the truth behind THAT awkward ‘mum’s day out’ at the polo for Kate and Meghan

Ever the supportive wife, Kate Middleton can often be found cheering Prince William on as he takes to the polo field. 

And later today, the Princess of Wales, 41, will be supporting the Prince, 41, as he takes part in the Out-Sourcing Inc. Royal Charity Polo Cup 2023 at Guards Polo Club.

It’s likely to be a far cry from the charity match the couple attended back in 2019, when the royal mother-of-three was joined by Meghan Markle, 41, to watch William and Prince Harry, 38, play together on a ‘mum’s day out’.

At the time, relations were said to be fraught between the princes’ wives from the inception of Meghan’s entry into the monarchy.

It is now believed to have been an effort to put on a united front after months of disagreements between the two couples – including a row over bridesmaid dresses and reported tension over Meghan’s behaviour towards staff.  

During the appearance, which took place months before Megxit, Kate and Meghan were barely seen interacting – though Prince Louis made the women laugh at one point 

The Duchess and the Princess put in a surprise appearance to watch Prince William and Prince Harry go head-to-head in the King Power Royal Charity Polo Day, held in honour of late Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha on July 10 2019. 

It marked the first time the Sussexes and the-then Cambridges had been seen together as families since Archie’s birth. 

It was also a rare joint appearance for Meghan and Kate, who are typically only seen together at official engagements attended by the entire royal family, such as Trooping the Colour. 

At the time, there had been months of rumours of a rift between the two couples.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had recently broken away from the Wales’s and their joint Royal Foundation charity.

It later emerged they have taken one of the most distinguished aides with them. 

Meanwhile Harry later outlined in his memoir Spare how the two women had also suffered tensions over a lipgloss at the royal summit in 2018, as well as rowing about bridesmaids dresses before the royal wedding.

According to Harry, the group had tried to put to bed their  differences in a meeting that June, when Kate told Meghan she was hurt she’d said she had ‘baby brain.’

Speculation of a falling out between the then-Cambridges and the Sussexes began to grow after the announcement that Harry and Meghan would be moving away from Kensington Palace to Frogmore Cottage.

A source told Vanity Fair that ‘Kate and Meghan are very different people and they don’t have a lot in common but they have made an effort to get along.’

Reports also began to emerge Meghan was ‘very sensitive’ about being ‘number two’ to Kate.

Royal author Tom Quinn claimed that during her time in the Firm, Meghan rowed with Kensington Palace staff over ‘getting the sort of attention she deserved’.

And according to the authors of Finding Freedom, the stand-offish episode at a charity polo match was a snapshot of Meghan and Kate’s ‘cordial but distant rapport.’

Their relationship had reportedly struggled to move past the distant politeness of when they first met, according to the explosive biography. 

‘While the doting mothers were photographed next to each other with their children, the two appeared to barely exchange a word,’ the authors penned.

In photographs from the event, Meghan, standing at a distance from Kate and her family, cradled her newborn son and planted a tender kiss on his head.

Going head to head: William, left, and Harry, right, played on opposite teams for the charity polo match in Surrey

Army green dream: The Duchess of Sussex dressed down in a £545 khaki maxi dress by Lisa Marie Fernandez for the outing

There he is! A glimpse of Archie’s face was seen, left. Right, Prince Louis makes Kate and Meghan giggle with his antics

Proud dad: Sweaty Prince Harry gave his son an affectionate pat as he came off the field after going head-to-head with Wills

Little handful! The Princess could be seen keeping up with one-year-old son Louis, left. Right, flashing a smile

Meanwhile the Princess spent much of the match keeping her three children, who were racing around the pitch and chasing after a football, entertained.

Despite standing close to each other for part of the match, the women appeared to barely interact. 

In one moment, which appeared to break the ice between the two, the women shared a giggle as then-one-year-old Louis donned his mother’s sunglasses before turning back to his aunt to cheekily stick out his tongue.

Following the match proud father Prince Harry walked over to his wife and gave his son an affectionate pat – careful not to hug him too close while he was still sweaty from the match.

Meanwhile Kate was also busy keeping an eye on her three children. 

One-year-old Louis was seen giving his mother the run around as he tottered across the grass before being swept into her arms to go wave to his father. 

Meanwhile, playful Prince George kept his sister, Charlotte, entertained and could be seen picking up a polo mallet. 

Time for a snack! The Duchess of Cambridge looked to be enjoying a picnic with her children after the polo match

Keeping up with her big brother! Charlotte joined in a game of kickabout, left. Right, the princess with five-year-old George

Dressed in a navy blue polo shirt and green shorts, he also wore the blue buckled shoes that her children are known for wearing.

All eyes were on young Prince Louis as he tottered around excitedly on the grass and Kate regularly scooped him up in her arms. 

Later on it seemed as though the family were having a picnic from the boot of the car as George and Charlotte jumped into the back and pulled out food for their mother. 

Today is likely to be a more low-key appearance from the Princess, who yesterday joined William for his father’s Scottish Coronation in Edinburgh. 

Meanwhile earlier this week, she attended Wimbledon for a special ceremony to honour her close friend Roger Federer.