Meghan and Harry accused of eclipsing anniversary of Diana’s death
Harry and Meghan accused of insensitivity on the anniversary of Diana’s death
As the world mourned the 24th anniversary of the passing of Princess Diana last week, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle found themselves under fire once again. A new, updated version of Finding Freedom – the controversial book about the couple’s relationship and departure from the royal family, penned by Meghan’s reported favoured journalist Omid Scobie and writing partner Carolyn Durand – was released on 31 August, 24 years to the day since Harry’s mother Diana died. In it were revelations that the pair had no regrets about leaving the UK, and suggestions they felt the family didn’t take full accountability for the claims of racist comments about their son Archie’s skin colour.
While Meghan, 40, and Harry, who turns 37 next week, have always insisted they are not involved in the book, many online commenters were quick to connect the two. One wrote, “What’s wrong with them? It seems that Finding Freedom isn’t as great as they are making out when the only way they can make money is to constantly attack his family. We are all bored of it!” While another added, “Never was there a more whiny, self-serving pair. Shame on them.” Others suggested it was “disgusting” to overshadow the important date, and that they couldn’t “stoop any lower”.
In a new excerpt from the book, Omid and Carolyn say, “As difficult as recent years have been, sources close to the couple say neither Harry nor Meghan have any regrets about the decisions they have made. What started as a fairy-tale romance became a story that reinvented the genre – a self-made, independent woman playing an equal role alongside her knight.”
Other claims in the extended book are that royal sources were said to be “quietly pleased” Meghan could not make the trip to Prince Philip’s funeral earlier this year, as they were keen to avoid a media “circus” around the then-heavily pregnant duchess. It also says that Prince William was “furious” about the issues they brought up in their infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey, and that there has been “very little progress” towards any sort of reconciliation between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the rest of the family. Despite that, Harry and William have spoken on several occasions – at the funeral of Prince Philip in April, and again at the unveiling of a statue of Princess Diana in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace. They were seen laughing and joking for a short period as they walked towards the statue in July, but it’s thought Harry headed back to see Meghan, Archie and daughter Lilibet in California soon after.
Meanwhile, according to the book, Harry spent some “precious moments” with the Queen after the funeral. “To see each other after so long apart, the longest he hadn’t seen the Queen for, was very special,” a source told Omid and Carolyn. While he and Meghan are now said to be moving into a “new era of visibility” following isolating during the pandemic and the birth of Lilibet on 4 June, some have questioned how much appetite for them there is in the wider world. Back in August, Meghan launched a new campaign for her 40th birthday, encouraging 40 women to give up 40 minutes of their time to mentor another woman. And while some applauded her for the idea, others wondered how meaningful it was. A comment piece on popular news website The Daily Beast said, “Has there been a huge outbreak of Meghaninspired mentoring since she recorded her announcement in her lovely, expansive and expensively decorated office? The stalled initiative exposes
‘It simply can’t work’
the enormous difficulties Meghan and Harry face in trying to move their brand beyond the telling of royal secrets and into the realm of positive global inspiration. Selling out the royals is pretty easy. You sit down, you talk, the world gasps in horror. But to genuinely launch a mentoring initiative, supporting mentors and mentees, would be a huge, full-time undertaking. It would require enormous investments in time and money.”
One area in which Prince Harry gained enormous amounts of kudos is his Invictus Games project, which sees injured exservicemen from around the world compete in a series of events. It will take place in The Netherlands in spring 2022. He is expected to return home to the UK to film with Netflix – who the couple have signed a huge £112million deal with – which will focus on that. But other than that, his only other significant future project that we know of is his memoir with Penguin Random House, which is due out next year. However, with the Queen reportedly ready to call in lawyers to guard against further allegations, the final product could be watered down due to possible privacy infringements or other legal obstacles.
Paul Burrell, Princess Diana’s former butler, believes the Queen thinks stories coming from the couple have “gone too far”, adding, “Back in the day, the ‘never complain, never explain’ rule could work, and it added to the mystery and privacy of the royals. Nowadays, with how quickly news travels and social media, it simply can’t work, especially given Harry and Meghan’s allegations.”
Meanwhile, Piers Morgan has said he feels “vindicated” after Ofcom rejected all complaints around his comments about not believing Meghan and Harry’s claims in Oprah’s interview. The regulator had received 57,000 complaints, including one from the couple themselves. In a statement, Ofcom said it was “legitimate” for him to question the “serious allegations” made by the couple in the chat. His questioning led to his departure from Good Morning Britain, after he reportedly refused to apologise for what he said on air – in what wound up being GMB’S highestrated episode ever. He wrote online, “I’m delighted Ofcom has endorsed my right to disbelieve the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s incendiary claims to Oprah Winfrey, many of which have proven to be untrue. This is a resounding victory for free speech and a resounding defeat for Princess Pinocchios. Do I get my job back?” Watch this space!