The Daily Mail appears to be having a disagreement with itself over Kate Middleton’s popularity. And somehow, Meghan Sussex has found herself at the centre of another royal tabloid spin she never asked to join.
On October 10, the newspaper published an article explaining how Prince William has always celebrated Kate’s popularity, unlike his father, King Charles, who reportedly resented Princess Diana’s enormous fame.
Two days later, Nadine Dorries, the former Conservative MP and Culture Secretary under Boris Johnson who joined Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in 2025, offered a rather different assessment of the future Queen. In her October 12 column, “Meghan has started a media war – here’s how Kate can win it,” Dorries acknowledged Meghan’s ability to attract attention before suggesting Kate needed to improve her public image.
Apparently, the woman we are constantly told is the monarchy’s greatest asset now needs a makeover to compete with a “private citizen” who left official royal duties six years ago. You really cannot make this up.
Even the Daily Mail Thinks Kate Middleton’s Image Is Becoming Stale
Dorries opened her column by acknowledging Meghan’s ability to “snatch” the spotlight. She then argued the following:
“We are treated to glimpses of glamour with Kate – when she wears a stunning Jenny Packham gown on a red carpet, for instance – but not often enough. In contrast with Meghan’s brand, Kate’s image is in danger of becoming stale. Perhaps she needs a fresh PR strategy and a new stylist?”
Nadine Dorries, Daily Mail
Yes, you read that correctly. After years of praising Kate’s polished appearance, elegant coat dresses and carefully managed royal image, a Daily Mail columnist is now suggesting that the future Queen needs something more interesting. And the timing makes this particularly entertaining.
On Saturday, Maanya Sachdeva published an article praising William for supposedly embracing Kate’s popularity. The evidence? A resurfaced clip from November 2012 in which William smiled and told Kate, “it’s all you,” as crowds cheered during their Cambridge visit.
That was apparently sufficient to establish that William had always celebrated his wife’s popularity. By Monday, however, Dorries was arguing that Kate’s public image needed revitalising. These are two different columnists expressing different opinions, but the contrast is striking.
One Daily Mail article celebrates Kate’s popularity. Another suggests she needs help competing with Meghan. Perhaps the newspaper’s royal commentators should compare notes.
The Daily Mail Exposes the Contradiction Behind Kate Middleton’s “Popularity“
The contradiction between the Daily Mail’s two articles raises an important question: How does the British press actually measure royal popularity?
We regularly see polls declaring Kate Middleton as one of Britain’s most popular royals. But favourable polling is not the same as cultural influence, commercial appeal or sustained international interest. Where are the measurable comparisons of crowd attendance, consumer demand, charitable achievements and global influence?
Princess Diana’s popularity was undeniable. Enormous crowds gathered to see her, often overshadowing Charles. Her fashion choices influenced consumers even to this day; her humanitarian work attracted international attention, and her legacy remains significant nearly thirty years after her death.
Charles reportedly struggled with Diana’s extraordinary popularity. According to her brother, Earl Spencer, Charles even remarked that people would soon forget her after her death. If that was his expectation, history has proved him spectacularly wrong, as Diana’s influence endures.
So perhaps William hasn’t faced the same challenge as his father because Kate has never commanded Diana’s level of attention.
The Daily Mail’s Popularity Polls vs. Meghan Sussex’s Measurable Influence
And Nadine Dorries’s column only reinforces the contradiction. The royal press continues to rely on opinion polls to champion Kate’s popularity, a curious benchmark for an unelected institution built on hereditary privilege rather than public votes. Yet one of Kate’s own defenders is now effectively admitting that she needs a makeover to compete with Meghan.
Meanwhile, Meghan’s As Ever products have sold out, her fashion choices generate international shopping interest, and her charitable collaborations produce measurable results. Her recent Moms Offering More sweatshirt sold out within hours, with demand prompting a four-week delivery warning when orders resumed. These are tangible examples of commercial influence and consumer engagement, rather than popularity measured solely through opinion polls.
Dorries dismisses Meghan as B-list while simultaneously treating her as serious competition for the future Queen. If Kate is already as popular as the Daily Mail repeatedly claims, why does Nadine Dorries believe she needs a new PR strategy to compete with Meghan?
A royal title and favourable opinion polls cannot manufacture the cultural influence that made Diana extraordinary or explain the attention Meghan continues to attract.
The Daily Mail uses a four-year-old photo of Kate at the Top Gun premiere to promote its supposed media war. Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph features a stunning recent photo of Meghan wearing a sweatshirt supporting Moms Offering More. One relies on old royal glamour; the other shows Meghan using her influence to support charity.
Meghan Sussex Had a Public Identity Before Prince Harry
Dorries overlooks something fundamental about Meghan. Her humanitarian work did not begin when she married Prince Harry. Before joining the Royal Family, Meghan had already worked with international organisations, advocated for gender equality and supported humanitarian initiatives.
Her involvement with World Vision Canada included a 2016 visit to Rwanda, where she helped highlight access to clean water. She also worked with UN Women, spoke publicly about women’s political participation and supported One Young World. Meghan entered the monarchy with an established career, public-speaking experience, business ventures and charitable interests.
Now she is developing those interests independently through Archewell Philanthropies, As Ever and other projects. Her recent London appearance with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai attracted international attention. Their meeting also coincided with Meghan’s announcement that she would donate 100% of the net proceeds from As Ever’s jam and tea sales on October 11 to the Malala Fund, supporting girls’ access to education worldwide.
Meghan Sussex’s Instagram Is Not a Declaration of War Against Kate Middleton
One of the more absurd aspects of Dorries’s argument concerns Kate Middleton’s recent London Underground appearance with Princess Charlotte. Dorries suggests Meghan deliberately shared a video of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet enjoying a countryside walk to divert attention from Kate. But where is the evidence?
Since returning to Instagram in January 2025, Meghan has consistently shared glimpses of her life on her own terms, from her business ventures and charitable projects to family celebrations and everyday moments.
Remember the viral Baby Mama Dance video featuring Meghan and Harry? With 74.2 million views, according to the figure recorded at the time of writing, it demonstrates the enormous interest their content can attract without the machinery of the royal press.
And when it comes to Archie and Lilibet, Harry and Meghan have struck a thoughtful balance. They occasionally share photographs and videos of their children enjoying ordinary childhood experiences while generally keeping their faces out of view to protect their privacy.
There is a difference between protecting children’s privacy and pretending they do not exist. Harry and Meghan have never suggested their children must remain completely hidden from public life.
Yet Dorries’s accusation may be a revealing case of projection. As we first reported, Kate Middleton’s former stylist, Natasha Archer, was following Meghan Sussex, her As Ever brand, and several of Meghan’s friends and fashion associates on Instagram. So perhaps Dorries should question who was actually keeping tabs on whom before accusing Meghan of monitoring Kate’s every move.
Meghan Is Not Responsible for Making Kate More Interesting
Since Meghan’s relationship with Prince Harry became public in 2016, the Daily Mail has published a relentless stream of hostile coverage, particularly targeting Meghan. Nobody could reasonably mistake the newspaper for a supporter of the Sussexes. So why, pray tell, does its own royal homepage devote so much attention to a woman it repeatedly insists is unpopular and irrelevant?
In the homepage snapshot we examined, the article about William celebrating Kate’s popularity had 227 comments. Meghan’s Malala Fund announcement had approximately 3,300, while her Advent calendar generated around 4,000.
Those figures measure discussion, not approval or readership. But they illustrate the attention Meghan-related stories receive. And much of that attention comes from the very newspaper now declaring that Kate needs to compete with her.
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Meghan Sussex Champions Women While the Daily Mail Manufactures a Rivalry
And I really do believe that a high tide raises all boats. I believe that. I think there’s room for all of us.
Meghan Sussex, in conversation with Emily Chang, Bloomberg Originals
Meghan does not compete with women; she collaborates with and empowers them. As she told Bloomberg’s Emily Chang, “a high tide raises all boats.” Yet misogyny persists, sometimes perpetuated by women themselves. Rather than examine Kate’s charitable achievements, or encourage Kate to put in more hours as a working royal, as she consistently has the lowest royal engagements of all the working royals, Dorries insists she must become more glamorous, captivating and competitive.
Meanwhile, Meghan continues building an independent life beyond the royal institution, supporting women through her businesses and charitable partnerships.
The Daily Mail spent Saturday celebrating Kate Middleton’s popularity and Monday worrying about how she could compete with Meghan Sussex.
Perhaps the British press cannot accept that Meghan has moved on from official royal duties without surrendering the public’s attention. And while its commentators demand that Kate respond, Meghan appears perfectly content pursuing her own ambitions and helping other women succeed.
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The toxic media continues their protracted malignant obsession with Meghan Sussex, presumptuously orchestrating a campaign of malicious hate, based on a caricature.
Yet again, they have turned to the usual outrageous double standards and hyperbolic narrative of bitter rivalry akin to “war”, forcing their assumptions and contrived comparisons between two very different women, where none exist.
https://www.tiktok.com/@ministry_of_hacks?lang=en
It seems they cannot help themselves. Meghan achieves all these numbers because they constantly talk about her. She generates enough traction by herself but the attacks amp up the engagement.