Meghan Markle reportedly caused awkwardness within the royal family with some members visibly flinching when she attempted to embrace them, the latest royal book has claimed.
According to royal author Tom Quinn, whose new book Yes Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants provides an insider’s look into royal dynamics, Meghan’s hugging culture clashed with the family’s traditionally reserved nature.
Meghan Markle left ‘hurt’ when royal family ‘flinched’ at her hugs latest book claims
In an extract published in The Times, Tom claimed that Meghan’s instinct to hug everyone was off-putting to senior royals, including Prince William, Princess Kate, and King Charles.
“Tension developed between William and Harry as a result of Meghan’s warm, friendly, hug-everyone approach,” he wrote. “Kate, William, and Charles tended to flinch when she moved in for a hug.”
Tom added that Meghan, 43, was “understandably hurt” by this reaction as hugging is second nature in California, where she was raised.
One alleged moment occurred when Meghan tried to hug a senior royal aide. Tom described him as a “stiff Old Etonian equerry”.
A palace staffer reportedly said the aide “flinched as if she’d tried to poke him in the eye”.
The Duchess of Sussex previously addressed this issue in Harry & Meghan, the couple’s Netflix docuseries. Meghan revealed that she was shocked by how formality extended beyond public appearances.
Kate, William, and Charles tended to flinch when she moved in for a hug.
“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. Like I was a hugger, I have always been a hugger,” Meghan recalled in the series. “I didn’t realise that is really jarring for a lot of Brits.”
She added that she assumed the royals would be more relaxed in private, only to discover that the formality remained constant.
Meghan said: “There is a forward-facing way of being, and then you close the door and think, ‘OK, we can relax now.’ But that formality carries over on both sides, and that was surprising to me.”
Prince William ‘recoiled’ from Meghan, Prince Harry claimed
Prince Harry, 40, also described the awkward first meeting between Meghan and Prince William in his bombshell 2023 memoir Spare.
Harry claimed that William was visibly uncomfortable when Meghan went in for a hug. He called it a “classic collision of cultures”.
“[It] completely freaked him out,” Harry wrote. “He recoiled. Willy didn’t hug many strangers. Whereas Meg hugged most strangers. Will had hoped that she would greet him with standard reverence per protocol, but she didn’t know it, and I hadn’t told her.”
Traditionally, the royal family avoids physical contact in formal settings, preferring handshakes, bows, or curtsies.
Harry has previously spoken about the limited physical affection he received growing up.
However, there are signs of change with King Charles himself breaking the tradition in recent years. Despite his initial hesitation toward Meghan’s hugging, King Charles has shown a more affectionate side in public.
In September 2024, he surprised many by embracing the New Zealand Women’s Rugby Team after they requested a hug.
“Yeah, we all wanted a hug,” player Ayesha Leti-I’iga told Charles. “But only if it’s okay with you.”
To the team’s delight the king agreed, replying: “A hug? Why not!”
After the group embrace, he joked that it felt like being “flattened by a scrum” and described it as “very healing”.
