Royal fans think Priyanka Chopra purposely ignored Kate Middleton and Prince William’s arrival at Wimbledon

Royal fans have speculated that Priyanka Chopra purposely snubbed Kate Middleton and Prince William, in support of Meghan Markle, by choosing not to clap when the couple arrived at the royal box at Wimbledon.

On Saturday, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived at Wimbledon ahead of the Women’s Singles Final, with many members of the surrounding crowd cheering their arrival.

However, in one clip circulating online, rather than join in on the welcome, Chopra, who was seated two rows behind the Cambridges, appeared to take the opportunity to instead re-adjust her scarf, and then look away from the royal couple.

On social media, the alleged snub was met with mostly amused and supportive responses, with many hypothesising that the actress’s reaction had to do with her longtime friendship with the Duchess of Sussex.

“It’s Priyanka Chopra not applauding to the prince’s arrival for me,” one person tweeted along with the clip, which has since been viewed more than 49,000 times.

Another person wrote: “Priyanka said: ‘The only prince I acknowledge lives in Montecito,’” in reference to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s home in California.

“Priyanka is a true friend,” someone else tweeted.

While the meaning behind the Quantico star’s reaction to the royal couple’s arrival at Wimbledon is purely speculation, some royal fans suggested it was in direct response to the allegations shared by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex about the royal family during their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

During the interview, Meghan and Harry alleged that they were subjected to racism during their time as senior members of the royal family, while the duchess also told Winfrey that her sister-in-law had made her cry in the days leading up to her royal wedding.

Others suggested that Chopra’s choice to focus on her scarf was in response to an unearthed 2018 video that showed Prince William appearing to intently fix his own scarf rather than speak to Meghan while the royal family left church at Sandringham on Christmas.

“Priyanka really played Prince William’s own trick on him. I am wheezing,” one person tweeted. “Meghan Markle is so lucky to have loyal friends, I love it here.”

Another person wrote: “Love the way she is also adjusting her scarf blanking out the people walking past. (I’ve seen a similar scene somewhere). We see you Priyanka.”

However, others pointed out that Chopra’s actions could have been misinterpreted, as she was not the only one in the box who did not applaud the duke and duchess, with someone else noting: “There was quite a few that didn’t applaud by the looks of it.”

Although it is not clear whether Chopra purposely chose to ignore the couple’s arrival, this wouldn’t be the first time she has publicly backed her longtime friend Meghan.

In 2017, the 38-year-old appeared on the Wendy Williams Show, where she was asked about her friendship with the former Suits star, only to correct Williams after the host referred to the Duchess of Sussex as “Prince Harry’s girlfriend”.

“Also Meghan Markle, actress, Suits, her achievements… just saying,” Chopra said at the time.