruthless today as they were when her mother-in-law was alive.
Prince William doesn't like the paparazzi either
The royal family, particularly Prince William and Kate Middleton, are known for being gracious and congenial, rarely saying anything negative. But when it comes to the paparazzi, not all of William's notions are positive, and he's been unafraid to share (or to have a spokesperson share for him). When William began dating Middleton, the man who's next in line for the throne released a statement noting his displeasure at the behavior of the British paparazzi.
The statement said, "Prince William is very unhappy at the paparazzi harassment of his girlfriend. He wants, more than anything, for it to stop. Miss Middleton should, like any other private individual, be able to go about her everyday business without this kind of intrusion. The situation is proving unbearable for all those concerned," as reported by Yahoo.
One instance in particular infuriated William. In 2012, he and Middleton stayed at a villa in France, and, as reported by the BBC, Closer magazine printed photos of a topless princess that were taken during their vacation. The royal family took legal action over the photos, and William shared through his attorney, "My wife and I thought that we could go to France for a few days in a secluded villa owned by a member of my family, and thus enjoy our privacy ... The clandestine way in which these photographs were taken was particularly shocking to us as it breached our privacy."
Prince William doesn't like Terry Harris
Prince William has made his feelings about the paparazzi perfectly clear on multiple occasions, but one particular member is allegedly harder for the royal to bear than others. In 2021, William was recorded by Terry Harris, a British photographer, who, as told by The Independent, was supposedly obtaining footage of the royal family.
In the since-deleted video, William is heard saying to Harris, "How dare you behave like you have done with our children? How dare you? Stalking around here looking for us and our children?" The prince went on to add, "I'm out for a quiet bike ride with my children on a Saturday and you won't even give me your name. You're outrageous, you're disgusting, you really are." Kensington Palace was unhappy with the video, calling it "a breach of privacy."
Although William does not have a good rapport with certain members of the British media, other members of the royal family have insinuated that the relationship between the country's news outlets and the monarchy is, to a certain extent, symbiotic. As Meghan Markle told Oprah Winfrey (via BBC), "There's a reason that these tabloids have holiday parties at the Palace. They're hosted by the Palace, the tabloids are. You know, there is a construct that's at play there." Prince Harry added, "I'm acutely aware of where my family stand and how acutely scared they are of the tabloids turning on them."
Kate Middleton has ill feelings toward Carly Massy-Birch
Long before Prince William married Kate Middleton, he was considered one of the most eligible bachelors in the world, and his dating life was at the center of the media for years. The prince dated several impressive women, even almost marrying some. While studying at St. Andrews, William dated Carly Massy-Birch. The relationship didn't last long, and William soon began dating his future wife, though they waited some time before taking it public. While at a party, Massy-Birch reportedly revealed that William and Middleton were in fact an item during a game of Never Have I Ever.
As noted in the book, "The Making of a Royal Romance" (via Express), "When it was Carly's turn to play she announced, 'I've never dated two people in this room,' knowing full well that William was the only one who had because Kate was sitting next to him." The couple took the reveal well, and William reportedly said, "I can't believe you just said that" to his ex-girlfriend.
The royal relationship, of course, ended up in Middleton's favor. In 2011, William and Middleton wed, and by 2013 had welcomed their first child. In 2023, over a decade after walking down the aisle, the royal couple has three children, and William is now next in line to the throne after the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022. Though we can't say for certain, we're guessing it's safe to assume Massy-Birch will never bear the title Queen.
Prince William isn't on great terms with Camilla Parker-Bowles
All the major details, and more, of the royals' lives have been made public since their births. Before Megxit, the biggest royal scandal in recent history was the affair King Charles had with his now-wife Camilla Parker-Bowles while he was married to Princess Diana. The relationship between Charles and Parker-Bowles eventually led to a separation between him and Diana, and four years later, the two divorced. A year after that, Diana died, leaving behind her two children, Prince William and Prince Harry.
Just as the public was intrigued by the relationship between Charles and Parker-Bowles, so have they been interested to know about how she gets along with her step-children. Per the book "Camilla: From Outcast to Queen Consort," the relationship between Parker-Bowles and William is a bit strained. As author Angela Levin asserted in the book (via Daily Star), "William has made it clear that Camilla is the wife of his father, but not a step-grandmother to his children." She further lumped Harry into the equation, noting, "One carefully managed myth peddled by Bolland was that the boys had warmed to Camilla. But they tolerated her at best."
In his memoir "Spare," Harry seems to corroborate the claims that William isn't Parker-Bowles's biggest fan, noting that the royal brothers were against Charles and Parker-Bowles's marriage. "Despite Willy and me urging him not to, Pa was going ahead," Harry wrote (via Time). William, if you're reading this, we humbly request you write a memoir, too. Until then, we'll be rereading "Spare" and binging "The Crown."