Kate Middleton's Friend Is Hitting Back At Meghan Markle's Claims Of Excessive Formality

Before the much-discussed Netflix series "Harry & Meghan" premiered, speculation was running high about how the docuseries' six episodes would talk about the royal family. The show's first trailer dropped in the middle of William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales' U.S. tour, drawing accusations of an attempt to deliberately overshadow their visit to present the Earthshot Awards.

In addition, as noted by The Telegraph, the first trailer contained a single shot of Kate with her mouth in a firm line, giving viewers a daunting impression. Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex built on this idea of coldness in volume one of the series when she described meeting the princess for the first time. "I was a hugger and have always been a hugger. I didn't realize that that was really jarring for a lot of Brits," Meghan said in the Netflix show (via Page Six). "I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside."

As People reported, the Wales' have requested staff watch the show on their behalf, seemingly to attempt to make the experience less painful and to screen for any content that could require a statement. While the royal family is choosing not to respond to the program's claims so far, a friend of the princess has decided to set the record straight about Kate's formal behavior.

Holly Willoughby, host of "This Morning," found Meghan Markle's claims of Kate Middleton's unwillingness to hug during their first meeting in contrast with her own view of the Princess of Wales. "Suggesting somebody is cold is a really horrible thing to brush off," Willoughby observed, per the Mirror. Based on her observations of Kate, the talk show host was incredulous. "We don't know her, but from what we see of her and the way she is with her own children, I think you get a pretty good idea," Willoughby said. 

To shed further light on the situation, a friend of the princess has spoken out, corroborating Willoughby's beliefs. "Kate's a big hugger," the friend told People. "She is warm and friendly and greets everyone with a big hug and kiss. It comes naturally to her to be like that." The princess has been observed hugging her royal family members at public events, such as the 2021 Christmas Carol Concert, as Hello! reported. In addition, the Daily Mail posted photos of Kate greeting fans with hugs at royal walkabouts.

As to why Kate didn't hug Meghan in that specific situation, royal author Katie Nicholl has a theory. Citing differences in culture and personality between the two women, Nicholl told ET, "It's not natural for [Kate] to go and give a great big bear hug to someone that she hasn't met before."