According to Tom Quinn’s new book, An Intimate Memoir from Queen Mary to Meghan Markle, Queen Elizabeth recently oversaw a mediation between Markle and the-would be queen Kate Middleton before the Sussex’s fled to the United States.

Quinn’s book describes how the two women did not get along that well, even though the relationship appeared to be amenable in public. But despite public appearance, Queen Elizabeth played mediator between the two women in an effort to bring their quarreling to an end.

Quinn claims the Queen traveled to Kensington Palace where the princesses were living at the time.  The goal was to bring the women together in their own homes and allow them to work through their grievances with one another.

According to the book, the two couples got along at first. Princes William and Harry have historically been close. However, once Markle was introduced into the mix, tensions arose.

But according to sources close to the couples, this wasn’t Markle’s, or anyone’s, fault. Both men are attracted to strong women and as such, it’s difficult to set boundaries that satisfy both.

Reports are that Kate initially welcomed Meghan into the family, but tensions eventually flared because Markle found it difficult to deal with having so much to prove as a member of the royal family. Some people claimed that Markle did not like the fact that she wasn’t married to a would-be king, while others believe the tension between the women arose in response to the tension between their husbands and Harry wishing to distance himself from the family.