Kate Middleton Is Throwing Meghan Markle a Second Baby Shower

When details about Meghan Markle’s recent baby shower in New York City came to light, it was easy to linger on the absence of Kate Middleton. It was somewhat eyebrow-raising that the Duchess of Cambridge wasn’t in attendance along with her sister-in-law’s inner circle, Serena Williams (who hosted the event), Amal Clooney, Gayle King, her BFFs Jessica Mulroney and Abigail Spencer, the Blindspotting actress Janina Gavankar, Markus Anderson and Misha Nonoo (who were rumored to have set up Markle and Harry), the NBC Cable Entertainment chairman Bonnie Hammer, and some friends from Northwestern University. But Middleton had a solid reason for not attending: She’s planning her own celebration for Markle and all of the members of the mom-to-be’s support system across the pond.

The event isn’t being called a “baby shower,” but it has all of the makings of one, according to a source close to the royal family. “There is still going to be some sort of private baby-centric event for Meghan’s U.K. people, and Kate will host,” the source told Us Weekly. “Her glam people and other relatives will be there. Not sure if it’s a total baby ‘shower,’ but you could probably call it that.” There are no further details about where it will be held, what the vibe will be like, or who exactly will be in attendance, but it could be the thing that finally quiets those rumors about the two duchesses engaged in a “feud” that have cast a cloud over Markle’s pregnancy.

Sarah Ferguson, Prince Harry and Prince William’s aunt, said it best when she recently slammed those media outlets inflating these rumors. “Women, in particular, are constantly pitted against and compared with each other in a way that reminds me of how people tried to portray Diana and me all the time as rivals, which is something neither of us ever really felt,” she wrote in a recent open letter. “People feel licensed to say things online that they would never dream of saying to someone’s face, and that encourages others to pile in. It’s so ubiquitous that we’ve all become numb to what’s going on.” Watching the arrival of a baby into this world, though, has a way of softening up even the hardest of hearts.