London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 30, 2025

Rift Between Royal Brothers Laid Bare in New Book Extract

Rift Between Royal Brothers Laid Bare in New Book Extract

Prince William infuriated Prince Harry when he told his younger brother he should move slowly in his relationship with the former Meghan Markle, fearing that he was being “blindsided by lust,’’ a new book on the Windsors says.
The second installment of a serialized version of the book “Finding Freedom,” which appeared in the Sunday Times, claimed that Harry was angered by what he perceived as William’s snobby tone in a discussion about the American actress when they were dating. Royal reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote that Harry disliked William’s advice to “take as much time as you need to get to know this girl."

The authors quote a source close to William as saying he didn’t want Harry to be “blindsided by lust.” The authors wrote that Harry “no longer felt as though he needed looking after,” and took it badly.

“In those last two words, ‘this girl’, Harry heard the tone of snobbishness that was anathema to his approach to the world,’’ the excerpt said, noting that Harry has spent 10 years in the military and outside the royal bubble.

“Also, to remove Meghan from the equation, Harry was tired of the dynamic that had become established between him and his older brother,’’ the authors added.

In announcing the book's publication, Harper Collins U.K. said the book by Scobie, royal editor of Harper’s Bazaar and Durand, Elle magazine's royal correspondent, would aim to capture “the real Harry and Meghan." The publisher said the authors have been given “unique access” and the cooperation of those closest to the couple.

Ahead of the book’s release, Harry and Meghan issued a statement denying taking part in the publication.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to ‘Finding Freedom’,’’ it said. “This book is based on the authors’ own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting.”

The book described how the rest of the family and the Royal Household also didn’t know what to make of Meghan. One senior courtier is said to have told a colleague: “There’s just something about her I don’t trust.” Another called her “Harry’s showgirl.’’

The excerpt is even harsher when it comes to the Duchess of Cambridge, suggesting she hardly rolled out the red carpet for Meghan, despite the similarity of challenges both would face.

“Though it was not necessarily her responsibility, Kate did little to bridge the divide. She was fiercely loyal to her husband and his family,’’ the authors wrote. “Once Harry and Meghan were married, the gap between the brothers only widened.

“William and Kate’s feelings seemed obvious to the Sussexes that summer and beyond. Among all the friends and family Harry and Meghan hosted at their house in Oxfordshire between May 2018 and March 2019, the Cambridges failed to visit,'' the excerpt said.

The book excerpts have focused on the months of palace intrigue surrounding the decision to step back from senior royal duties. The couple surprised the Royal Household in January by making public their plans to be more independent.

The couple wished to be part-time royals, but the idea fell apart during talks with the family. In January the queen outlined how the couple would step away from royal duties in March, at least for a while, but always remain part of the royal family.

Harry is sixth in the line for the throne, behind his father, Prince Charles, his brother William, and William’s three young children, George, Charlotte and Louis.

The couple have re-located to N orth America with their 14-month old son, Archie.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
Explosive Email Shows Sarah Ferguson Begged Forgiveness from Jeffrey Epstein After Taking His Money
×