Finding Freedom: 10 things we learned from Harry and Meghan's book
Anew book by the royal reporters Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie chronicles what the authors’ claim has been a deepening rift between Prince Harry, his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and Buckingham Palace – which ultimately led to the couple’s decision to take a step back from public life. The biography has been providing headlines in UK newspapers in recent days after being serialised in the Times and the Sunday Times. So, what have we learned from Finding Freedom?
Some senior royals would show Meghan little respect
According to the book, one of the main drivers behind the couple’s decision was the way they felt Meghan was treated by members of the royal family. One of the authors has said the fact Meghan is a mixed-race American was
“going to ruffle some feathers” within Buckingham Palace.
One senior royal is said to have referred to Meghan as “Harry’s showgirl”, while another allegedly said: “She comes with a lot of baggage.”
Courtiers were also quite open in their dislike of Meghan
The couple were also reportedly unhappy with the way Meghan was treated by Buckingham Palace staff. “There’s just something about her I don’t trust,” a senior courtier is reported to have said, while an unnamed staffer is quoted as having referred to her as the palace’s “squeaky third wheel”. The authors say the couple grew to trust only a handful of people.
Relations between the two brothers’ households hit a new low after the announcement
The two couples, William and his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Harry and Meghan, were barely even on speaking terms by this March, according to the authors. They hardly spoke to each other during an engagement at the Commonwealth service at Westminster Abbey that month, despite not having seen each other since January.
Tension centred on William’s attitude to Meghan
The authors claim that Harry was upset by his brother’s advice to “take as much time as you need to get to know this girl” early in their relationship, which he took to be “snobbish” and “condescending”.
The authors add: “[William] just wanted to make sure that Harry wasn’t blindsided by lust” in his haste to get married.
There was less animosity between Kate and Meghan
The authors suggest reports of a