Meghan Markle, Prince Harry Stopped By Kensington Palace From Overshadowing Kate Middleton

Meghan Markle designed a garden similar to the one envisioned by her sister-in-law Kate Middleton.

Just days after it was confirmed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are separating, Markle’s African garden design for charity Camfed was revealed. The pregnant royal’s design features a breeze-block school house surrounded by crops, including peanuts and okra, that girls can learn to grow.

It also features solar panels and a smart irrigation system. Markle’s design was inspired by a young agriculturalist named Beauty Gombana, who grows bio-fortified beans to cope with droughts caused by climate change in sub-Saharan Africa. However, Kensington Palace doesn’t want the charity to promote it using Prince Harry’s photos.

“Kensington Palace, presumably aware of the risk of headlines about ‘sisters-in-law at war’, has intervened to stop Meghan and Harry’s glamour eclipsing Kate’s pride and joy,” Sian Griffiths wrote on the Sunday Times.

Camfed has been told not to use any photographs of Prince Harry surrounded by some of its young Zimbabwean alumni to publicize its garden.

“It’s because the Duchess of Cambridge is co-designing a garden, so . . . we can’t use the photo. The palace is worried about mixed messaging,” a source at Camfed said.

Middleton was accused of cultural misappropriation due to the design of her woodland wilderness garden at the Chelsea Flower Show. The Duchess of Cambridge’s garden included a teepee in the layout that sparked a culturally sensitive issue.

Native Americans regard the cone-shaped tent as sacred and Middleton made a bold move by featuring it in her design as a prop for a garden.

Sociology professor Frank Furedi believed that Middleton would likely be criticized for cultural misappropriation as the design doesn’t really evoke the vision of an English garden. However, for him, it’s “harmless enough.” He also noted that duchesses should have the freedom to do “something a bit offbeat sometimes.”

Last week, the palace announced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be formally splitting their household from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Prince Harry and Markle will move closer to Queen Elizabeth II. They will now be based on Buckingham Palace. Their move will happen in the next few weeks.

On the other hand, Prince William and Middleton will remain in Kensington Palace. KP will continue to support Prince Harry and Markle until they are settled in their new office.