Prince Harry Exposes Awkward Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Moment That Left Royal Fans Stunned

Prince Harry has opened up about a surprisingly awkward moment between Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton that revealed just how different their personalities really were.
The Duke of Sussex, who married Meghan Markle in 2018, admits that he once witnessed a small but telling clash between his wife and his sister in law. The incident, according to Harry, unfolded in full public view during Trooping the Colour, one of the most important royal ceremonies.
In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry recalls how Meghan, caught off guard without her makeup essentials, turned to Kate for help. “Meg asked to borrow Kate’s lip gloss. An American thing. Meg forgot hers, worried she needed some, and turned to Kate for help,” Harry wrote.
The Princess of Wales, known for her poised and reserved nature, was reportedly taken aback by the request. Harry described how Kate reluctantly reached into her handbag, pulled out a small tube, and handed it over.
Meghan then squeezed some gloss onto her finger and applied it directly to her lips. According to Harry, Kate grimaced at the gesture, creating an air of unease between the two royal women.
“Small clash of styles, maybe?” Harry mused in his book. “Something we should have been able to laugh about soon after. But it left a little mark.”
The lip gloss incident, while minor, has since been viewed as symbolic of the deeper tensions between Meghan and Kate. What may have appeared as a harmless exchange to outsiders actually highlighted the cultural and personality differences that would later define their relationship.
Harry’s recollection adds another layer to the strained dynamics within the royal family in the years leading up to what became known as Megxit. For many, this small moment shows how quickly little misunderstandings can snowball into bigger divides.
In 2020, Harry and Meghan made the shocking decision to step down from their royal duties, moving to California with their son, Prince Archie. The couple later welcomed their daughter, Princess Lilibet, and settled into a very different lifestyle from their royal counterparts.
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Their departure was followed by a series of explosive interviews and media appearances in which the Sussexes accused the Royal Family of unfair treatment, including claims of racism directed toward their children. These revelations left the monarchy facing one of its biggest public relations crises in decades.
The story of Meghan asking Kate for lip gloss may sound trivial compared to the larger conflicts that followed, but experts suggest that it illustrates how personal discomforts can escalate into bigger family rifts when left unresolved.
For Meghan, who grew up in America where sharing makeup is often considered normal among friends, the request was a casual one. But for Kate, raised in an environment of formality and etiquette, the moment came across as awkward and uncomfortable.
Royal commentators note that this cultural difference between Meghan’s easygoing California style and Kate’s polished British reserve often placed the two women on very different wavelengths. The lip gloss episode became an early sign of how those differences would linger.
Harry’s candid account also shows his own frustration at how such a small issue was never laughed off or brushed aside. Instead, it lingered as a subtle reminder of how fragile relations within the family had become.
Today, Harry and Meghan remain estranged from many senior royals, while Kate and William continue to shoulder the responsibilities of representing the monarchy at home and abroad. The lip gloss moment may have seemed minor at the time, but in hindsight, it was one of many signals that the royal household was heading toward a fracture