Meghan Markle wanted to lead but couldn't surpass her sister-in-law Kate Middleton's rank in the British royal family's hierarchy, according to a royal expert.

Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond weighed in on the relationship between the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex. Initially, many thought that the wives of Prince William and Prince Harry would be besties because they were close in age and were both commoners. 

However, it was later learned that they were never close. There were even rumors that the two duchesses were feuding, which some experts shut down and insisted it was their husbands who were having a beef. According to Bond, Markle and Middleton were very different, so they never developed a tight connection.

"I think there was a clash of culture and life experience between Kate and Meghan: to hug or not, to over-share or not, to dominate proceedings or take your turn, to be immersed in family life or immersed in a Hollywood career. I think they were very much two women separated by a common language," Bond told OK! magazine.

"And I suspect Meghan found Kate's senior position, with all the protocol that entails, very hard to swallow. Perhaps she should have taken a closer look at the Royal Family firm before jumping into the goldfish bowl."

Bond added that Prince Harry's wife was probably not happy with her position in the family. She noted that the former actress wanted to lead, which was impossible in the British royal family with a strict hierarchical structure.

"I don't think there's any doubt that Meghan found it very difficult to be a junior member of a team," Bond continued. "It's understandable because she was a confident, independent, outspoken feminist with her own career when she joined the Royal family."

The expert said the former actress had to learn to take her place in the order of precedence. However, since Markle was the type who wanted to lead, it was probably odd for her that she would never be the chief executive of the firm but only a "very valued and highly effective" senior member.

Bond acknowledged that there was nothing wrong with Markle wanting to lead and be her own boss. However, it wasn't the "perfect recipe" for someone joining the royal family with a "defined hierarchy."

Markle and Prince Harry were recently accused of stealing Middleton's spotlight after they dropped a one-minute clip highlighting their charity works for Archewell from 2022 to 2023. It raised eyebrows because it was released just hours after Middleton uploaded a family video for her Baby Bank initiative, featuring her three children, Prince George, 10; Princess Charlotte, 8; and Prince Louis, 5.

Tags: Meghan Markle Kate Middleton royal family