Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s closest confidantes ‘clearly’ spoke to the authors of Finding Freedom, according to a royal expert who said the book backs up existing reports of the couple’s bitter rift with The Firm.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex last night stressed they did not contribute to the forthcoming biography, which chronicles how their misery inside the royal ranks culminated in the dramatic exit earlier this year.
Author Omid Scobie confirmed neither he nor co-writer Carolyn Durand have spoken to the pair, but boasted of access to their inner circle to offer readers a unique insight into the Megxit saga.
Extracts from the book are being published by The Times this weekend and unpack how relations between Harry and William soured, while also describing the Queen’s upset at being ‘blindsided’ by her grandson’s departure announcement.
Historian Kate Williams said that while Finding Freedom fleshes out the blurry timeline leading up to Megxit, much of the account, such as their deep disillusionment with royal life, simply lends weight to what is already known.
But she did acknowledge that the authors, who are fans of the Sussexes and hope the book will ‘correct the record’, had ‘certainly’ been well-briefed by friends of the couple.
She told Sky News: ‘Harry and Meghan have denied any involvement with the book, but it is clear that the authors of the book, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, have spoken to people who are close to Harry and Meghan because there are lots of reports about how Harry feels and some of them are really moving.’
She added: ‘A lot of this backs up what is already said, we know they were upset that’s why we had them leaving the Royal Family in January…
‘So I think with this book, we don’t know exactly how much Harry and Meghan spoke with them or didn’t, but certainly it does seem that friends who are close to them did give them words.’
In other explosive excerpts being pored over this afternoon:
- Harry felt ‘unprotected’ by his family and disparaged within palace walls for being ‘too sensitive and outspoken’;
- He believed that some of the old guard ‘simply didn’t like Meghan and would stop at nothing to make her life difficult’;
- Senior courtiers in other households felt that the global popularity of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex ‘needed to be reined in’;
- The royal ‘establishment’ feared the popularity of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex ‘might eclipse that of the Royal Family itself’;
- Meghan’s relationship with the Duchess of Cambridge was so frosty that at their final engagement in March Kate refused to even make eye contact with her sister-in-law;
- Harry felt let down by his brother, Prince William, who is said to have barely acknowledged his existence at the Westminster Abbey event for the Commonwealth;
- While negotiating their split from the Royal Family the biggest argument was about money. One aide joked that Meghan should launch a range of beauty products.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend The Endeavour Fund Awards at Mansion House on March 05, 2020 in London
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales attend the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 on March 9, 2020
Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, has been written by royal watchers Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, described as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s ‘cheerleaders’
Scobie, 33, who wrote the book with US journalist Durand, has rubbed shoulders with the couple’s royal entourage during numerous press trips and is a cheerleader of the couple, who have divided opinion in Britain.
He told the Times: ‘It’s not all from Harry and Meghan’s perspective, but I do think that for the first time we do actually get to hear what’s been going on in their minds.’
He also clarified neither interviews or off-record discussions were held with the couple, who last night distanced themselves from the book.
A spokesman for the couple said: ‘The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom. This book is based on the authors’ own experiences as members of the royal press corps.’
Scobie met Durand while she was working for US news network ABC. She has produced several interviews with members of the Royal Family, including Harry.
The co-authors have spent two years writing the book, which started shortly after the Sussexes’ 2018 wedding and will be published next month.
The book’s description says that ‘few know the true story of Harry and Meghan’ and promises to go ‘beyond the headlines to reveal unknown details of Harry and Meghan’s life together, dispelling the many rumours and misconceptions that plague the couple on both sides of the pond’.
But royal commentators have questioned the extend to which the book actually lifts the lid on anything new.
Royal historian Williams told Sky News this afternoon: ‘What this is is two royal correspondents who have followed Harry and Meghan, who know them well who know their sources well.
‘A lot of this backs up what is already said, we know they were upset that’s why we had them leaving the Royal Family in January and what’s also put in the book.
‘How it was a very cold relationship during the Commonwealth service in March and I think we all did see that, that there was a lot of stiffness there and a lot of unhappiness there and that Harry and Meghan weren’t part of the initial procession.’
Scobie and Durand’s account claims that Meghan and Harry battled against courtiers who feared they would become more popular than the Royal family itself and singles out William and Kate for criticism over their alleged freezing out of the couple.
Scobie has also hinted at racism within the Royal ranks, saying ‘there are individuals who may like to take a look at how they view the world’. – and the book claims the couple were ‘propelling the monarchy to new heights around the world’.
In a tearful remark to a friend, the Duchess of Sussex claimed she gave up her ‘entire life for this family’ and then had no choice but to quit – but adds she ‘couldn’t imagine wanting to set foot in anything royal again’ after Megxit.
