Meghan Markle's treatment of one of Kate Middleton's staffers during a “foot-stamping rant” at Kensington Palace left the Duchess “really upset”, a royal author has claimed.
Tom Quinn, author of Kensington Palace: An Intimate Memoir from Queen Mary to Meghan Markle, has claimed palace insiders told him about an incident when Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, “lost her temper” at a staffer.
Speaking to the Daily Star, Quinn described an alleged incident where Meghan felt she was not being treated with the same respect as Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, while she and husband Prince Harry lived at the Palace.
"Meghan and Harry were living in what's called Nottingham Cottage and it's probably the only bit that you genuinely really could say, is actually quite small,” Quinn said.
"And so, I think that reminded Meghan that she was, as it were, second place or as the runner-up.
"So, when Harry and Will got together and sometimes Meghan and Kate as well because there was this tension occasionally, famously Meghan slightly lost her temper with a member of Kate's staff in front of Kate.
"And it was that incident, that I was told by someone who was actually there, who said it was really uncomfortable because Meghan just lost it with this person.
"The reason she lost it with Kate's member of staff was that she, Meghan, didn't feel that this person was giving her the sort of attention she deserved.
"It was almost as if in that one encounter, it encapsulated for Meghan the problem that she had, that she's a Princess and she's number two."
He added: "She was very successful, coming into this alien environment where people behave towards you according to where you are in the status of who becomes King or Queen next, that's just alien to her.
"The way it was described to me was, there were raised voices and foot-stamping."
It is further claimed that the incident left Kate feeling "really upset".
Mr Quinn continued: "Meghan asked this person, I know who it was, but I can't say because it will give away my source, who works for Kate who was basically asked to do something by Meghan and said, 'I'm really sorry I can't do that because I work for Kate'.
"And Meghan really felt she had been slightly put in her place because if you become a Princess, you kind of assume that staff when you ask them to do something, they are going to do it."
He added: "She (Kate) was horrified, she was really upset because she's very fond of this particular member of staff and she thought that Meghan almost bowling out this person was just completely unacceptable.
"She's very sensitive about not being treated with the same respect that she feels Kate is, so can react badly and doesn't take it lying down."
The Duchess of Sussex has been contacted for comment.
