Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton rift: Why royals won’t comment on reports - NEWS.com.au

Reports that Meghan Markle is driving a wedge between brothers Prince Harry and Prince William is shaping up to be the biggest royal story of the year.

For the past week it seems each day has brought a new unfavourable allegation about the Duchess of Sussex, with the latest report claiming Harry feuded with William, accusing him of not “rolling out the red carpet” for Meghan ahead of their wedding.

A supposed split between the brothers is also purportedly the reason why Meghan and Harry have decided to set up house at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor rather than an apartment next to William and Kate at Kensington Palace.

But one thing has remained consistent among the barrage of bad press for the newest member of the royal family — deafening silence from the palace.

Despite unflattering headlines growing by the day, (including one which accused Meghan of reducing Kate Middleton “to tears” at a wedding fitting — ouch) no statement has been issued by either Kensington Palace or Buckingham Palace refuting the claims.

While it might seem odd that the royal family’s spin doctors have not defended Meghan, the decision to stay silent is actually in line with protocol not to comment on stories of a personal nature.

PR expert Nick Ed rubbished reports of any feud between Meghan and the other royals while explaining it was perfectly normal for the palace to stay silent.

“The palace doesn’t need to respond to any type of rumour like this — the relationships between the families is, of course, fine,” Mr Ed told Yahoo UK.

The royal family has stayed silent on a number of major scandals — most notably the very protracted marriage breakdown of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

When William and then girlfriend Kate briefly split in 2007, Clarence House refused to confirm the breakup.

“We don’t comment on Prince William’s private life,” they said in a statement issued to the press.

It’s a rule that has been followed when it comes to Meghan’s extended family, with Kensington Palace refusing to respond to repeated jibes in the press from her half-sister Samantha Markle.

But the rule not to comment on personal matters has been broken twice in the last two years — both in response to stories about Meghan.

In November 2016, Harry’s communications team issued an extraordinary statement confirming his new romance with Meghan and calling on the press to back off the couple.

Royal commentators predicted the rare statement was a sign the relationship was serious — something that was proved right a year late when Harry and Meghan were engaged.

After Meghan’s father Thomas Markle found himself embroiled in a fake paparazzi photo scandal just days out from their wedding, Kensington Palace issued another statement.

“Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding,” Meghan said in the statement. “I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health.”

So while it’s not surprising that the palace has stayed silent so far on reports about Meghan causing a rift, it’s possible the royal family will break its own rule in coming weeks if it is deemed necessary.

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