It also describes how Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, attempted to go straight to the Queen, 94, to settle Megxit after flying in from Christmas in Canada .
It claims the infighting and suspicion over the couple’s royal role and desire to break free from the ‘straitjacket’ of royal life, became so bad that Harry believed he was been blocked from seeing his grandmother, the Queen.
After being told that the Queen wouldn’t be available to speak to him until January 29, Harry even considered making a detour to Sandringham from Heathrow airport with his wife to ‘plead their case’.
He had touched down briefly in the UK after spending Christmas in Canada with baby son, Archie, The Times reports.
He is said to believe the problems were down to senior courtiers in other royal households – the so-called ‘men in grey suits’ – who were intent on ‘reining in’ the couple’s popularity, which they feared would outshine other senior royals.
A friend of the couple apparently describes the palace ‘old guard; as ‘the vipers’, laying bare Harry and Meghan’s contempt and distrust.
The book acknowledges that the couple’s decision to keep everyone in the dark over their plans to quit royal duties and move abroad created a ‘lot of ill will in the household and especially in the family’.
But it says that Harry and Meghan didn’t feel they had a choice.
It says Harry felt that palace officials ‘simply didn’t like Meghan and would stop at nothing to make her life difficult’.
‘He felt … used for their popularity,’ the books says.
Author Omid Scobie (left) confirmed neither he nor co-writer Carolyn Durand (right) have spoken to the pair, but boasted of access to their inner circle to offer readers a unique insight into the Megxit saga
Relations were also said to be fraught between the princes’ wives, Meghan and Kate. The book claims that one stand-offish episode at a charity polo match was a snapshot of the pair’s ‘cordial but distant rapport’
The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles, cited ‘serial intrusions’ of privacy of the couple’s 14-month old child, and came as a measure to protect him from the ‘manufactured feeding frenzy’. Pictured is Meghan and Harry with Archie in 2019
Behind-the-scenes wrangling following the memorable Sandringham Summit is also plotted in the pages of the biography.
After Harry and Meghan dropped their bombshell statement announcing the intention to step down as senior royals, the Queen gathered the Family at her Norfolk residence to map out a way through the crisis.
In subsequent meetings that week with aides, Harry said he felt ‘in front of a firing squad’ as accusations of leaking were thrown from both sides.
Sources have told the Mail that the biography will lay bare the ‘pressure cooker’ of anger and resentment the couple felt as working royals.
It chronicles the tensions sowed between the so-called Fab Four of William, Kate, Harry and Meghan, once seen as the future of the monarchy.
The book claims the couples hardly spoke at the Commonwealth service at Westminster Abbey despite not having seen each other since January.
The book’s authors said: ‘Although Meghan tried to make eye contact with Kate, the duchess barely acknowledged her.’
Mr Scobie told the Times: ‘To purposefully snub your sister-in-law… I don’t think it left a great taste in the couple’s mouths.’
Relations were said to be fraught between the princes’ wives from the inception of Meghan’s entry into the monarchy.
The book claims that one stand-offish episode at a charity polo match was a snapshot of the pair’s ‘cordial but distant rapport’.
‘While the doting mothers were photographed next to each other with their children, the two appeared to barely exchange a word,’ the authors write.
The book adds that Harry and Meghan ‘liked being in control of their narrative’ in the early days of their marriage, the authors say.
Meanwhile the book claims that Prince Harry, not Meghan, was the one who wanted to distance themselves from public life, and he craved an existence ‘away from the media’.
A source close to the couple said in the book: ‘Fundamentally, Harry wanted out. ‘Deep down, he was always struggling within that world. She’s opened the door for him on that.’
A spokesman for Harry and Meghan said the couple did not contribute to the book, but he did not deny the content of The Times’s extracts.
The spokesman said: ‘The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom.
Insiders told The Telegraph that even before Prince Harry met Meghan in 2016, there were tensions between the brothers.
Meghan and Harry have only been spotted out a handful of times since their move to LA in March, most recently leaving an appointment in Beverly Hills, as the friend explained the couple is starting to feel ‘cooped up’, leaving Meghan ready to get out of town for her birthday. Pictured on July 10
A source said: ‘It wasn’t a rivalry between the brothers but more a sense that they would be competing over who would lead on their various issues,’ said one source.
‘Harry felt awkward as a plus one. They’d turn up at premieres and there was this sense that he felt a bit like a spare part.
‘Long before Meghan he wanted to change things. He wanted to control his own narrative. He would say, ‘Why can’t we use social media or record videos and cut out the press?’
