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The book – written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand – focused on the married life of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and was published in August of last year. Finding Freedom explains in detail their relationship, royal family and personal life.

Harry and Meghan have both denied any involvement in the biography, saying its authors do not speak for them.

The Duchess of Sussex has launched legal proceedings against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) for copyright infringement over what she claims is a private letter written to her ex-father, Thomas Markle.

In September last year, the ANL argued that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had “cooperated with the authors of the recently published book Finding Freedom to publish their version of certain events”.

Now, Meghan and Harry’s former communications secretary Jason Knauf has submitted a witness statement to the Court of Appeal.

In the statement, Mr Knauf said Harry and Meghan “authorized specific cooperation in writing in December 2018”.

Mr Knauf said “the book has been discussed directly with the Duchess on several occasions in person and by email”.

He claimed Meghan gave the authors of the book “useful” written “substantive reminders” and “when you sit down with them” briefing notes.

He said in an email presented in evidence: “The Duchess… added the points of information that she wanted me to share with the authors when I met them.”

READ MORE: Harry claims he warned Twitter CEO of Capitol Hill riots the day before

Mr Knauf’s testimony to the appeals court was supported by text messages and email exchanges, the Sunday Times reported.

Roya Nikkhah, editor-in-chief of The Sunday Times, tweeted: “Knauf also says that Meghan told him in texts that she had” obviously “written her August 2018 letter to her father” with the understanding that she could be leaked “to the media, so she was ‘meticulous’ in her choice of words, calling him ‘Dad’ to ‘pull the chord’ if it leaked.”

It comes after Meghan and Harry continued to deny any involvement in the book.

In her statement, Meghan said: “It is not true that my husband and I (or any of us) spoke to the authors for the purposes of the book.

“We also didn’t meet with them ‘towards the end of 2018′, let alone at any time to discuss’ how [we] would cooperate in the drafting of the Book ”.

Mr. Knauf replied that he was against the idea, mainly because he did not expect the Book to be hostile to us and he did not want to offend the authors.

“While I do not agree or understand Mr. Knauf’s point of view, I have followed his direction and did not send a proactive email to my friends despite my wish.”

Mr Knauf served as Harry’s communications secretary for four years from February 2015 and Meghan’s after their marriage.

He still works for Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, at Kensington Palace.

OPINION:

The Battle of Agincourt began with a volley of arrows fired by exhausted English forces, while Napoleon’s forces launched the Battle of Waterloo just before lunchtime (rude, right?) With artillery bombardment .

But who needs guns in 2021 when we have people?

This week, after a period of unusual peace and quiet on the royal front, skirmishes resumed with lawyers called in after a new report in the US weekly, which resuscitated the face-to-face between Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Buckingham Palace over allegations of royal racism.

On August 31, which will also mark the 24th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the updated edition of the staunchly pro-Sussex biography Finding Freedom is expected to be released. Thus, Omid Scobie, one of the authors of the title is back on the public relations campaigns.

Audiences got a first glimpse of the new PR misery that may be in store for palace courtiers thanks to this week’s People cover story which features an interview with Scobie.

In the article, he alleges that Harry and Meghan felt Her Majesty did not take “full responsibility” for the racism allegations they raised during their prime-time outpouring.

(In March, the Duchess claimed there had been “conversations about her unborn son’s skin color” and that tabloid press racism had been “a big part” of why they decided to leave the UK. The Queen’s response to the allegations was sparse at 61 words, saying in part: “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are cause for concern. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously. seriously and will be treated by the family in private. “)

Scobie and co-author Carolyn Durand, per People, write in the new edition of Freedom: “The Queen’s Comment” Memories May Vary “” Has Not gone unnoticed “by the couple, who a close source says , was “not surprised” that full ownership was not taken. “

They quote “a friend of Meghan’s” saying: “Months later and little responsibility has been taken. How can you go forward with this?”

Do you hear that sound? It is the bandage torn from the still raw wound that are the allegations of racism that Meghan has already brought to the palace.

