When Meghan Markle first got together with Prince Harry there were hopes they could be the fresh new face of the Royal Family.

Princess Kate and Prince William once felt “petty and jealous” over how well Meghan Markle was connecting to the British public, according to royal author Robert Jobson.

While Meghan and Prince Harry are now living in self-imposed royal exile in California, when she first married into the Firm in 2018 people were thrilled to welcome a fresh face to the country.

In the build up to the Sussex wedding in May of that year, Harry and Meghan were undoubtedly the most in the limelight, something which William reportedly found difficult to deal with.

Mr Jobson’s new book ‘Catherine, the Princess of Wales: The Biography’ describes an incident in January 2018 when William debuted a new haircut while Harry and Meghan were on an engagement in Cardiff.

A few months later, at the Royal Foundation Forum, it was clear there were tensions as the now-Prince of Wales admitted they had some family disagreements.

Read More: Meghan Markle described as a ‘two-bit hustler with delusions of adequacy’

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The Waleses and the Sussexes were once dubbed the Fab Four (Image: Getty)

Harry then interjected: “They are healthy disagreements.” But when he was asked for further details he jokingly added: “I can’t remember, they come so thick and fast.”

Mr Jobson wrote in the MailOnline: “At first, public reaction to Meghan was overwhelmingly positive, with ‘the new kids on the block’ hogging most of the headlines – to the point that William and Catherine may have unconsciously raised their game. There were whispers of pettiness, even jealousy.”

He added: “Cracks between the two couples continued to widen – with the help of petty slights, whether imagined or otherwise.

“There was the time Meghan asked to borrow some lip gloss, and Harry felt Catherine had handed hers over reluctantly. According to him, Catherine ‘grimaced’ after Meghan had squeezed some onto a finger and applied it to her lips.”

The gulf between the couples has only widened (Image: Getty)

When Harry first introduced Meghan to his family they tried their best to welcome her, even though Mr Jobson claims that William feared his brother was rushing into marriage.

When news of their engagement was announced in November 2017 Kate said in a statement: “William and I are thrilled. It’s such exciting news. It’s a happy time for any couple, and we wish them all the best and hope they enjoy this happy moment.”

King Charles too made a concerted effort with his daughter-in-law, as he said: “She is so intelligent and so nice. She makes Harry happy. We could not like her more.”

Harry and Meghan married after less than two years of dating (Image: Getty)

One of the sources of conflict between the royal couples was apparently the difference in how they were treated, with more money and resources set aside for William the heir and Kate.

At the time Harry and Meghan were living on Nottingham Cottage on the Kensington Palace estate, and had far less living space than the Waleses did in their Palace apartments.

A source said at the time: “I am not saying Meghan was jealous, but she was surprised how lavishly Harry’s brother was living compared to where they were living. It was perhaps the beginning of all the tensions between the couples.”