Finding Freedom book faces criticism from Amazon UK readers

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s explosive new biography, Finding Freedom, is coming under fire from Amazon UK readers for its “sugar coated” and “sickly sweet” take on the couple.

The controversial biography of the Duke, 35, and Duchess of Sussex, 39, written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, was published earlier this week and was quick to rise to the top of the bests list. -sellers of the media giant as royal fans rushed to pre-order their copy, as it also hit number one on UK and US sites.

However, many Amazon UK readers anticipated the book online, with a comment: “Confused who wrote this … Biographical autobiography written in the style of Mills and Boon. Sweet love triumphs over story of adversity that will be loved by people who love the awakened couple and make fun of others.

It comes after royal pundits have widely swept the biography aside, with some saying it “suffocates readers” with its “exhausting” and “mundane” details, and called it the “pure, undiluted voice of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle “.

An Amazon reviewer, who gave the book a star out of five, wrote: “It’s a hagiography, not a biography.”

They continued, “A fairly ordinary book because it is very one-sided! It is a manual guide to settling immature scores.

“I also find it rather bad that the authors are adamant that neither Harry nor Meghan helped with this book, but there are some very, very personal details that could only have come from the couple or very, very close friends. . “

Another called it “poorly written drivel and self-pity”, while another added: “This book is sickly sweet and made of Meg (as H and his friends) kind of awakened Mother Theresa.

The explosive biography was published earlier this week and quickly made it to the worldwide bestseller list on Amazon.

“It is obvious that there has been a huge cooperation with the couple, probably similar to the way Princess Diana has worked with Andrew Morton.

“I just hope the authors share some of their profits because, as they say in the book, both are careful about the money !! Maybe the book should have been titled Finding Gifts.

Another said it should be read with “a big pinch of salt,” explaining, “That may be true, but the spinning wheel must have worked overtime.

“I am amazed that Harry and Meghan say they have not been interviewed. Their friends must have incredible memories of private conversations.

Many Amazon readers have left scathing reviews of the biography, with one commenting that the book was a “gentle” read

However, other readers said the book helped them gain a better understanding of the couple, with a slew of reviews giving the biography five stars.

One of them wrote: “I bought this book thinking it would be a total waste of time, but I was curious what the royal couple wanted the world to know.

‘I started to really sympathize with what was written and I feel like it’s an honest portrayal of what really happened. It’s an (unusual) love story and the circumstances are explained.

Another person, who rated the book with four stars, added: “I found that the authors really humanized the couple.”

Book writers Omid Scobie (left) and Carolyn Durand (right) give personal details about the Duke and Duchess but insist they haven’t interviewed the couple for the biography

It comes after royal experts deliver scathing verdicts on the book, with Richard Kay claiming the biography “doesn’t just feed into suggestions the couple hand-fed these anecdotes – so precise and so private – to the authors. Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand themselves, or allowed others to do so on their behalf, it also invites the kind of intrusion that they are so quick to deplore ”.

Palace insiders described the book as a ‘score settlement’ after Harry and Meghan left the royals for a living in Los Angeles – after suddenly announcing their intentions in January in a move that left the Queen ‘injured “.

The book offers new information on Harry’s falling out with William and how the couple felt ‘thrown under the bus’, after disagreements began when the prince’s older brother called Meghan ‘that girl’ and expressed his concerns that he might precipitate the romance.

The authors say Harry “felt that people working with his brother put things in there to make William look good, even if that meant throwing Harry under the bus.”

Biography offers new in-depth glimpses into Prince Harry and Meghan’s life with their son Archie

Excerpts from the book have already revealed many details of the couple’s departure from the royal family, including how the couple considered driving directly to confront the “devastated” Queen over Megxit after returning from Canada in January.

Sources close to the couple also claim in the book that royal assistants feared Meghan and Harry’s popularity would overshadow that of the royal family itself – and say the couple were jealous of William and Kate getting top roles and “Did not feel supported” by royalty.

The author’s note appears to acknowledge that the writers worked with the couple on the biography, reading: “We spoke with close friends of Harry and Meghan, royal assistants and palace staff (past and present), the charities and organizations they have built for a long time – lasting relationships with and, where applicable, the couple themselves. ‘

Among the new revelations of the book are:

• Meghan Markle has forged such close ties with Prince Charles that she considers him her “second father”;
• Meghan has often been ‘seen with filing cabinets filled with Royal Protocol research’ so she did not take the wrong foot;
• The Queen gave Meghan a royal masterclass in protocol and described Meghan as “very smart and good”;
• Harry felt he had been “thrown under the bus” by assistants working for his brother Prince William;
• The royal courtiers feared that the brother’s quarrel “could spell the end of the monarchy”;
• Meghan left the UK “emotionally bruised and exhausted” after her last frosty event with William and Kate;
• Russian hackers stole hundreds of their personal photos in 2018 after gaining access to an online account.