Kate vs Meghan WHAT THE PALACE STAFF SAW

A new book lifts the lid on the royal sisters-in-law – the tantrums, the untruths and the backbiting

- Judy Kean

They both came from pretty normal families, not aristocratic backgrounds. They both had to put up with criticism and interference from palace courtiers, who are often the real power behind the throne.

Yet when their marriages to princes changed their lives, one adjusted brilliantly and the other lasted less than two years as a working member of the royal family.

Now, royal household staff, who see what goes on behind the scenes, have revealed why they think Catherine, Princess of Wales, has become one of the most beloved members of the Windsor family, while Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, no longer has anything to do with The Firm.

“Kate is actually a much stronger person than Meghan in many ways,” a staffer told author Tom Quinn for his tell-all book Yes Ma'am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants.

Prince William's wife had a very different attitude to becoming a member of the royal family and took a careful approach.

She is “someone who slowly and carefully absorbs the atmosphere of a place, the relationship between people and the rules”, says the source. And she was prepared to be coached, not just by William, who wanted her to avoid the problems his mother, Princess Diana, had encountered when she married into the family, but by the staff, who have deep insights into how things run.