Harry and Meghan have reacted strongly to the new book about the royal family
According to The Times, in the book’s excerpts, Bower claims that Queen Camilla allegedly told acquaintances that Meghan Markle had ‘brainwashed’ Prince Harry. The author also writes that Meghan became a “divisive figure” within the royal family, and that Prince William and Kate, the Princess of Wales, viewed her as a “threat”.
A spokesperson for the couple stated that the author had “long since crossed the line between criticism and obsessive fixation”.
A statement released on Saturday noted that Bower had previously spoken publicly about the need to “erase the Sussexes from public life”, which, according to Harry and Meghan’s representatives, “speaks for itself”.
“He has built a career on devising increasingly elaborate theories about people he does not know and has never met. Those interested in facts will look elsewhere; and those seeking conspiracy theories and melodrama know where to find them,” the statement reads.
The book also describes Harry and Meghan’s relationship with Prince William and Kate, as well as their activities following their decision to step back from their roles as senior members of the royal family in 2020 and their move to the US. In particular, the author mentions their commercial and charitable projects, including deals with Netflix and Spotify.
Bower also claims that tensions between the Sussexes and the Prince and Princess of Wales had been mounting even before Harry and Meghan left the UK. According to him, William and Kate were allegedly ‘alarmed’ by Meghan’s behaviour and believed she was disillusioned by the fact that Harry was unlikely ever to become king.
Furthermore, the book states that Prince Harry fears his brother — the future monarch — may strip the Sussexes of all their titles and effectively exclude him from life in the UK.
A separate chapter is devoted to the Invictus Games — an international sporting tournament for war veterans founded by Harry. The author analyses the media coverage of these competitions, referring to them in the book as the ‘Meghan Games’.
Tom Bower’s new book is titled ‘Betrayal: Power, Deceit And The Fight For The Future Of The Royal Family’. He previously published a book about the couple — ‘Revenge: Meghan, Harry, And the War Between the Windsors’ — which was released in 2022.