To be clear here, it’s not the Sussexes themselves who are reopening this particular Pandora’s Box.

Last year, when the book was first published, the couple denied having contributed to it. As part of Meghan’s privacy lawsuit against the Mail on Sunday, the Duchess’s lawyers have listed a series of “incorrect” details in Freedom.

However, also during the same case, it appeared that on one occasion she had transmitted information, via an intermediary, to the authors “to avoid any further misrepresentation”.

Yesterday, the lawyers acting for Harry and Meghan returned to action (these two certainly maintain their legal team in billable hours, don’t they?) Keeping the couple away from Scobie’s new claims and threatening legal action if any media suggested they had “re-started a rift” with the Queen.

As a source told The Daily Beast overnight, “They created this problem themselves. By talking to Scobie, they made him their unofficial spokesperson, so people are embracing it.”

Beyond all of this, what is clear is that this People story, and the upcoming global campaign to move copies of Freedom, will see the Sussexes’ damaging claims about their palace treatment resurrected in the press. and brought back to the fore.

And that, in turn, will only serve to remind the world how inept and deeply inadequate Buckingham Palace’s response to the charge of racism has been and continues to be.

The Queen has claimed Meghan’s claims will be dealt with “in private”, but is that enough for a ruler who presides over a Commonwealth, the majority of whose population is made up of people of color?

While it was revealed earlier this year that Buckingham Palace is considering hiring a diversity czar, no announcement has been made on the matter. In June, the annual sovereign grants report revealed for the first time that only 8.5% of royal staff are from ethnic minorities, a source saying “we can do better”.

Does it cut English mustard? Far, far from it.

A poll carried out weeks after Oprah’s interview found that nearly 43% of non-white Britons believed the royal family was racist, compared with just 27% who thought they were not. The same poll of ethnic minority voters found that on whether the UK should retain the monarchy, the “yes” only crossed the line with 43% versus 40% in the “camp” no”.

The Royal Family have a lot of ground to cover on this issue, on the grounds that they have so far not taken any public action to try to catch up with it.

This People story, and any other new piece released to attempt to tempt the masses of book buyers, will only reinforce how much the monarchy is on the high seas right now when it comes to tackling issues. of race raised by the Duke and Duchess.

Give the courtiers a toe sucking scandal or a suggestion of some kind of murky financial scam or a Windsor just got caught without his pants on in Vegas and that’s okay. Get out the pro-forma press release Gerald, there’s a good guy.

But when it comes to facing Harry and Meghan’s very serious allegations head-on, the palace has unequivocally failed.

The only HRH to come out directly and respond directly to Harry and Meghan’s claims was Prince William who firmly told the press days after the interview saying the royal family was “not at all racist”.

But, sorry, the occasional stingy denial is just a sorry excuse for an institution that needs to do better if it is to still be in the business of the throne into the next century.

Sigh.

Here is at least one good thing that Scobie has alleged, telling people that we are now in happy territory forever, and that the Duke and Duchess are staying away from “part of the toxicity.”

“They seem to exist in a different place, and that place is a lot healthier,” Scobie said. “Meghan said it was not enough to survive – we are now in the chapter of prosperity.”

Same thing, one could say, for their lawyers too …

• Daniela Elser is a royal expert and writer with over 15 years of experience working with a number of major Australian media titles.

Leaving comedy, something she had worked for so long, was also “terrifying,” as she admitted to friends. At one point, she had dreamed of moving into the movies and into more meaty roles. However, as she approached her mid-thirties, her dreams and aspirations began to change. A voice inside her kept telling her that she could do so much more with her platform. It was an inspiration behind The Tig. But she also admired actresses like Angelina Jolie, who had become a force in her own right in the charity space, focusing mostly on humanitarian projects that she interwoven with more commercial ones, and funding her life with branded deals. occasional. At one point, that was Meghan’s career model. But then she met Harry. If she wanted to have a real future – and a real family – with him, she had to give up acting altogether.