The tensions were exacerbated after William is claimed to have taken his younger brother to one said and asked him: ‘Are you sure about this?’ after the Harry asked Meghan to marry him.
The Mail understands that Buckingham Palace fear the book will destroy any hope of Harry and Meghan repairing their relationships with the rest of the Royal Family.
Mr Scobie, the royal editor of Harper’s Bazaar, and Ms Durand, a US journalist, claim they have not spoken with Harry and Meghan for the book but boasted of sources from within the couple’s inner circle.
It comes as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have filed a lawsuit in California accusing unnamed paparazzi photographers of taking ‘illegal’ drone pictures of their son Archie.
The lawsuit filed on Thursday alleges ‘serial intrusions’ into 14-month old Archie’s privacy at the LA home where Harry and Meghan have been living since March.
The couple say they are taking legal action to protect Archie from a ‘manufactured feeding frenzy’ after claiming that the paparazzi had flown helicopters over their home and cut holes in a fence to take pictures.
They also accuse photographers of putting misleading captions on pictures of Archie in the back garden in order to suggest they were taken in a public place.
‘The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are filing this lawsuit to protect their young son’s right to privacy in their home without intrusion by photographers, and to uncover and stop those who seek to profit from these illegal actions,’ their attorney said.
Meghan, Harry and one-year-old Archie have been staying at Hollywood producer Tyler Perry’s $18 million mega-mansion in the exclusive neighborhood of Beverly Ridge since moving to LA in March.
In their lawsuit, they say they took considerable privacy measures at Tyler’s mansion, including the erection of a large mesh fence around the property to guard against telephoto lenses.
But they can’t protect against drones which are being flown ‘a mere 20 feet above the house as often as three times a day’.
Helicopters have also flown over the residence as early as 5.30am and as late as 7pm, the legal papers allege, which had the effect of ‘waking neighbours and their son, day after day’.
‘Every individual and family member in California is guaranteed by law the right to privacy in their home. No drones, helicopters or telephoto lenses can take away that right,’ said the couple’s lawyer Michael Kump.
The duke and duchess say they expect to be followed when they go out in public but state that ‘certain paparazzi and enablers have crossed a red line.’
Harry and Meghan’s complaint accuses the paparazzi of ‘intimidation, harassment and the addition of a very real security threat on top of what already exists’.
The lawsuit filed by Kump said some some media outlets flew helicopters above the home and photographers had even cut holes in their fence to snap pictures.
They said the behavior ‘crossed a red line for any parent’ by shopping pics of their son.
The couple seeks ‘no special treatment’ and is only seeking the right to be left alone in the privacy of their home as guaranteed under the laws of California, the lawsuit stated.
Harry and Meghan claim they have ‘done everything in their power to stay out of the limelight’ except in relation to their work, which they accept is newsworthy.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 on March 09, 2020 in London
Harry and Meghan’s suit also claims that the photographer trying to sell pictures of their son claimed they were taken in public, in Malibu.
But the couple have not been to the area, or in public with their son, since moving to LA and say the snapper is simply trying to hide the fact they have ‘unsolicited photographs of a young child in the privacy of his own home’ which are ‘very much unlawful.’
They have also attempted to try and reduce the ‘bounty’ price of Archie photos by sharing pictures of him on social media.
Because Harry and Meghan do not know who took the pictures, the lawsuit targets unnamed defendants, which allows the couple to pursue anyone selling the images.
Harry blames press intrusion for the death of his mother Princess Diana in 1997 and last year alleged that Meghan was ‘falling victim to the same powerful forces’.
Diana died in a high-speed car crash while her chauffeur tried to escape pursuing paparazzi photographers in Paris.
A statement from Buckingham Palace after the ‘Megxit’ arrangements were finalised in January said that the couple had ‘experienced challenges’ as a result of ‘intense scrutiny’ since they married in 2018.
Meghan Markle addresses a virtual Women in Leadership summit on July 14, four months after the royal couple moved to Los Angeles
Earlier this year the couple announced they were cutting ties with the UK’s most popular newspapers, a move criticised by royal and media commentators.
The Sussex Royal website says the couple will instead ‘engage with grassroots media organisations and young, up-and-coming journalists’.
The couple stunned the world in January by announcing they were ‘stepping back as senior members of the royal family’ and would ‘work to become financially independent’.
After initially setting up camp in Canada, they moved to Meghan’s hometown of Los Angeles and have remained there during the coronavirus crisis.
The couple relocated to LA in March, but royal expert Victoria Murphy believes they aren’t looking for a ‘totally private life’. The says they stepped back from the royal family to gain more control over ‘what they spend their time on’.
