Meghan Markle and Princess Kate have become the latest public figures to feature in a fan-made video trend set to one of the summer's hottest songs, as the royal sisters-in-law's relationship remains a subject of public fascination.
Meghan and Kate's interactions first drew attention when the former was introduced into the royal family by Prince Harry, prior to their marriage in 2018. Speculative tabloid reports about tensions developing between the pair surfaced just months after the wedding, with a famous claim being that Meghan made Kate cry. This was later disputed by the duchess in her 2021 TV interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Much of the speculation about the pair's relationship had been unconfirmed until the publication of Harry's 2023 memoir, Spare. In it, he detailed a number of issues that arose between his wife and sister-in-law, ultimately resulting in a distance between them.
Since Harry and Meghan's split from the royal family, opposing fan-groups have formed resulting in an often-toxic online discourse. However, a share of users have expressed neutrality, hoping for a time where a period of royal reconciliation might be called.
On social media this summer, pop artist Charli XCX has inspired a number of viral trends with releases of new songs from her album Brat. This has resulted in the phrase "Brat summer" being frequently used and sound bites from songs becoming popular on networks like TikTok and X (formerly Twitter).
The song "Girl, so confusing" has gained particular attention as it takes the narrative form of two women discussing why they don't appear to get along. The track features a remix duet between Charli XCX and folk singer Lorde.
It includes the lyrics: "I don't know if you like me. Sometimes I think you might hate me. Sometimes I think I might hate you. Maybe you just wanna be me."
The song also includes the phrase "Let's work it out on the remix," which social-media users have widely used and applied to celebrities with famous feuds.
Uploaded to TikTok by user @kittywaless on July 20, footage showing Meghan and Kate's relationship over the years has become the latest to be edited together with the "Girl, so confusing" audio. The post has reached over 1.1 million views so far, being widely shared.
Captioned "Their lore," footage of the sisters-in-law at high-profile royal events includes Christmas at Sandringham in Norfolk; Trooping the Colour and the Wimbledon tennis championships in London; and the funeral events for Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
The post has received in excess of 254,000 likes and over 780 comments, many of which have referenced the "work it out on the remix" phrase in hopes that one day the pair may reunite.
"I need them to work it out on the remix," wrote one fan.
"Oh this song was made for them," posted another, with a further user adding: "They would be so powerful together."
Both Meghan and Kate have said little or nothing about the public perception of their relationship. However, the former did address the sometimes-negative online actions of royal fans.
"So much of what I have seen play out is this idea of polarity," Meghan told Oprah Winfrey in 2021, "where, if you love me, you don't have to hate her; and if you love her, you don't need to hate me."
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
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