Meghan Markle once complained that Kate Middleton didn't welcome her into the royal family, according to a new book
- "Revenge," a new royal book by Tom Bower, details Meghan Markle's entrance into the royal family.
- Bower writes that Markle didn't feel welcomed by Kate Middleton when she joined the royal family.
The Duchess of Sussex complained that the Duchess of Cambridge didn't welcome her when she first joined the royal family, according to a new royal book.
"Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors," by Tom Bower, which was released on Thursday, details Meghan Markle's life before and after joining the royal household, including her relationship with its key members.
"Within a short time she complained that Kate had not adequately welcomed her," Bower writes in the book. "The difference of background and experience made them unlikely soulmates. There could be little intimacy."
Bower added that it was common for Markle to not tolerate women with "starkly different interests," and that Middleton was seen as "an adversary who had to be reckoned with."
Later in the book, Bower said that Middleton had grown increasingly frustrated with Markle's approach to royal duties. Unlike other members of the royal family, who kept their opinions to themselves and treated royal duties with caution, Bower wrote, Markle had committed to "hit the ground running."
"Kate had become irritated by her neighbor," Bower wrote.
"Unlike her own cautious approach to 'learn the ropes' before engaging in royal duties, Meghan was running — but what was her destination? And who was she running with? Did she realize that the Royal Family ran together under the monarch, not as competitive individuals?"
There has been speculation about the status of Markle and Middleton's relationship ever since Markle married Prince Harry in 2018.
At first, it seemed that the two women would be working together closely, as Markle had joined the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry's Royal Foundation upon her marriage to Harry. But in March 2019, the Sussexes announced they would split their office from the Cambridges' and in June, they announced they were leaving the charity to form their own one.
Markle opened up about Middleton during her interview with Oprah Winfrey in March last year, saying that her sister-in-law made her cry over bridesmaids' dresses before her royal wedding, despite reports that the opposite occurred.
"And I don't say that to be disparaging to anyone, because it was a really hard week of the wedding, and she was upset about something. But she owned it, and she apologized, and she brought me flowers and a note apologizing," Markle said.
Representatives for the Duchess of Sussex and Kensington Palace did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.