Harry and Meghan felt ‘cut adrift’ and frustrated that William and Kate got best official roles
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were jealous of William and Kate getting the best official roles and felt ‘cut adrift’ by the Royal Family and ‘viper’ courtiers who considered them the ‘squeaky third wheel’, sensational Finding Freedom biography claims
- Extracts of Finding Freedom will claim the Sussexes felt stifled and ignored
- It will also say the couple disagreed with palace courtiers about future plans
- The anticipated book will also say the couple were jealous of Kate and William
- Sources have told the Mail that the biography will lay bare the ‘pressure cooker’ of anger and resentment the couple felt as working royals
By Joe Middleton For Mailonline and Rebecca English Royal Correspondent For The Daily Mail
Published: 17:29 EDT, 24 July 2020 | Updated: 21:08 EDT, 24 July 2020
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were frustrated that William and Kate got all the best official roles and felt ‘cut adrift’ from the Royal Family and ‘viper’ courtiers’, the sensational new Finding Freedom biography has claimed.
Extracts of the hotly anticipated book are being published this weekend by The Times and Sunday Times, and will lift the lid on the Sussexes exit from The Firm.
In the first release last night, it was revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan were upset they had to take a ‘backseat’ to other family members such as Prince William and Prince Charles who were given priority for their own projects.
The explosive new biography also reveals Harry and Meghan say they were forced out of the Royal Family and its senior members failed to protect them, according to a bombshell biography.
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.
The claims are made in a book about the couple which the authors say they wrote with the ‘participation of those closest to the couple’, including members of Harry and Meghan’s ‘inner circle’.
Written by two journalists who have made no secret of their admiration for the couple, Finding Freedom charts the Sussexes bitter exit from the monarchy – and the UK. It is published next month.
According to the writers, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, 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.
In other explosive revelations revealed in the excerpts last night:
- 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’
After being told that she wouldn’t be available to speak to him until January 29, he even considered making a detour to Sandringham from Heathrow airport with his wife to ‘plead their case’.
Prince Harry began falling out with William years before Megxit and tensions came to a head when his brother asked ‘are you sure about this?’ over his plan to marry Meghan Markle, new biography claims
Prince Harry and Prince Williams’ relationship began to break down shortly after the younger royal announced he was going to marry Meghan Markle.
A new biography claims ‘real damaging things were said and done’ in the run up to the wedding.
However, Prince William took his brother aside in November 2017 and asked: ‘Are you sure about this?’
According to the book, Finding Freedom by Carolyn Durrand and Omid Scobie, the Cambridges ‘did not make Meghan feel particularly welcome’ when she arrived in Britain.
A source told The Telegraph: ‘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.
‘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?”
Kate and William, according to sources were happy with the traditional royal response of ‘never complain, never explain’.
Instead, Harry and Meghan wanted to respond to every negative story.
Royals sources claimed this approach was counter productive with some claiming Meghan was ‘very difficult to work for’.
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.
Sources have told the Mail that the biography will lay bare the ‘pressure cooker’ of anger and resentment the couple felt as working royals.
The book also claims the couples hardly spoke at the Commonwealth service at Westminster Abbey despite not having seen each other since January.
The book’s authors, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, 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.’
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.
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
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.
Co-author of new royal biography accuses officials of throwing each other ‘under the bus’
by Rebecca English, Royal Correspondent for the Daily Mail
The co-author of the biography last night accused officials at different royal households of throwing each other ‘under the bus’.
Omid Scobie said those working for royals ‘might throw a nugget’ to stop negative media attention.
‘You’ve got Clarence House, Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace, and the different offices within Buckingham Palace. They’re very loyal to their principals but that often means throwing others under the bus,’ he told The Times.
‘Let’s say, for example, hypothetically, a negative story about Prince Charles is about to run. Perhaps someone working for Charles might throw a nugget about the Cambridges or another member of the royal family, to keep that story out of the press.’ He added: ‘There’s a lot of bargaining on behind the scenes. Harry and Meghan have been victims of that.’
Mr Scobie, 33, stressed the book had ‘no interviews with Harry and Meghan’, although he hopes it will ‘correct the record’ about the pair.
‘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 told The Times.
Mr Scobie spent two years writing the book with American journalist Carolyn Durand, beginning shortly after the Sussexes’ wedding.
‘The book doesn’t claim to have any interviews with Harry and Meghan. And nor do we,’ Scobie told The Times. He also said there were no off-the-record talks, saying ‘my time around the couple is enough for me to know my subjects’.
The Sussexes made a last-ditch attempt last night to distance themselves from the book.
The authors have boasted of it being written ‘with the participation of those closest to the couple’ and of having spoken to members of Harry and Meghan’s ‘inner circle’.
The pair are believed to have instructed members of their staff to find out what the writers were planning to include and a number of meetings and dinners were held.
But a spokesman for the couple said last night: ‘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, the royal editor of US magazine Harper’s Bazaar, met Durand while she was working for US news network ABC. They hope the book puts the focus back on the couple’s charity work and social activism, such as Harry’s Invictus Games involvement.
‘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.
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.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 on March 09, 2020 in London
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.
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.’
