The Bizarre Lip Gloss Incident That Stirred Up Drama Between Meghan Markle & Kate Middleton

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The relationship between Catherine, Princess of Wales, and her sister-in-law, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, seems complicated, to say the least. For starters, Meghan has been candid with the media. Her anecdotes indicate that the two women have very different personalities, with Kate being more reserved and Meghan appearing more extroverted. In contrast, Kate Middleton has kept her remarks professionally cordial, although some have inferred a lack of closeness by observing Kate's body language.

When it comes to revealing behind-the-scenes details, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, has dished on some of the drama. In his memoir, "Spare," Harry described a February 2018 incident involving lip gloss that, while seemingly innocuous, illuminates the stark difference between the two women. 

At the time, Meghan, Kate, Harry, and William, Prince of Wales, were about to speak together at a high-profile event. Amid a last-minute glam check, Meghan looked to Kate for a lip gloss loan. "Kate, taken aback, went into her handbag and reluctantly pulled out a small tube," Harry recalled in the book (via The Royal Observer). "Meg squeezed some onto her finger and applied it to her lips. Kate grimaced. Small clash of styles, maybe?"

Apparently, many people believe it's a no-no to borrow someone else's lip gloss, with critics chastising Meghan's casual forwardness. While Harry blames the media for adding to the drama, his memoir helped exacerbate the debate. He also delved into the stickiness involving the couple's wedding preparations that same year, including the much-discussed tale about Meghan crying over Kate's criticisms of bridesmaid dresses.

Although Meghan Markle's request to borrow lip gloss from Catherine, Princess of Wales, may have seemed unbelievably forward, it's possible Meghan was trying to connect with her future sister-in-law. "Girls you'd share your lip gloss with: those were your ride-or-dies," Jessica Bennett explained in The New York Times, reminiscing about her high school friendships. "Tube directly to mouth — reserved for close friends; tube squeezed onto finger onto mouth — for OK-ish friends or for when you had a cold." 

Based on that hierarchy, Meghan's actions could have indicated that, while she may have wanted to create camaraderie, she was also aware that she and Kate Middleton still had a ways to go in terms of building their relationship. Kate's reaction certainly made that clear.

However, whatever her feelings for Meghan as a person, it's possible Kate reacted to the gesture simply from a hygienic point of view. Lip gloss can provide an ideal environment for germs. Even though Meghan didn't touch the applicator to her own pout, if her finger happened to make contact with the tube, she still could have unintentionally added some contaminants to the cosmetic.

In addition, Kate struggled with health issues during her pregnancies, so she definitely didn't need the worry of possibly getting sick from sharing lip gloss. Prince Louis was born just under two months after this incident, and Kate may have been trying to keep the weeks leading up to the birth as stress-free as possible.