In a bombshell moment from Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir Spare, the world learned that Meghan Markle once boldly asked to borrow Catherine, the Princess of Wales’ personal lip gloss – and Kate’s horrified reaction said it all. But why did Harry feel the need to air this intimate, trivial exchange to millions? Critics are slamming it as the ultimate proof of the Sussexes’ endless grievances, turning a minor backstage blunder into a global spectacle of entitlement.
Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton during one of their joint appearances, before tensions boiled over.The incident, detailed in Harry’s 2023 bestseller Spare, occurred backstage at the 2018 Royal Foundation Forum – the much-hyped “Fab Four” event featuring Prince William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan. As the group prepared to take the stage, Meghan reportedly forgot her own lip gloss and turned to Kate with a casual request: Could she borrow hers?Harry describes the moment vividly: “Meg asked to borrow Kate’s lip gloss. An American thing. Meg forgot hers, worried she needed some, and turned to Kate for help. Kate, taken aback, went into her handbag and reluctantly pulled out a small tube. Meg squeezed some onto her finger and applied it to her lips. Kate grimaced.”What should have been a forgettable sister-in-law swap became, in Harry’s eyes, a “small clash of styles” that “left a little mark.”
But royal watchers and fans alike are calling it out for what it really was: an awkward overreach that highlighted Meghan’s boundary-pushing ways.
The infamous Clarins lip gloss reportedly at the center of the drama – Kate Middleton has long favored this subtle, elegant shade.Let’s be real: Who asks to borrow someone else’s lip gloss? It’s one of the most personal items in a woman’s purse, especially when you’re not even close friends yet.
Sharing makeup that touches the lips risks spreading germs – a big no-no, particularly when Kate was postpartum after welcoming Prince Louis just months earlier. Hygiene experts and everyday women agree: It’s gross, invasive, and downright unhygienic.Public reaction was swift and brutal. When audio excerpts from Spare went viral on TikTok, thousands defended Kate. “I don’t share my lip gloss with anyone – that’s gross,” one commenter wrote. Another added: “Why even ask to borrow anything that goes on someone else’s lips? Meghan has no boundaries.”
Even Americans pushed back on Harry’s claim that it was an “American thing,” with many insisting no one does that outside of high school mean-girl tactics.And why immortalize this in a book? Harry’s decision to include such a petty detail – alongside complaints about everything from palace accommodations to family dynamics – has been labeled as peak victimhood. In Spare, he whines that the press “sensed something was up” and turned it into “something bigger.” But Harry himself amplified it, broadcasting a private grimace to the world. If it was so minor, why dedicate pages to it?
*Spare* by Prince Harry – the memoir that aired every grievance, including the lip gloss saga.This wasn’t the only clash Harry chronicled.
He portrays Kate as “on edge,” supposedly fearing competition from the glamorous new Duchess of Sussex. But sources close to the royals paint a different picture: Kate was gracious, even reportedly telling Meghan to keep the gloss afterward. Yet Harry twisted it into evidence of coldness.
The lip gloss episode fits a pattern. From the infamous bridesmaid dress row (where Harry claims Kate made Meghan cry, flipping earlier reports) to accusations of “baby brain,” Spare drips with resentment toward the Princess of Wales. Meanwhile, Kate has remained dignified, focusing on her duties and family without a single public complaint.
Years later, as Meghan and Harry continue their media blitzes from Montecito, this story resurfaces as a reminder of how small slights became massive grudges. Was Meghan testing boundaries? Was Harry stirring drama for book sales? One thing’s clear: Kate handed over the gloss politely, smiled through the event, and rose above it – proving who’s truly royal.In a world of real royal challenges, airing lip gloss laundry feels utterly whiny. No wonder Spare left many shaking their heads: If this is the hill Harry dies on, perhaps the monarchy is better off without the constant complaints.
The Sussexes may have stepped back from royal life, but stories like this keep the feud alive. Kate? She’s thriving, elegant as ever – no gloss needed to shine. What do you think: Entitled ask or harmless mix-up? The world is still debating, but Harry’s book made sure we’d never forget.
