Wales Vs. Sussex: Kate & Meghan Living On The Same Soil Reportedly Have UK Brands Sweating

Meghan Markle's U.K. return has, perhaps unsurprisingly, reignited the long-running feud between herself and sister-in-law Kate Middleton, with some British brands reportedly finding themselves in a bit of a pickle over which royal to support. Fashion insiders are hesitant to work with the Duchess of Sussex for fear of upsetting the Princess of Wales, and potentially other members of the royal family too. As a source disclosed to Express, "We've had to have a meeting about it. We were about to send some products to [Meghan's] team when someone asked, 'Is it worth it?'" Many labels have apparently chosen to stick with Kate. "The princess is our priority and we've decided to continue supporting her," an insider noted. "We don't want to risk losing her so Meghan won't be getting anything from us."

Poor Meg! While the two women have worn the same designer brands — even twinning over the years — they each have a pretty distinct sense of style. Designer Béatrice de Montille argued that Meghan's has a slightly edgier feel to it, while Kate's is more traditional. "I don't want to say that Kate is not modern. She is super modern as well, but maybe more classic and timeless," she explained to Business Insider in 2021. And, as the future queen of England, the designer pointed out that there's arguably a lot more pressure when it comes to styling Kate than Meghan.

"They are so different," stressed Montille. "They have their own style, which is quite assumed." The former "Suits" star, meanwhile, discussed the role fashion plays in her life in an April 2026 interview with Australian Women's Weekly. "It influences how we feel and what we project," Meghan opined. "And even if you don't say a word, you can convey something in what you wear."

Now that Meghan Markle is back on U.K. soil, a source confirmed to Radar Online that the Duchess of Sussex is open to reconciling with Kate Middleton. However, she is reportedly not willing to bow down to her sister-in-law just to win her approval. "Meghan is prepared to be civil and she recognizes that rebuilding a relationship with Kate would make life enormously easier for everyone," the insider clarified. "What she will not do is arrive back in Britain, bow her head and accept that everything that went wrong was somehow her fault." The same goes for the rest of The Firm. Ahead of her return to Britain with Prince Harry and their two kids, the Duchess of Sussex reportedly laid out some ground rules for navigating their relationship moving forward. 

"Meghan has reached a point where she is simply not prepared to grovel to anybody to be accepted back into the royal fold — and Kate is no exception," the source detailed. Unfortunately, Prince Harry and Prince William have also famously not been on good terms since at least 2018, with their strained relationship getting even worse after Meghan and Harry distanced themselves from the royal family by stepping down from their duties in 2020. 

The Sussexes shocked fans late last month by announcing their plans to return to the U.K. after six years, with Prince William supposedly rattled by the news. He is also reportedly unwilling to make amends. Still, sources claimed that the couple returning to the U.K. could finally put an end to their years-long rift. "It would never happen with [Harry] in America," a source told People in August. "This gives them opportunity to try and mend that bridge."