Have we decided if the recent rash of Karriett Tubman-themed stories are coming from Queen Camilla’s operations, or whether they’re Kensington Palace’s attempts to make the Princess of Wales look sympathetic? I truly believe it’s both – Kate’s own press operation often makes her look terrible, but I do get the sense that the knives are out for Kate within the family. I bring this up because there’s a new sub-genre – a micro-genre, if you will – of royal reporting specific to the lead-up for the coronation. The micro-genre is “Kate is the reason why Meghan isn’t coming” and/or Kate is so, so pleased that Meghan isn’t coming. While there’s always been an oversized focus on the Kate-vs-Meghan dynamic, this feels interesting – centering Meghan’s absence on Kate specifically. From Entertainment Tonight:

How the Windsors feel about Harry & Meghan: “Relationships between Harry and Meghan and the family are still very tense,” a source tells ET. “The family will be cordial because the King wants his son at his Coronation but there will be no meaningful conversation as there’s still a lack of trust given the revelations in his book and the Sussexes Netflix documentary and the allegations in the Oprah interview.”

Surprise at Meghan’s absence: Another source shared that the family is still surprised that the Duke is attending without his wife. Adding, “There were still several members of the family who expressed surprise she had decided to stay home.”

Kate’s relief: Royal expert Eloise Parker, said Prince William and Kate Middleton feel a sense of “relief” that Meghan will be home. “I think there’s bound to be some relief from William and Kate that Meghan won’t be attending the coronation simply because less emphasis is going to be on them, who’s looking where, who’s lip reading, what’s going on between them. There’s such a fever of interest in these relationships and the truth is we’re never going to see a Real Housewives moment between these women. Everything is going to be kept firmly under wraps and I think for Kate, the fact that Meghan isn’t attending, helps her keep it that way.”

[From ET]

“The truth is we’re never going to see a Real Housewives moment between these women”– are you joking? We’ve already seen dozens of “Real Housewife” moments, mostly because Kate has no pokerface. Kate wearing white to Meghan’s wedding was a Real Housewife moment. Kate not being able to keep her sh-t together at the Commonwealth service in 2020 was a Real Housewife moment. Kate menacing Meghan on the Windsor walkabout was a Real Housewife moment. Kate telling everyone that Meghan made her cry for YEARS was a Real Housewife moment. Meghan telling Oprah that Kate made her cry was also a Real Housewife moment, to be fair. Just because Meghan isn’t calling Kate a copykeening loser to her Botoxface, doesn’t make Kate any less tacky.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgird, WENN.