The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have issued a furious new statement after parts of a new royal book, which includes bombshell claims about both of them, have been serialised online. In his forthcoming book, Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the Royal Family, extracts of which have been serialised by The Times Magazine, Tom Bower delves into the ongoing, strained relationship between the Houses of Sussex and Windsor.
The extract cites internal concerns, including from former Invictus Foundation head Dominic Reid, that sport and competitors were being overshadowed and that the Games had become “the Harry and Meghan show”. It also outlines poor audience turnout at events, crowd “padding” for the cameras, and competitors and families being eclipsed by tightly managed photo opportunities.
In response to The Times’ serialisation of Bower’s new book, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said: “Mr Bower’s commentary has long crossed the line from criticism into fixation.
“This is someone who has publicly stated, ‘the monarchy in fact depends on actually obliterating the Sussexes from our state of life,’ language that speaks for itself.
“He has made a career out of constructing ever more elaborate theories about people he does not know and has never met.
“Those interested in facts will look elsewhere; those seeking deranged conspiracy and melodrama know exactly where to find him.”
In his new book, Mr Bower alleges that Meghan issued a furious 11-word remark to Prince William during a reconciliation meeting between the two and their partners after the Sussexes’ honeymoon in 2018.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Prince and Princess of Wales were once close and dubbed the “Fab Four” soon after Meghan married into the Royal Family, however, things quickly took a turn for the worse.
Mr Bower delves into the reconciliation meeting between the two couples during which Meghan allegedly “snapped” at William, telling him: “If you don’t mind, get your finger out of my face.”
He writes: “The teatime reconciliation meeting between the brothers and their wives had spun out of control. Sitting in the Cambridges’ recently redecorated 20-room Kensington Palace apartment, soon after the Sussexes returned from their honeymoon in June 2018, Harry watched the confrontation escalate.
“William’s dislike of Meghan had been obvious after his warning to Harry before their engagement. ‘It’s gone too quickly,’ William had said about the speed of Harry’s relationship with ‘the American actress’. William’s suspicion of Meghan was echoed by his wife.”
Elsewhere in the book, Mr Bower makes some explosive claims about how Meghan allegedly wanted to use Prince Harry’s Invictus Games platform as a “global stage for genuine admiration and cheering fans”.
He writes: “Meghan needed a global stage for genuine admiration and cheering fans. To her good fortune, Harry agreed that she could star at the Invictus Games, which he was about to open in Canada.
“Just before flying up to Vancouver in a private jet, she alerted her Instagram followers.
“‘How should we address them?’ the Canadian organisers asked. ‘Meghan insists on ‘Ma’am’ and Harry should be called ‘Sir’,’ replied Nick Booth, the chief executive of the games.
“Booth had been parachuted into the post after the dismissal of two Canadian executives. Both had resented the pushy Sussexes, not least their exorbitant expenses for security, accommodation and a private jet. Unlike Harry’s own financial contributions to the Sentebale charity, his lifestyle expenses for Invictus were financed by government and corporate funding of the games.
“Booth was classed as a sycophant by the ousted executives. As Harry’s doorkeeper, Booth used the prince, alias an ‘attractive asset’, as a fundraiser to secure more money, to arrange TV coverage and tilt the media’s focus firmly towards the glamour of Harry and Meghan.”
He adds: “In the opinion of the departed Canadian executives, Meghan was a distraction from the injured veterans. ‘She’s bling, not rehabilitation,’ protested one of the men. ‘Harry can’t decide whether Invictus should be styled on the Olympics or a more intimate warrior games embracing the military family.’
“Caught halfway, they warned, the competition would once again be ignored by the media after the star-studded opening pop concert at the BC Place stadium. ‘We need bigger ambitions to bring in the audience,’ they said.
“Their criticism was echoed by Dominic Reid, the long-time head of the Invictus Foundation. Past coverage, admitted Reid, had been ‘disappointing’.
“He acknowledged that the media totally ignored the competitive aspect of the event. Reid blamed the Invictus leaders for allowing the games to become the Harry and Meghan show. And yet Nick Booth, with Harry’s encouragement, did not seem concerned. To get global attention, Booth was focused on the opening ceremony.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.express.co.uk ’
