Kate & Meghan - Princess Moms!

More Confident In Their Roles Than Ever, The Royal Sisters- In-law Bond Over Motherhood—and Put Reports Of A Royal Rift Behind Them

- Erin Hill

Moms with young children don’t often get to enjoy uninterrupted conversation with their girlfriends—let alone from the royal box of Wimbledon’s historic Centre Court. So when Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton—the Duchess of Sussex and the Duchess of Cambridge, respectively— stepped into those coveted seats on July 13, they relished every moment. Chatting alongside Kate’s younger sister Pippa, the royal moms “were genuine and sweet together,” says an insider. When the women’s faces briefly flashed onscreen, they exchanged knowing looks before bursting into laughter. And later, when Meghan’s friend Serena Williams lost the match, “Kate put her hand out and rubbed Meghan’s back to console her,” says a close observer.

It was a remarkably sweet moment between the two women, whom tabloids have cast as royal rivals ever since Meghan came on the scene in the fall of 2016. “It illustrated a warm relationship between these women who have young babies and are in similar situations in their lives,” says royal commentator Victoria Arbiter. In fact, just three days earlier the sisters-in-law had teamed up for an inaugural playdate—the first time Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 1, had all been together with their 2-month-old cousin Archie. “They’re each a little more relaxed,” says the insider. “They have more in common now.”