Martha Stewart gave fans a peek into her recent run-in with Meghan Markle at a California dinner party. Now, someone who was actually sitting next to the Duchess of Sussex that night says Stewart got the story wrong.
Stewart, 85, opened up about the encounter in a new PEOPLE cover story after being asked what she’s like at a party. The homemaking icon explained she prefers arriving right as guests sit down and leaving shortly after dessert, joking that friends call her LIFO, for last in, first out. She then brought up a specific night that’s now generating headlines of its own.
Stewart said she and Markle were both guests at a dinner party in California not long after Markle returned from a trip to Europe, where she, Prince Harry, and their children reunited with King Charles. Stewart said she didn’t speak to Markle much beyond a few words, but claimed she knew Markle was discussing the reunion with other guests at the table.
Source Calls Martha Stewart’s Account Simply Untrue
That’s where the story falls apart, according to the person who hosted the dinner. “I sat next to Meghan at the dinner party, and this account of what happened is simply untrue,” the source told PEOPLE, adding, “Meghan didn’t talk about her European vacation other than to say the family had a great time.”
The source also pushed back on any tension between the two women, noting that Markle has always been a fan of Stewart’s and enjoyed briefly meeting her that night, even if their conversation was short.
The royal reunion Stewart referenced was real, even if her description of Markle discussing it wasn’t accurate, according to the host. Markle, Harry, and their kids met King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove House, the king’s countryside estate, marking the first time the monarch had seen his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, in person since 2022.
Stewart also weighed in on Markle’s Netflix series, With Love, during the same interview, suggesting the jump from actress to princess to lifestyle guru is a tough transition to pull off. It’s not the first time Stewart has questioned Markle’s authenticity in the lifestyle space, and fans are watching closely to see whether either woman addresses the dinner party dispute directly in the days ahead.