According to reports, Meghan Markle knew Kate Middleton was “powerless to fight back” after she said the Duchess of Cambridge made her cry.

Meghan’s shocking interview with Oprah Winfrey in March, according to royal author Penny Junor, deeply upset the 38-year-old Duke of Cambridge.

Meghan, 39, accused Kate, also 39, of making her cry over flower girl dresses in an emotional tell-all interview that aired first on CBS.

The comments made by the Duchess of Sussex, according to a royal source, have exacerbated the rift between the Sussexes and the Cambridges, especially between Meghan and Prince William.

According to a senior royal insider, who spoke to the MailOnline: “Much has been made of the troubles between Kate and Meghan, and William and Harry – but perhaps the biggest strains now exist between William and Meghan.

“First and foremost, William cannot countenance the way Meghan has treated his wife. He feels Kate tried at the beginning, but it was never enough.

“Kate attempted to try and help Meghan understand the responsibilities of royal life, but her efforts were constantly misinterpreted.”

“But to name Kate so publicly during the Oprah interview as the person who made her cry was beyond the pale. Meghan would have been acutely aware that Kate is powerless to fight back.

“Despite her growing confidence in public, Kate is a deeply sensitive woman who likes to stay behind-the-scenes as much as possible to support her family and the country. William thinks the way she has been treated is unfair.”

According to Ms Junor, who spoke to the Daily Express, “I would have thought one of the things William was most cross about was the fact that Meghan threw Kate under the bus.

“It wasn’t Harry, but it was his wife, and he must have known that she was going to do that and he clearly hasn’t corrected it in any way.”

“I must say I would be pretty damn cross.” she said, depending on how his wife is feeling.

Meghan Markle was ‘extensively’ protected by the Kensington Palace media department.

Despite her bombshell Oprah Winfrey allegations, Meghan Markle’s senior aide claims she was “extensively” protected by the Palace.

In the explosive tell-all interview, the Duchess of Sussex frequently blasted Palace staff, saying they “failed to protect her”

She also claimed they were “not willing to tell the truth to protect herself and Prince Harry,” which made headlines.

However, in legal filings, the couple’s longtime press secretary, Jason Knauf, appeared to refute her allegations.

He also claimed to have spoken to Meghan’s estranged father, Thomas Markle, “repeatedly”

Lawyers for the Crown say in a letter to the High Court that he directed “extensive efforts” to preserve Meghan’s privacy and reputation.

It cites a press release by Mr. Knauf in 2016 criticizing “racist and sexist coverage” of the royal wedding.

This was done “in addition to the steps that were regularly taken to object to coverage of the Duchess herself, where this was perceived to be unfair or untrue” according to the records.