Meghan was ready now.

On November 20, Meghan landed in London, knowing that the British capital was no longer just her partner’s place of residence. It was now his home. Although the past few weeks have been difficult, it felt right. She was excited.
Harry felt guilty that he had to give up so much – his home, his career – to fit into his world. He was always afraid of disrupting his life. In private, he harbored fears about which route to take. How would the press be? Would he have to face the prejudices of a greater number of people around him and in the institution? He wanted to protect Meghan, wrap her around and shield her from all the negativity, but he knew it was impossible. He worried that she would one day turn to him and say, “I love you, but I can’t live like this. Meghan assured her that she was strong and ready to “become a team”.

After moving into his new home with Harry, the comfortable three-bedroom Nottingham Cottage, the plan for the days ahead was shrouded in secrecy. For Harry, as an active member of the Royal Family, it was business as usual as he continued to attend regular engagements, including a reception for Walking with the Wounded on November 21, the day after his arrival, at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, which was minutes from the house he now shared with Meghan. A big supporter of the Veterans Charity since 2010, having participated in their treks to the North Pole in 2011 and the South Pole in 2013, Harry told the organization’s co-founder Simon Daglish after delivering his remarks in the hall, “Life is fine.”

There was work to be done internally. On her previous stays in London, Meghan left clothes and a few decorative touches, but now she had to find room for all of her belongings. Her natural eye for design had gone a long way in dressing the house, but there was nothing she could do to change the size. There were parts of the second floor where the suspended ceilings were so low that Harry had to bend down to avoid banging his head. And Meghan’s wardrobe almost filled one of the bedrooms. But a little crowded was hardly a problem. After months of long distance, Meghan was thrilled to finally share a postcode, W8 4PY, with her partner.

Meghan has extended her personal touch beyond the walls of their chalet. She kept a box of disposable hand warmers in the house that she had ordered from Amazon so that whenever she passed through the security gates on cold winter days, she could give a few to the guards.

Finding Freedom is the UK’s best-selling book, the publisher announced today.

The explosive biography of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, co-written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, has sold 31,000 copies in the UK in the first five days of its release, new figures from the supplier show of Nielsen Book data.

The book also tops the Amazon US and Amazon UK bestseller charts.

The biography offers a window into the life of Meghan and Harry during their tenure as royals and is full of details about their shock exit from the royal family.

It discusses the alleged rift between brothers Harry and William, 38, as well as the relationship between their wives.

The Duke, 35, and Duchess of Sussex, 39, say they were not interviewed for the book, which provides a high level of personal detail and a dramatic narrative events which led to the departure of the Sussexes from royal life.

Mr Scobie gave several high profile interviews to publicize the book in the week following its release.

Yesterday he made the headlines again when he spoke to True Royalty TV.

In the interview, Mr Scobie claimed Prince Harry made an exasperated call to his grandmother, 94, following an alleged scuffle with Her Majesty’s longtime dresser Angela Kelly.

“Harry had to intervene,” Mr Scobie said.

“He called his grandmother and said, ‘I don’t know what’s going on. This woman has to make it work for my future wife. ” And of course, we can sort of see now where that ‘what Meghan wants, Meghan gets’ narrative is coming from.

“Harry felt there were people within the institution who would stop at nothing at least to make Meghan’s life difficult.”

Scobie also claims Prince William has not spoken properly to his brother since revealing his intention to leave the UK for North America.

In the television interview promoting the book, Mr Scobie said: “The brothers had not spoken since around the time of the Sandringham summit.

“They hadn’t seen each other. It’s really going to take a while to heal. I think the distance between the brothers widened more and more. And that’s partly because of the things that are happening – and we discuss that in the book. ‘

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s plan to step down from royal duties has made the brother’s relationship difficult, Mr Scobie said.

He continued: “I think really where it went wrong for Harry, Meghan and the Cambridges is this decision to go public with the roadmap of their new working model.

