How the royal road ended in Megxit - 3rd August 2020

Royal circles have been rocked by the publication of “Finding Freedom”, a new biography of Prince Harry and Meghan. It delves into the events which led to the Duke and Duchess stepping back from their royal roles.

Members of the royal press corps, reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote the book, which lifts the lid on a culture of rising tension between the Sussexes and other senior royals, in particular the Prince’s brother and sister-in-law, Prince William and Kate. The exposé has caused a stir in the UK media following its serialisation in a UK newspaper.

Alongside their decision to step back as senior royals, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex resolved to leave the UK and settle in North America. Initially opting to set up home in the Commonwealth country of Canada with Vancouver as their base, they have since chosen to relocate to Los Angeles.

Pivotal to their change in circumstances, claims the biography, was the Prince and Meghan’s experience of her treatment by senior royal figures. Detailing the souring of relations between Prince Harry and his brother, caused by Prince William’s mindset towards Meghan, the authors explain claims of a rift between Kate and Meghan were inaccurate. It was, much more simply, that the pair had little in common.

The Queen also finds herself included in the saga, with claims that Her Majesty felt “devastated” by the news, announced on the couple’s Sussex Royal website, that they intended to step back from royal life.

Despite such a detailed account of life at the heart of court, a spokesperson on behalf of Harry and Meghan strenuously denied that they had been interviewed or otherwise involved in creating the biography. The statement read: “This book is based on the authors’ own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting.”