New anniversary and birthday images from William and Kate have reignited old resentments in Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, with a source describing a felt double standard—and renewed pressure as Harry prepares to return to the U.K. for Invictus countdown even
A portrait of Kate Middleton smiling beside Prince William—barefoot in the grass with their three children—might look like pure celebration. The image. released to mark the couple’s 15th wedding anniversary in April. was followed by more warmth: an 11th birthday portrait of their daughter Princess Charlotte in a field of daisies. plus video of Charlotte cuddling the family’s cocker spaniels and running along a beach.
But the same images that delighted royal watchers have also reopened an old wound for Meghan Markle, 44, and Prince Harry, 41. A source told Wonderwall.com that the Sussexes feel “there’s one set of rules for William and Kate and another for them. ” adding: “All the resentment over the double standard is bubbling up again.”.
The timing hit especially hard after days Charlotte’s birthday images were shared. In early May. Meghan marked son Prince Archie’s 7th birthday with Instagram posts that included a snapshot of Archie and sister Princess Lilibet. who turns 5 in June. shown from behind—along with a never-before-seen photo of Archie as a newborn lying on Harry’s chest.
That post didn’t land quietly. Online commenters criticized the couple. accusing them of everything from “trying to stay relevant” to “exploiting” their children “to stay in [the] media spotlight.” The criticism. the source said. is part of what makes Meghan feel permanently judged by a different rulebook. “Kate and William are very clearly using their children as part of the royal image and the branding of the family. ” the source said. “Yet Meghan’s been criticized for even including the smallest glimpse of Archie and Lilibet. She feels like she’s constantly being judged by a completely different rulebook. and no matter what she does. Kate will be the golden girl and she will be the villain.”.
Meghan has long framed that contrast as something she can’t escape. In a bombshell 2021 CBS interview, the former Suits actress pushed back against the constant comparisons between herself and Kate. “If you love me, you don’t have to hate her. And if you love her, you don’t have to hate me,” she said.
The source added that Meghan believes she entered royal life already fighting an uphill battle. “Kate’s the quintessential Brit who’s terribly reserved and somewhat inward with her emotions. ” the source said. describing Meghan as someone who “speaks her mind” and “is not afraid to amend and improve the status quo.” The source said they’ve always been “poles apart. ” and that Meghan wishes people would stop comparing them.
As tensions grew, the divide became public in different ways. Reports surfaced that Meghan had made Kate cry during a disagreement involving bridesmaid dresses ahead of Meghan and Harry’s 2018 wedding. Meghan later insisted in the CBS interview that “the reverse happened. ” saying the Princess of Wales apologized with flowers and a handwritten note.
“I’ve forgiven her. ” Meghan said in that conversation. calling her sister-in-law “a good person.” Still. the source argued that damage was already done. “Once the word was out that they didn’t get along, the writing was on the wall,” the source said. “Meghan knew at that point that her future within The Firm — as well as the U.K. as a whole — was doomed.”.
The Wales family’s carefully curated look—anniversary and birthday photos that show a thriving. glowing home life—has only intensified the pressure Meghan feels. “Seeing the photos. it’s hard for even Meghan to deny how happy the Waleses look as a family. ” the source said. “They’re living this perfect life and idolized the world over, which is impossible to compete with.”.
Meghan has publicly defended her decision to keep Archie and Lili’s faces hidden. In a 2022 interview with The Cut. she also questioned why she would share photos of her children with the British media that she and Harry have accused of racism and bullying before distributing those images herself. “Why would I give the very people that are calling my children [a racist name] a photo of my child before I can share it with the people that love my child?” she asked.
Yet the source said she still wishes she could be more open. “In an ideal world Meghan would be showing the kids’ faces,” the source said. “Seeing the Waleses get away with it so brazenly when she’d be torn to shreds is really tough to take.”
For the Sussexes. it’s not just private hurt spilling into public view—it’s also the way the couples are measured against each other on the world stage. After Harry and Meghan wrapped a high-profile trip to Australia in April that mixed charity appearances and business opportunities. Kate jetted off to Italy in May for a solo trip focused on her early childhood initiatives. The source said there’s “definitely a sense in royal circles that the competition stakes have been reignited again. ” and that renewed comparisons only deepened Meghan’s belief that Kate is protected by a “palace machine” casting Meghan as the bad guy and Kate as the monarchy’s “flawless future queen. ” despite conflicts unfolding privately behind palace walls.
Harry, meanwhile, may be carrying his own lingering resentment after years of public feuding with William and the royal establishment. In the couple’s 2022 Netflix docuseries. Harry & Meghan. the British army veteran accused palace officials of shielding his brother at his expense. “They were happy to lie to protect my brother,” Harry claimed. “They were never willing to tell the truth to protect us.”.
Now, the situation may get harder to contain. Harry is expected back in the U.K. in July for the one-year countdown celebrations ahead of the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham, England. Reports indicate he would love to have Meghan and their children by his side.
But the source said Meghan is reluctant to return, describing her dread of facing the same challenges again. “She’s dreading facing more of the same” challenges if she were to come back.
The anniversary smiles. the beach videos. the polished appearances on both sides of the Atlantic can look like harmony from a distance. Up close, the source said, the emotional wounds remain raw. “It’s already the most epic couple feud in royal history,” the source said. “And now it seems poised to go up yet another level.”.
Meghan Markle Prince Harry Kate Middleton Prince William royal family Sussexes Wales family Archie Lilibet Princess Charlotte 15th wedding anniversary 2021 CBS interview 2022 Netflix docuseries Invictus Games social media criticism