“The statements were not discussed internally. This is really what caused William the most harm, as he wears two hats.

“It is not only the brother, it is also the future king and he felt that this had damaged the reputation of the family.”

“That this put the family business into the public domain when it should have been discussed in private and there has been a lot of trouble there that continues to this day.”

Royal expert Katie Nicholl said the authors could be the “only winners” of the Finding Freedom publication.

Writing in Vanity Fair, she asked if the book “was worth it for Harry and Meghan” before adding: “The irony of Finding Freedom is that, locked in their rented mansion in LA, the Sussexes have less freedom than ‘they had none when they lived in Windsor.

Meanwhile, she added that the authors of the book write that the monarchy has lost two of its greatest assets.

She concluded: “Maybe they could be the only winners in this rather sad story.”

The book had reached No. 1 on Amazon’s Top 10 New York Bestsellers in 24 hours on the day it was released for pre-order.

Meanwhile, in July, 14 days before its release, the biography also topped the media giant’s bestseller list as royal fans rushed to pre-order their copy.

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.

“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.

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.”

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.”

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.

Royal enthusiasts could finally get answers to the questions surrounding Prince harry and Meghan Markle ‘strained relationship with the British royal family in the new book, Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Creation of a Modern Royal Family.

While the book written by the royal reporters Omid scobie and Carolyn Durand only hit the stands on August 11, clips of the highly anticipated title aired at The temperature in July. As a result, a spokesperson for Harry, 35, and Meghan, 39, issued a statement denying any involvement.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not questioned and did not contribute to Find freedom», The statement to Us weekly read. “This book is based on the authors’ own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting.”

Scobie and Durand also dispelled speculation the couple had been interviewed for the book, noting that they had spoken to over 100 sources, including the couple’s inner circle, palace staff past and present and more.

“The book doesn’t claim to have interviews with Harry and Meghan. And neither do we,” Scobie said. The temperature. “I think you can tell from the reports, my time with the couple is enough for me to get to know my subjects.”

The authors did, however, spend time with Harry and Meghan. Scobie was one of three journalists from the Suit the alum’s penultimate engagement in March before the duo officially left their posts as a member of the Royal Family working for Queen Elizabeth II.

“Back at Buckingham Palace, the ACU students are now heading to Westminster Abbey and Harry quietly slipping out the door to say hello, the reality – and the emotions – have finally set in as I do. a farewell hug to Meghan, ”Scobie recalled. “She returns to Canada on the last commercial flight of the day, eager to be back on Vancouver Island in the morning before Archie wakes up.”

Harry and Meghan announced their intention to step down from their senior royal duties in January, less than two years after their wedding in May 2018. In March, they attended their final royal engagements before moving to Los Angeles with their son Archie .

While Prince william has not yet commented publicly Find freedomsaid a source We that he’s not happy with the book.

“William believes the book is their calculated way of controlling the narrative and that they took advantage of their entertainment contacts to be painted in a favorable light,” the source said.

Another insider noted: “Even before the book came out, the bad blood between William and Harry was evident. But it took a whole different turn.

Scroll on for the biggest reveals from the book:

A new retailer book Prince harry and Meghan markleThe exit of the British royal family has been a painful subject for the Duke of Sussex and his brother, Prince william.

“Find freedom made things worse between them, ”said a source exclusively Us weekly.

Written by Royal Journalists Omid scobie and Carolyn Durand, the book takes readers through the origin of the couple’s relationship until their decision to step down from royal duties and move to Los Angeles with their 15-month-old son Archie earlier this year.

Harry, 35, confirmed in 2019 documentary Harry & Meghan: an African journey that he and William, 38, broke up, telling reporter Tom bradby, “We’re definitely on different paths right now, but I’ll always be there for him and, as I know, he’ll always be there for me.”

Although they never went into details of what happened between them, the sons of prince charles and the late Princess Diana issued a rare joint statement in January, denying an “offensive and potentially dangerous” report that William had intimidated Harry and Meghan, 39, into leaving the royal family.

