However, William and Kate decided upon a last minute change to the running order in an effort to smooth things over, reported the Daily Mail. The couple also offered to skip the procession and join the Sussexes in their seats, so they could all wait together for the service to start. This decision was made so last minute that the order of services had already been printed, showing them as part of the procession.

However, royal commentators said this did not seem to have the desired effect, and the meeting of the two couples appeared somewhat awkward. On the day, the Sussexes arrived first and sat in the second row, while the now-Prince and Princess of Wales followed closesly behind. Crucially, Meghan and Harry didn’t stand to greet them.

It marked a sharp contrast to the 2019 ceremony, when Meghan and Kate greeted each other with a friendly kiss on each cheek. In 2020, the two couples exchanged only one or two words as they waited for the late Queen and Prince Charles to arrive.

There had been rumours of a rift between the two couples in the months leading up to Meghan and Harry announcing their intention to “step back”. This had grown when the couple scrapped their plans to live at Kensington Palace only a few doors away from William and Kate, and moved to Windsor instead.

Meghan would later tell Oprah Winfrey that tensions between her and Kate had begun even before their royal wedding, with a disagreement over Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress spiralling into a major row. While she claimed that harsh words from Kate left her in tears, other recollections of the event have said it was the Princess of Wales that had been tearful following the argument.