Not so "fab" this four? From the sound of a new book, it's far from harmony between Prince Harry, Prince William and their wives.
While the royal brothers and their famous significant others, Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton, have been the subjects of rift rumors for years now, a highly anticipated biography, Finding Freedom—penned by longtime royals reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand—has shed new light on the dynamic between the couples and how conflict arose between them as Markle came into the royal picture.
Though the book has not yet been released, excerpts published by The Sunday Times have pulled back the curtains on purported behind-the-scenes moments between the princes and duchesses, including an alleged conversation between William and Harry, in which the older brother cautioned the younger one about moving too fast while dating the former American actress.
"Don't feel like you need to rush this," William told Harry, according to sources cited in Finding Freedom. "Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl." According to the book, Harry took offense to William referring to Meghan as "this girl."
As a source explained in the book, "Harry was pissed off...Pissed off that his brother would ask such a thing. Some felt it was an overreaction. But then, this sums them up as people—William, the calm and rational one, and Harry, who can't help but take things far too personally."
According to a friend cited in the book, "Harry could see through William's words. He was being a snob."
Meanwhile, according to excerpts (via The Sunday Times), Middleton and Markle were not exactly the best of friends. In the book, an example is cited from 2017 before Harry and Meghan had tied the knot, in which both women were going shopping on the same street, but that the Duchess of Cambridge "went in her own Range Rover."
"The truth was that Meghan and Kate just didn't know each other that well," the book states. "Although some aides claimed at the time that they 'talked and texted regularly,' by the time of Harry and Meghan's wedding the sisters-in-law had spent only a handful of occasions together."
"Meghan was disappointed that she and Kate hadn't bonded over the position they shared," the book further notes, "but she wasn't losing sleep over it. According to a source, Kate felt they didn't have much in common 'other than the fact that they lived at Kensington Palace.'"
Years—and much speculation—later, royals fans watched with bated breath in March as the four reunited publicly for the first time following Prince Harry and Meghan's bombshell exit announcement at the Commonwealth Day service held at Westminster Abbey, the couple's final official royal engagement. The couples barely interacted.
"Although Meghan tried to make eye contact with Kate, the duchess barely acknowledged her," the book describes.
Scobie recently told The Times, "To purposefully snub your sister-in-law or your brother or brother-in-law in Kate's case...I don't think it left a great taste in the couple's mouths."
As the author said to People, "A lot of damage has been done."