Finding freedom: Harry’s remembrance crown ‘stayed in the box’ and William ‘furious’ over private family matters made public, new epilogue says

TThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex may have lived across the pond for over a year, but the couple have barely made headlines since moving. Whether it was their various legal battles over paparazzi footage, criticism of how they handled family relationships, or that explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, a lot has happened to Harry and Meghan over the past few years. Last 12 months.

Therefore, a new epilogue has been included in the pocket version of Find freedom, an unauthorized biography of the couple written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand. Harry and Meghan’s legal team said Scobie and Durand are not speaking on behalf of the couple and the couple “did not collaborate with the authors of the book, nor were they interviewed for it.”

In the new epilogue, Scobie and Durand trace the Sussexes over the past year, examining everything from how the couple acquired their lavish nine-bedroom home in Santa Barbara, Calif. (They took out a mortgage to help cover the cost) and Meghan’s miscarriage to alleged family tensions at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in April.

The authors also examine the reports that surrounded Remembrance Sunday in 2020, when it was claimed that Prince Harry was denied the opportunity to have a wreath laid in his name at the cenotaph. Harry had spent 10 years in the military but gave up his military posts, including his role as captain general of the Royal Marines, when he moved to California and resigned from his role in the royal family.

In Find freedom, the authors claim that a wreath of red poppies was ordered for Prince Harry with the Royal British Legion. “But over the days, Harry’s gesture stuck in his box at the charity’s headquarters in Kent.” Scobie and Durand then allege that Harry’s request was denied because he was no longer a “frontline royal”, with a “source close” to the Duke adding that he was “saddened and disappointed by the decision” . The source added: “Ten years of service and a lifelong commitment to the military community and that is how his family recognized it.”

Then there was the interview with Oprah, which saw Harry and Meghan make a series of claims about their time in the royal family, including that a senior member made a racist remark about the color of the skin. of their unborn child, and that Meghan was refused help by a palace assistant after expressing that she had been having thoughts of suicide. In response, the palace released a statement saying the royal family were “saddened to learn how difficult the past few years have been for Harry and Meghan”.

He continues: “The questions raised, in particular that of race, are worrying. Although some memories may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be treated by the family in private. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of the family.

Shortly after the interview aired, Prince William was asked about the interview during a visit to a school in east London. As William was leaving, a reporter asked, “Is the royal family a racist family, sir?” He replied: “We are really not a racist family.” In Find freedom, the authors write that, according to their sources, William “was understood to be ‘furious’ that private family matters were being discussed in the public domain” and will likely no longer comment on the claims made in the Oprah interview.

Meanwhile, a friend of Meghan’s told the authors that Oprah’s interview was ‘cathartic’ for the Duchess. “All the things she kept to herself or was too afraid to say [as a working member of the royal family] she felt safe to finally share. It was liberating, “they added. The authors also claim that no one in the royal family knew about Oprah’s interview until it was publicly announced.

Scobie and Durand also discuss the timing of an article in The temperature who claimed bullying allegations were made against Markle by a former aide in October 2018. The newspaper reported the Duchess kicked out two personal assistants and left staff feeling “humiliated”. He said a formal complaint had been lodged by Jason Knauf, then Meghan and Harry’s communications secretary. A spokesperson for the Duchess said at the time that she was “saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of intimidation and is deeply committed to supporting those who have suffered pain and trauma “.

The allegations were reported four days before the Oprah interview aired. “Although the Duchess was used to defamatory reporting, this front-page story was more disturbing,” write the Find freedom authors, who say the allegations have given the Sussexes more confidence in their decision to leave the royal family. A friend of the couple, meanwhile, told the authors: “It was as if some people at the Palace were doing their best to undermine and discredit anything they feared the couple might or might not say during the interview. “

Elsewhere, the epilogue claims Harry and Meghan quietly celebrated their second wedding anniversary last May, while lockdown restrictions were still in place in California. Instead of going out, the couple opted to spend the day remembering their 2018 nuptials with people who had attended the ceremony and concluded the festivities with a Mexican takeout at a local restaurant. They also exchanged cotton-based gifts, as is the tradition for second wedding anniversaries.

The book also examines more recent events, such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, which saw Prince Harry and Prince William come face to face for the first time in almost 15 months. Despite reports that Prince William had asked to distance himself from Prince Harry during the funeral procession, the brothers were seen discussing the day after the proceedings, which many saw as a possible sign of reconciliation.

In Find freedom, a source close to Harry called the funeral “surreal” for him, while another noted that in terms of relationship with the rest of the royal family, there had been “progress” and “efforts” from all sides”. Another added that there was more to be done in terms of repairing the relationship, but Harry’s visit to the UK for the funeral had “broken the ice”.

Meghan did not attend the funeral, a palace spokesperson saying at the time that she had made “every effort” to try to travel from the United States, but had not received medical clearance of her doctors to do it given how far she was. during her pregnancy with the couple’s second child. In Find freedom, the authors claim that several members of the royal family were “understood to have been” quietly happy “” that Meghan did not attend because they “did not want a circus” or, as one put it prominent royal source, “the duchess creating a spectacle”.

Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Creation of a Modern Royal Family by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, is published in paperback on August 31 (HQ, £ 9.99)

The Independent has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment