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An apology can sometimes help repair old wounds, but Meghan Markle reportedly preparing to say sorry to Prince William and Princess Kate for previous remarks about the Royal Family comes at a complicated moment.
When Prince Harry and Meghan left the UK in 2020, enormous commercial opportunities quickly followed. Hollywood showed considerable interest in the couple, who subsequently secured lucrative projects including a reported £100 million Netflix agreement and a series of high-profile interviews in which royal life became a major subject.
Over the years, numerous books have revealed private stories and conversations from behind palace walls. Yet Harry himself disclosed extensive details about the Royal Family in his 2023 memoir Spare, while the Sussexes also discussed sensitive royal matters during several television appearances.
One of the most controversial came during their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey. While discussing her pregnancy with Prince Archie, Meghan claimed there had been “conversations and concerns” within the Palace “about how dark his skin might be when he’s born”.
Harry also addressed the alleged conversation, saying: “That conversation, I am never going to share. At the time it was awkward, I was a bit shocked.”
Neither Harry nor Meghan identified the person allegedly involved. Harry later described the issue as “unconscious bias” rather than deliberate racism.
The Oprah interview also brought Meghan’s relationship with Princess Kate into the spotlight. Discussing the disagreement surrounding flower girl dresses ahead of her wedding, Meghan said: “A few days before the wedding [Kate] was upset about the flower girl dresses and it made me cry,” before adding: “I’m not sharing that piece about Kate to be disparaging about her.”
The decision to make such a private disagreement public inevitably raised questions about why the incident needed to be discussed at all if the intention was not to criticise Kate.
Now, according to a report exclusively revealed by the Express, Meghan is considering apologising to William and Kate for remarks she has made in the past. If that happens, an apology could represent an attempt to ease some of the long-running tensions between them.
The timing, however, may prove particularly awkward. After years of highly public disagreements, offering an apology at this stage risks being compared to saying sorry to an old friend only after discovering that their circumstances have suddenly changed dramatically.
The biggest question surrounding Meghan’s reported apology is why it would come now, after years of bitterness have allowed relationships to deteriorate and old grievances to become deeply entrenched.
The timing inevitably invites speculation about what may have changed. With Meghan and Harry reportedly back in Britain, could repairing relations with William and Kate create new social and commercial opportunities? Being seen as willing to apologise could also allow Meghan to present herself as putting pride aside and making an effort to heal the family rift.
A public apology could place William and Kate in a particularly difficult position. If Meghan were seen to extend an olive branch and the Prince and Princess of Wales chose not to respond, attention could quickly shift towards them, with questions raised over whether they were now preventing a reconciliation.
It could also potentially shape how the situation is viewed within the couple’s social circles in the Cotswolds, allowing Meghan to tell mutual acquaintances, “well, I have tried to apologise but William and Kate won’t have it…”
Ultimately, the delay is likely to fuel doubts about the motivation behind any apology. Critics may argue that if Meghan truly regretted what happened, she would have expressed that remorse much sooner rather than waiting five years to do so.