Even if Find freedom caused more tension behind the palace gates, the source said We that William and Harry “are working to get their relationship back on track”. However, the source adds, “There continues to be issues between the brothers.”

Before the book hit stores on Tuesday August 11, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said in a statement to We that the pair had no involvement in the making of it. The Duke of Cambridge had his suspicions, however.

“William believes the book is their calculated way of controlling the narrative and that they took advantage of their entertainment contacts to be painted in a favorable light,” an insider said. We in July. Another source added at the time: “Even before the book came out, the bad blood between William and Harry was evident. But it took a whole different turn.

Scobie, meanwhile, defended Find freedom and the 100 sources that contributed to it, telling The temperature, “The book doesn’t claim to have interviews with Harry and Meghan. And neither do we. I think you can tell from the reports, my time with the couple is enough for me to get to know my subjects.

Listen to Hot Hollywood from Us Weekly as Us Editors feature the hottest entertainment news every week!

On this day in May 2018, it seemed like nothing could derail the Harry and Meghan fairy tale.

The weather had obeyed and the crowds had come out.

A few of us were given the green light to poke our heads into the church about an hour before the first guests arrived.

The scent of sweet peas and white roses, jasmine and peonies lingered on my nose for the rest of the day.

Britain had gone through a torrid period: terrorist attacks, controversial vote on Brexit, elections without failure.

The marriage was truly celebrated.

But the honeymoon of the divorced American actress and the prince was cut short by the harsh realities of royal life.

The insider account

Now, a new book called Finding Freedom offers a detailed look at what happened behind the scenes.

It’s written by journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand – both of whom I knew when I was an ABC correspondent in the UK – and they say they looked for at least two sources for every story they were telling.

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, released a statement insisting they had not been interviewed for the book. But none of their friends would have spoken to the authors without the couple’s approval.

This isn’t a rag of trashy gossip about the young couple. Read these chapters and imagine that it is Harry and Meghan speaking the words.

He is sympathetic to them and reveals the mistrust that was already lurking behind the scenes that day.

I have now read the book, available in Australia from today, and spoken with Scobie about its contents. Here are seven things I learned.

1. Why was the book written?

There is no end to the words that have been written about Harry and Meghan, which begs the question: why go back to history?

For Scobie, it was a simple case that there was more to say.

“For a long time we’ve really been used to seeing the narrative around the Sussexes unfold through various anonymous royal sources, palace courtiers, senior aides in various British tabloids,” he told me.

“We very rarely hear from those around the couple themselves.

“I felt there was a lot more to this story than what we had actually heard.”

2. Kate and Meghan are not best friends

Some believed Meghan and the Duchess of Cambridge would become close.

After all, the two were strangers and if there was anyone who would know what Meghan was going through, it would be Kate.

Still, the two women only hung out a few times before the wedding, despite both living in Kensington Palace.

On one occasion, they met while leaving the palace grounds for the same shopping street, but there was no offer for them to go together.

There was no feud though, Scobie said.

“She is (Kate) a woman very focused on her own family and her duties within the monarchy, and sadly busy lives and priorities elsewhere have meant that the friendship between her and Meghan never really gets off the ground. could flourish. “

3. Meghan was not a “difficult Duchess”

The resignation of one of Meghan’s assistants in 2018 sparked a flood of tabloid stories about her inability to work.

It was part of a growing narrative that Fleet Street was chasing that Meghan was a “Difficult Duchess”.

Yet the authors of Finding Freedom discovered that this was not a “resignation” at all.

“There was a much deeper story and the couple had long been unhappy with [the assistant] until the moment she’s gone, ”Scobie said.

However, sources said Harry and Meghan could be “impatient and impulsive” – ​​so were they their worst enemies?

“They were a couple getting results, so they really needed people around them who exploited and embraced the speed they were working with,” said Scobie.