Speaking to Town and Country, the commentator noted that Harry and Meghan still want a public life but with greater control over their time.
[Harry and Meghan] have stepped back not in search of a totally private life but for a different kind of public life,’ Victoria said. ‘A public life where they can have more control over who gets access to them and what they spend their time on.’
The pair have only been spotted out a handful of times, most recently leaving an appointment in Beverly Hills, as the friend explained the couple is starting to feel ‘cooped up’, leaving Meghan ready to get out of town for her birthday.
Separately, it was recently revealed that Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland had moved into Tyler Perry’s mega-mansion to help take care of Archie.
A friend previously told DailyMail.com that Meghan wants to keep her mother close because she is ‘her rock’ and now ‘doesn’t trust many people’ outside of an immediate circle of family and friends.
Meghan had the full support of her mother when she and Prince Harry quit as senior royals back in January.
When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex dropped the bombshell news that they were quitting, dividing their time between North America and the UK and would work to become financially independent, the royal family and the rest of the world were caught off guard.
However, Meghan reportedly had the backing of her Los Angeles-based mother, who ‘was really worried about Meghan… and is relieved that her daughter is putting her mental health and well being first,’ the insider said.
The friend added: ‘Doria is very much about being true to oneself and so of course she will continue to encourage Meghan to take the road less traveled.’
Meghan Markle told a friend ‘I gave up my entire life for this family’ and said she was ‘ready to do whatever it takes’ to avoid Megxit but ‘frustrated’ Prince Harry drove decision to quit, book claims
by Faith Ridler for MailOnline
Meghan Markle tearfully told a friend ‘I gave up my entire life for this family’ and said she was ‘willing to do whatever it takes’ to avoid quitting, according to a bombshell biography.
Extracts from Finding Freedom claim an emotional Meghan made the confession in March, months after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they would ‘step down’ as senior royals.
‘I was willing to do whatever it takes. But here we are,’ she told a friend. ‘It’s very sad.’
The passage, published by the Times, also suggests Prince Harry was a driving force behind the couple’s shock decision to stand down from the royal family and move to Los Angeles.
‘Fundamentally, Harry wanted out,’ a source said. ‘Deep down, he was always struggling within that world. She’s opened the door for him on that.’
Meghan Markle (pictured with Prince Harry in March) tearfully told a friend ‘I gave up my entire life for this family’ and had no choice but to quit, according to a bombshell royal biography
Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family is written by royal watchers Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, described as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s ‘cheerleaders’.
The biography, published next month and written ‘with the participation of those closest to the couple’, charts the Sussexes bitter exit from the monarchy.
Excerpts from the sensational book claim Harry and Meghan felt ‘cut adrift’ and frustrated that William and Kate got all the best official roles before they decided to leave for the US.
It will say they butted-heads with palace courtiers over their future plans, who are understood to have stressed ‘service to the Crown’ above all else, leaving the couple feeling ‘stonewalled’.
Sources have told the Mail that the tell-all biography will lay bare the ‘pressure cooker’ of anger and resentment the couple felt as working royals.
After the spectacular wedding in May 2018 Harry and Meghan were seen as the future of the Royals and saw a surge in popularity, including a marked increase in social media following.
But the biography will say they felt ‘unsupported’ in what they wanted to do afterwards.
A source told The Sun: ‘They feel they were owed an awful lot of credit for their popularity and success of the wedding — which led to a public outpouring of support — that they did not get.’
According the book, the Queen was ‘blindsided’ when the royal couple on January 8 announced on Instagram they were leaving The Firm.
The Queen was also understood to be hurt by the ‘suboptimal behaviour’ from the couple.
Insiders told The Telegraph that before even before Prince Harry met Meghan in 2016, there were tensions between him and brother William.
‘It wasn’t a rivalry between the brothers but more a sense that they would be competing over who would lead on their various issues,’ said one source.
‘Harry felt awkward as a plus one. They’d turn up at premieres and there was this sense that he felt a bit like a spare part.
‘Long before Meghan he wanted to change things. He wanted to control his own narrative. He would say, ‘Why can’t we use social media or record videos and cut out the press?’
The tensions were exacerbated after William is claimed to have taken his younger brother to one said and asked him: ‘Are you sure about this?’ after the Harry asked Meghan to marry him.
The Mail understands that Buckingham Palace fear the book will destroy any hope of Harry and Meghan repairing their relationships with the rest of the Royal Family.
A spokesman for Harry and Meghan said the couple did not contribute to the book, but he did not deny the content of The Times’s extracts.
A statement said: ‘The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom.
‘This book is based on the authors’ own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting.’
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