ROYALS UNDER FIRE
New tell-alls lift the lid
Since Prince Harry admitted in an interview with ITV in October 2019 that he and his brother Prince William were on “different paths”, royal watchers around the world have weighed in on what may have led to strain between the once inseparable siblings. What is known for sure is that since their final royal engagement together, a frosty interaction during Commonwealth Day services in March, the princes have forged increasingly individual paths. Harry has been carving out a new life in Los Angeles with Meghan and their 1-year-old son Archie, while William and Kate have balanced homeschooling their kids while navigating leadership in pandemic conditions.
Once dubbed the Fab Four, the couples have taken another step in the ongoing break-up of their official business with the announcement that proceeds of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund will now be split among their individual charitable efforts. The move is just the latest disentangling of their joint ventures. Now, the scandal and intrigue have created enough fodder for four new books, all hoping to get to the bottom of what really went on behind palace walls that led to the fracturing of the royal family’s once promising future.
1. Meghan and Harry: The Real Story OUT NOW
WHO WROTE IT?
Lady Colin Campbell, or Lady C as she is known, is a British socialite and talk show fixture who has appeared on the UK version on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Her bestselling 1992 book, Diana in Private: The Princess Nobody Knows, provided scandalous dirt about Diana’s struggle with bulimia and her affair with James Hewitt.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
“Lady C goes behind the scenes, speaking to friends, relations, courtiers, and colleagues on both sides of the Atlantic to reveal the most unexpected royal story since Edward VIII’s abdication,” reads the 400-page scorcher’s synopsis, describing the ambitious Sussexes as being “in love with each other and with the empowering lure of fame and fortune”. JUICIEST DETAILS:
In a Daily Mail extract, Campbell claims the Queen felt Meghan’s biracial identity was a bonus. “It made the monarchy both reflective and representative of multicultural, multiracial Britain in a way that a white California-born actress who had been a cast member of a popular television series could never have.”
Meghan was reportedly rude to guests at Harry’s best friend Charlie van Straubenzee’s wedding to Daisy Jenks. “A girl went up to Meghan, introduced herself, and said how beautiful she thought she was,” the book details. “Meghan looked at her as if she had committed a great faux pas by speaking to her and walked off.”
Campbell paints Meghan as a powerhungry “opportunist”, who has ambitions to one day become US president. Harry, meanwhile, is described as weak. “She’s caused Harry to lose most of his friends,” she contends. “He’s run ragged. Despite the sex, she will make his life miserable. He has no strength of character to leave her.”
4. Battle of Brothers: William and Harry – the Friendship and the Feuds
OUT OCTOBER 20
WHO WROTE IT?
Robert Lacey is a royal historian best known for his work as a consultant on The Crown. A long-time royal commentator, he is the author of several bestselling biographies, including books about the Saudi royal family as well as Majesty, a 1977 study of Queen Elizabeth.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
“Much reported on but little understood, Diana’s boys have lived under constant scrutiny since birth. Raised to be the closest of brothers, the last 18 months has seen a devastating breakdown of their once unbreakable bond,” reads a description. JUICIEST DETAILS:
Lacey noted that his research for the book uncovered plenty of new information. “I have been astonished and sometimes moved to tears by the fresh details and insights I have discovered in researching this story of family conflict,” he said. “It has been both enthralling and painful to trace this drama through the memories of close witnesses and some of the people most intimately involved.”
The book will also give readers an inside look at the British monarchy, putting recent events into historical context. “We have seen conflicts between heir and spare in every recent generation of the royal family,” says Lacey. “But nothing so profound as this.”