“And so there were times when they often came second, third, fourth, fifth or sixth to other royals.”

4. The silence of the palace overwhelmed them

Finding Freedom explains how Harry and Meghan couldn’t understand why no one was disputing the deceptive and malicious tabloid stories that circulated endlessly.

“They just needed a few people in their corner to defend them,” Scobie said.

“They had seen the palace rush to defend William and Kate, but when it came to the Sussexes they were often left alone and in pain.

“It was times like this that made them wonder where people’s allegiances lay. Were they on the Sussex side or were they watching their own and the others in the institution?”

5. There were also hostile insiders

The book suggested that a senior royal was calling Meghan “Harry’s showgirl” and some royal staff were suspicious of her.

“There is just something about her that I don’t trust,” a royal courtier reportedly said.

Scobie said Meghan is always going to ruffle the feathers.

“Meghan has, in many ways, ticked the right boxes when it comes to her life’s accomplishments,” he said.

“She was an accomplished philanthropist, a seasoned actress. She had seen the world and done a lot of things before entering Windsor House.

“And of course, she was different from the rest.”

6. They’re gone for good

Earlier this year, Harry and Meghan shocked the world by announcing that they were stepping down as senior members of the royal family.

They planned to pursue their own goals, become financially independent and split their time between the UK and North America.

Scobie discovered that they are not only happy in Los Angeles, they are thriving.

And despite having 12 months to decide if they want to join the fold, it’s highly unlikely.

“They have a safe home environment, they can focus on the job they want to do,” he said.

“There have been very few leaks about their personal lives or the work they do, and that’s because they have a team around them that they think they can trust.

“The idea of ​​looking back and re-entering the monarchy in any way just wouldn’t appeal to them.”

7. But they want to fix

The couple want to improve family relationships with The Firm, and rebuilding those strained ties is important to them, Scobie discovered.

Harry and Meghan have been in contact with Prince Charles and the Queen, he said, and “there are signs of hope, but maybe not in a capacity for work”.

However, things are different with William.

Scobie said Harry was offended by William’s advice when he started dating Meghan, particularly the phrase: “Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl. “

“Harry ended up getting some advice he maybe didn’t ask for,” Scobie said.

“We have to remember that these are two men in their thirties and it’s not some kind of dynamic big brother, little brother anymore.

“And that’s something I think William never really got used to and Harry always wanted to change.”

And this is where we come to the saddest conclusion to the book.

The dishes

Finding freedom is revealing of what he reveals about Harry and William and the deterioration of their relationship.

They were always different, one destined to be king, the other struggling to find his own way.

Harry and Meghan can be a lot of things, but they’re not naïve.

They know this book will not mend the already strained relationship with the Royal Family. But it gives them a voice.

I can’t help but think of author Andrew Morton, who revealed after Princess Diana’s death that she was, in fact, the source of his biography.

She remained insistent that she had not participated in the book. Audio cassettes have proven otherwise.

Scobie insists this is not history repeating itself.

Yet decades later, Finding Freedom is Harry and Meghan’s story. If it is not said by them, at least for them.

Since Prince Harry was reported to have started dating Suit actor Meghan Markle, the world has been captivated by their relationship. The couple first bonded romantically in 2016, before announcing their engagement in November 2017, getting married at Windsor Castle six months later and welcoming their son Archie in May 2019.

However, not everything has gone well, they have also had to deal with significant struggles, dealing with an unprecedented level of intrusion into their lives, navigating racial abuse directed at Meghan and dealing with rumors. of rupture between them and the other members of the royal family.

Tuesday August 11, Find freedom, a biography on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, is in press. Written by royal journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, the book documents journalists’ experience of working close to the couple.

While a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess said The independent that they had no involvement in the book – it is “based on the authors’ own experiences” in the royal press corps – it promises insight into their lives, work and decision to move away from royal life, following interviews with over 100 royal initiates.

Here is our report on Find freedom by reading the book from start to finish:

Please wait a few moments for the live blog to update.