From family rows to Archie’s birth, it’s packed with... invasions of privacy
FOR a couple so hell-bent on protecting their privacy, the book contains page after page of their most intimate moments and details explosive rows with the Palace. Here the Daily Mail outlines some of its most sensational claims.
HOW ARCHIE’S BIRTH UNFOLDED
The book states the couple’s son was born looking ‘alert as soon as he arrived – eyes wide open’.
Quoting a friend, it says Meghan was ‘simply relieved’ the ‘uncomplicated birth’ had gone well.
Archie Harrison MountbattenWindsor was born weighing ‘seven pounds, three ounces’ in May 2019. Elsewhere in the book, it tells how Meghan boasted to friends that her son was now in the ‘ninetieth percentile for height’ after a growth spurt.
BABY SHOWER MADE AIDES ‘SPIT OUT TEA’
Palace aides were angered by Meghan’s ‘flashy’ New York baby shower, the book claims.
Senior courtiers were said to have ‘spat out their tea’ when they saw pictures of the duchess arriving at the bash.
It was organised by Serena Williams and took place in the Grand Penthouse at the Mark Hotel. The party was attended by 20 of her closest friends and featured a menu prepared by a Michelinstarred chef, a flower arranging lesson and an extravagant dessert served alongside ‘gold embellished containers filled with sugar crystals’ and a two-tier white fondant cake with paper figures of Harry and Meghan.
The duchess was said to have returned to the UK ‘on a high’ after the party – travelling home with Amal Clooney on a private jet.
PRIVATE JET TRAVEL WAS A ‘MISTAKE’
Harry conceded that taking a private jet home from a climate change event was a ‘mistake’, according to the book.
He faced criticism for accepting a lift back to London from the Google Camp event in Sicily on a fellow guest’s private plane. The following month, he and Meghan flew from Ibiza to Nice on Elton John’s private jet, before Harry launched his sustainable tourism initiative Travalyst.
He came to regret not heeding the advice of his former head of communications, Sara Latham who warned him about a potential ‘media storm’ if he took the jet. ‘The earnest prince was the first one to admit when he made a mistake,’ the authors write.
COURTSHIP IN THE WILD
For their third ‘official’ date, Harry whisked Meghan away to a
safari camp in Botswana where they stayed in £1,500-a-night deluxe tents. The book explains Meghan was more than happy with the alfresco toilet situation.
They slept in a teak king-size bed in a room with its own private terrace and a fully equipped ensuite bathroom.
The ‘well-travelled’ actress ‘made sure to pack sunscreen’ which proved to be ‘especially handy for Harry, who burned easily and often forgot to use SPF protection’. ‘Meghan immediately impressed Harry with her packing skills,’ the book says.
She also came prepared with tea-tree oil to treat ‘bites, cuts, and pimples’. ‘While camping, she happily wandered into the woodlands if she needed a bathroom break,’ the authors said.
ARCHIE ON A SILVER PLATTER
Meghan said she felt she was expected to serve her son ‘on a silver platter’ after the couple faced criticism over keeping Archie’s christening a secret.
The event was attended by just 22 guests and the names of his godparents were not made public. This proved controversial as it was revealed that the taxpayer had footed a £2.4million bill for renovations to their Windsor home Frogmore Cottage.
But the authors said Meghan would not be pushed into releasing more details, telling a friend: ‘The same people who have been abusing me want me to serve my child on a silver platter. A child who is not going to be protected and doesn’t have a title. How does that make sense? Tell that to any mother in the world.’
KIDNAP FEARS
Meghan took part in a two-day security course with the SAS to survive kidnapping attempts.
Kate didn’t take part until after she was married but Meghan had received an ‘unusually high number of death threats’, the book claims. Part of the training involved a staged kidnap, where was bundled into the back of a car. She was also taught how to develop a relationship with her kidnapper and pursuit driving.
She also received ‘a series of instructions that covered everything from how to most gracefully exit your chauffeured sedan while wearing a pencil skirt to when to curtsy to members of the family several rungs up the hierarchy from you’.
GUESTS AT LUXURY CLOONEY VILLA
Prince Harry bonded with George Clooney over their shared love of motorbikes while Meghan relaxed around the pool with his wife Amal during a trip to their luxury Italian villa.
The actor arranged for Harry and Meghan to fly from London to Lake Como on his own private jet, the book said.
They arrived in the early evening of August 16 in Milan and were driven to the 25-room Villa Oleandra, the authors wrote.
A source said that ‘Meghan and Amal spent a lot of time relaxing by the pool... while George and Harry checked out George’s motorbike collection, taking one out for a spin’.
The book said: ‘On the final night of Harry and Meghan’s stay, George hired the chef from one of his favourite local restaurants, to prepare an Italian feast.’
STOLEN PHOTOGRAPHS
The couple suffered a ‘major data leak’ in September 2018 after Russian hackers managed to access an online cloud storage account that contained more than 200 unseen photos taken by photographer Alexi Lubomirski.
‘The large set also included outtakes with eyes half closed and other unflattering moments meant for the trash can.’
Harry and Meghan ‘were alarmed to hear that it was so easy to get such personal files’ adding it was a ‘wake-up call’ that prompted them to take extra security precautions.