Huge clue about Kate and Meghan's royal rift we all missed

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attend the first annual Royal Foundation Forum. Photo / Getty Images

Reports of a growing rift between the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex have reached fever pitch in recent days.

There have been countless articles quoting sources who claim Kate Middleton was "in tears" after a tense bridesmaid fitting with her daughter Princess Charlotte, 3, and Meghan Markle earlier this year, that Kate was left furious over the way Meghan was talking to her staff, and that Prince Harry had been unhappy with his brother, Prince William, last Christmas for refusing to "roll out the red carpet" for his new fiancee.

All smiles for Harry, Meghan, Catherine and William. Photo / Getty Images

Adding weight to the reports was the sudden announcement last week that Harry and Meghan — who are expecting their first child next year — wouldn't be taking up the offer to live in a luxurious apartment next door to William and Kate in Kensington Palace, and would instead move more than 20 miles up the road to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor Castle.

It's a lot to take in — and it's been kind of devastating for royal fans who had been leaning into the idea of this close-knit "Fab Four".

But those clamouring to get to the bottom of this royal feud may have missed the big clue that's been right under our noses all year.

Cast your mind back to the highly-praised first official foursome engagement in February, where the newly-engaged Harry and Meghan joined William and Kate on stage at the Royal Foundation Forum to discuss their ongoing mental health initiative.

Inevitably, questions to the four high-profile royals turned somewhat personal during the chat, with the interviewer asking the group: "Working together as family, do you ever have disagreements about things?"

Here's their reaction:

The women both turn away from each other — Meghan looks at the floor with a sheepish smile, Kate looks at her husband for support, and William takes the reigns and laughs, saying "Ooooh, yeah."

Back then, it seemed to be just a lighthearted family joke. But given that the stories of tension recently leaked from Kensington Palace actually date back to about that time — the moment suddenly seems much more significant.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend a National Service to mark the centenary of the Armistice at Westminster Abbey, London in November, 2018. Photo / AP

Although Harry was quick to clarify that they're "healthy" disagreements, he also made a quip about the high volume of clashes, claiming that "they come so thick and fast".

"Is it resolved? We don't know," William joked back.

"Well you're putting on a great show, if not," the interviewer responded (which, if the reports are true, was actually scarily accurate).

Harry then shed further light on his pragmatic attitude toward tensions in the family, admitting that spending so much time together could be challenging.

"I think it's really good that we've got four different personalities, and we've all got that same passion to want to make a difference, but you know … different opinions," he said.

" … Working with family, of course it has its challenges … But look, we're stuck together for the rest of our lives."

As speculation about the growing rift between the Cambridges and Sussexes gained traction this week, Kensington Palace took the extraordinary step of issuing a statement addressing the drama.

Following The Sun's report over the weekend that the Duchess of Cambridge got upset with the former actor over how she spoke to a member of Kate's staff, a Kensington Palace spokesman denied the claim to the British paper.

"This never happened," the spokesman said.

As reported in People, the palace does not usually respond to rumours and did not issue a statement regarding any other reports, including the one that claimed Kate was "left in tears" after Charlotte's bridesmaid dress fitting for Meghan's wedding to Prince Harry.