Did Prince William Really Refer To Meghan Markle As This?
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Prince William and brother Prince Harry's longstanding feud appears to show no signs of ending. The topic of this feud also seems to consistently come back to Harry's wife and William's sister-in-law Meghan Markle (via the Daily Mail). Another chapter has been opened in this raw wound between brothers as the Duke of Cambridge reportedly added more flame to the fire in a statement about Markle, according to "Battle of Brothers" book author Robert Lacey (via Get Reading).
According to reported summaries, while many mutual friends of the two princes have made attempts toward reconciliation, going so far as to point out that in-law relationships have been classically difficult across all sorts of families, the two have yet to put their differences aside. Prince William could not help but express his frustration as shared by Lacey, "William's response was to nod his head in sage acceptance. Then suddenly he broke out angrily. 'But look at the way that bloody woman treated my staff — merciless!'"
While we have not been able to find confirmation of this statement from the House of Windsor, it does seem likely it's true.
A cultural clash may be partially to blame
First off, for American audiences, the phrase "bloody" in British slang is widely used, as this writer can attest from her own commonwealth family. The term alone is not necessarily an insult, however, and is used more akin to the word "very" in American common conversation, adding extra emphasis — it can be either good or bad (via Vocabulary.com). The phrase that Harry and Meghan will likely take umbrage at is the reference to being "merciless" to the staff.
Following the death of Prince Philip back in April, friends and fans of the royal family hoped that William and Harry would put their differences aside over their common loss. But sources close to the family stated that the feud went on after they were inside of the castle after the solemn ceremony at St. George's Chapel, an unnamed friend of the family told the Daily Mail. "There they were, at each other's throats as fiercely as ever," the source said, reportedly shrugging. "The rage and anger between those two has grown so incredibly deep. Too many harsh and wounding things have been said."
And with William's reported recent statements about Meghan Markle, it looks like that long-awaited reconciliation has yet to come.
Where does that leave the royal families?
Unfortunately, only the parties involved would seem to know truly what transpired between Meghan Markle and the royal staff, but it's clear the Duchess of Sussex quite disagrees with the Duke of Cambridge on how it all went down (via the Daily Mirror). One thing that is likely a factor is that an American will be unused to many of the practices and traditions of British royalty, just as the royal staff may also be unfamiliar with many aspects of American daily life. The situation sets up a breeding ground for misunderstanding, without factoring added stressors like fame, celebrity, royalty, in-laws, pregnancy, and wedding planning.
Perhaps some time living on different continents will allow heated tempers to cool and for old wounds to heal. William and Harry have had few occasions to spend time in one another's company since Harry and Markle made their move across the pond, and maybe that is a good thing. We can only hope these royal couples come to an eventual understanding.