The Lip Gloss Incident – A Small Moment That Revealed Bigger
Tensions
In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry shares a seemingly minor but telling moment between Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton. During Trooping the Colour—a major royal event—Meghan asked Kate if she could borrow her lip gloss. Harry describes it like this:
"Meg asked to borrow Kate’s lip gloss. An American thing. Meg forgot hers, worried she needed some, and turned to Kate for help. Kate, taken aback, went into her handbag and reluctantly pulled out a small tube. Meg squeezed some onto her finger and applied it to her lips. Kate grimaced."
At first glance, this sounds like a harmless, everyday moment. But Harry admits it left a "little mark"—a sign that something deeper was going on. Read More
Why Did This Moment Matter?
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Cultural Clash
- Meghan’s request was framed as an "American thing"—something casual and normal in the U.S., but perhaps unexpected or even awkward in the rigid, tradition-bound world of the British royals.
- Kate’s reluctance and grimace suggest she was caught off guard, possibly seeing Meghan’s approach as too informal or intrusive.
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A Symbol of Deeper Differences
- This wasn’t just about lip gloss. It was a clash of styles, personalities, and expectations.
- Meghan, an American actress used to a more relaxed and expressive culture, may have unintentionally stepped on royal protocols—where even small gestures can feel like a breach of etiquette.
- Kate, raised in the royal environment, likely saw this as another example of Meghan not fitting in.
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The Bigger Picture
- Harry notes that this should have been something they could "laugh about soon after." But it wasn’t. Instead, it lingered, becoming a symbol of the growing tension between Meghan and the royal family.
- Small moments like this can build up over time, creating resentment and misunderstanding.
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The Aftermath
- By 2020, Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties, citing media harassment, lack of support, and racism within the institution.
- The lip gloss incident might seem trivial, but it reflects a larger pattern: Meghan often found herself judged or misunderstood by the royals, while the family struggled to adapt to her different way of doing things.
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What This Reveals About Royal Life
- The royal family operates on unspoken rules and traditions. What seems normal to outsiders—like sharing makeup—can feel jarring or even disrespectful to those raised in the system.
- Meghan’s American directness clashed with the British reserve of the royals, leading to miscommunication and friction.
Why This Story Resonates
- It humanizes the royal family, showing that even small, everyday interactions can cause rifts.
- It highlights the challenges Meghan faced as an outsider trying to fit into a centuries-old institution.
- It underscores how cultural differences, no matter how small, can create lasting divisions—especially in a family as scrutinized as the royals.
This story isn’t just about lip gloss. It’s about belonging, acceptance, and the struggles of blending two very different worlds. For Harry and Meghan, moments like these added up, eventually leading to their decision to leave royal life and build a new future in California.
What do you think? Was this incident a harmless misunderstanding, or a sign of deeper issues between Meghan and the royals?
