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22 photos show how Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton, and Prince William's relationship has changed over time

22 photos show how Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton, and Prince William's relationship has changed over time

Mikhaila Friel

Prince William, Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton, and Prince Harry.Chris Jackson/Getty Images, Samir Hussein/Getty Images

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton, and Prince William have not seen each other in person since the Sussexes' final royal engagement in March.
Photos from Markle and Harry's appearance with William and Middleton on Commonwealth Day showed the "fab four" weren't on the best of terms.
Excerpts from a new biography on Harry and Markle, "Finding Freedom," suggests that it was their decision to leave the royal family that caused tension at their final appearance.
However, the relationship between the Sussexes and the Cambridges wasn't always this way.
Insider has rounded up the best photos of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to show how their relationship has changed.

Markle made her first public appearance with Harry, William, and Middleton on Christmas Day 2017. The Queen broke protocol by allowing her to join the festivities in Sandringham before she was an official member of the royal family.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Queen's Sandringham estate. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

They were dubbed the "fab four" at their first joint engagement for the Heads Together charity campaign.

The couples at their first official appearance together. Getty

Markle was pictured laughing alongside her future in-laws at the event in February 2018, three months before her royal wedding.

Markle and Middleton. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

They stepped out together again for Commonwealth Day in March that year.

Markle, Harry, William, and Middleton arrive at Westminster Abbey together. Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images

Then it was time for Harry and Markle's royal wedding in May 2018. William was his brother's best man.

William and Harry outside St George's Chapel in Windsor. WPA Pool/Getty

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's eldest son, Prince George, was a page boy, while their daughter, Princess Charlotte, was a flower girl.

The family appeared close in their first official photo with Markle as a new member. Alexi Lubomirski/Handout via Reuters

Markle and Middleton seemed to bond at the Duchess of Sussex's first Trooping the Colour parade in June 2018.

The royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the Queen's annual birthday parade. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

A month later, the couples stood on the Buckingham Palace balcony again to watch a flypast in celebration of 100 years of the Royal Air Force.

Markle, Middleton, William, and Harry on the palace balcony. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Markle and Middleton had their first joint outing that summer: a trip to Wimbledon in July.

The Duchess of Sussex and the Duchess of Cambridge laughed together as they watched the tennis championships. Clive Mason/Getty Images

They chatted at Princess Eugenie's royal wedding in October 2018.

Middleton spoke with Harry and Markle before the ceremony at St George's Chapel in Windsor. Danny Lawson - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Markle and William, who aren't often photographed together, shared this sweet moment before a Remembrance event.

The Duke of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

The four looked chummier than ever at the royal family's Christmas Day celebrations in 2018.

The couples spent Christmas together for the second year in a row. Stephen Pond/Getty Images

Three months later, Markle and Middleton greeted each other with a hug at the Commonwealth Day 2019 service.

A rare royal hug. Richard Pohle/WPA Pool/Getty Images

Harry and Middleton appeared together for a rare joint engagement without their significant others in April.

The Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex have always appeared to be close. Samir Hussein/ WireImage/ Getty Images

In her first appearance since giving birth, Markle was pictured alongside Harry, Middleton, the Duchess of Cornwall, and William (not pictured) at Trooping the Colour that June.

Members of the royal family shared a carriage ride to Buckingham Palace for the parade. Dinendra Haria/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The following month, Markle, Middleton, and their children enjoyed a family day out to watch Harry and William play polo.

Prince Louis and Middleton with Markle and baby Archie. Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images

The duchesses appeared together again at Wimbledon 2019.

It was the second year that Markle and Middleton attended the event together. Karwai Tang/Getty Images

Middleton and William were asked to pose in baby Archie's official christening photo that July — but it would be the last time the couples were photographed together for four months.

The royal family's official portrait at Archie's christening. Chris Allerton/ Getty Images

They came face-to-face at a Remembrance event in November, their first event together since Harry acknowledged in an interview that he and William weren't as close as they used to be.

The couples didn't speak at the event. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

However, the couples, who were seated away from each other at the event in London's Royal Albert Hall, didn't appear to interact.

Members of the royal family at Royal Albert Hall. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

They finally reunited at the Commonwealth Day service in March. The event marked their first joint engagement since Harry and Markle announced that they would take a step back from the royal family.

It was Markle and Harry's final royal engagement. Phil Harris/Pool via AP Images

Unlike at the previous two Commonwealth Day services, the couples did not attempt to speak to each other here, despite sitting so close.

William and Middleton didn't turn around to speak with Harry and Markle before the ceremony. BBC One

The event was the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's final engagement as working royals — and hence their final engagement with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The photos were a stark contrast to the couples' smiling faces as they walked together for the first time on Christmas Day 2017.

Due to Markle and Harry's recent move to LA and the coronavirus pandemic, they have been prevented from seeing William and Middleton in person since the awkward church service.

"A lot of damage has been done," Omid Scobie, co-author of the upcoming Harry and Markle biography "Finding Freedom" told People.

The book, which will be released on August 11, will detail the breakdown of the relationship between the couples, particularly between Harry and William.

According to an excerpt from the book, published by The Times, it was the Sussexes' decision to leave the royal family that caused tensions at their final appearance.

"While the couples had been in a slightly better place after Archie's birth, relations fell apart again in January as the family negotiated Meghan and Harry's new roles," the excerpt reads.

"William, a Kensington Palace source explained, remained upset that private family matters were made public by the couple. 'It's not anger,' the source explained. 'It's hurt.'"