The palace doesn’t want Kate Middleton, Prince William, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to compete against each other.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are set to have a separate tour. Prince William and Middleton will be visiting Pakistan while Prince Harry and Markle will be flying to South Africa.

According to royal author Katie Nicholl, the palace are keen to avoid diary clashes and prevent competition between the fab four because they don’t want the Cambridges and Sussexes to be “pitted against each other.”

“I would expect the palace would have tried to have planned it so there weren’t be too many clashes as the Cambridges will be putting the spotlight on Pakistan and the Sussexes will be shining their light on Africa,” Nicholl told Fabulous Digital. “I think that’s why where couriers can avoid diary clashes they will, because they’ll be keen to avoid any sense of competition between the couples.”

Nicholl pointed out that due to the splitting of the royal households, clashes will likely occur especially that both royal couples are very busy. She said that the splitting of the households and foundations is to give the two couples a chance to pursue their own trajectories. But she is hoping that there will be no clashes.

“What courtiers will be hoping is that aren’t going to be any future clashes or conflict of interest or the chance to pit one couple against the other,” she added.

Following their separation, Prince Harry and Markle decided to have a separate Instagram account. The Duke and Duchess of Sussexes broke records for having millions of followers just hours after they announced their official account.

However, it became an issue because the netizens continue to compare them from the Cambridges. In May, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were accused of stealing Prince Harry and Markle’s thunder when they posted adorable family photos just hours after the Sussexes shared a never-before-seen photo from their wedding to commemorate their first anniversary.

Prince William, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton
Pictured [L-R]: The Duke of Cambridge, Duke of Sussex, Duchess of Sussex and Duchess of Cambridge arrive at Westminster Abbey to attend a service to mark the centenary of the Armistice on Nov. 11, 2018 in central London. Paul Grover/AFP/Getty Images