Kate, William and Charles 'flinched' at Meghan Markle's hugs, leaving her 'hurt'

Fresh claims about Meghan Markle’s struggles within the royal family have surfaced, revealing that her warm and affectionate nature allegedly clashed with the more reserved traditions of the monarchy.

A new book by Tom Quinn, Yes Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants, offers insight into how Meghan’s hugging habit made senior royals uncomfortable, leaving the Duchess of Sussex feeling hurt before she and Prince Harry stepped away from their roles as senior royals.

According to excerpts published by The Times, tension reportedly built between Prince William and Harry due to Meghan’s “hug-everyone approach.”

"Tension developed between William and Harry as a result of Meghan’s warm, friendly, hug-everyone approach. Kate, William, and Charles tended to flinch when she moved in for a hug.”

The book also claims Meghan was “understandably hurt”, as hugging is common in her home state of California.

"Meghan even tried to hug a singularly stiff Old Etonian equerry. He too flinched as if she’d tried to poke him in the eye, as another member of staff put it," Quinn wrote.

This isn’t the first time Meghan has spoken out about her differences with the royals. In the 2022 Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, she reflected on how her hugging culture clashed with British royal customs.

"Even when Will and Kate came over, and I was meeting her for the first time, I remember I was in ripped jeans, I was barefoot,” Meghan recalled.

"I was a hugger. I have always been a hugger. I didn’t realize that is really jarring for a lot of Brits."