With just three months before Meghan and Harry’s explosive tell-all book hits shelves, the royal family is bracing itself for what could be yet another devastating blow by the disgruntled couple.
WATCH: Moment Prince Charles sternly tells Meghan and Harry to ‘stand back’
Royals expert Phil Dampier has told New Idea that Buckingham Palace is now fearful the duke and duchess will use the publication of the upcoming biography to “take revenge” and “settle scores”.
Thoroughly Modern Royals: The Real World of Harry and Meghan is due to be released
on August 11. It’s expected the couple will include details about their reasons for stepping down as senior royals earlier this year and their anger and upset at Meghan’s treatment.
“There will be fears the couple want to settle scores and put their spin on what went wrong with Meghan’s brief royal life,” Phil explains.
“The Queen has done everything she can to make them feel welcome and leave the door open for them to return. But this book [is] only going to make things much worse. The royals will be worried that Harry and Meghan [will] try to take revenge with this.”
While no details have been given about the contents of the book, other royals experts have pointed out that its timing is significant.
Originally set for release around the time of Archie’s birth, according to a report in the Mail on Sunday, the book was put back because of the rapid and continuing changes in the couple’s lives after that time.
In the months that followed, reports of Prince Harry and Prince William’s relationship breaking down were all but confirmed by the Duke of Sussex in his interview as part of the Harry & Meghan: An African Journey documentary.
In the same program, Meghan broke with royal tradition by talking about how difficult she found the intense public scrutiny and how friends had warned her the British media would attempt to “destroy” her.
Now royal insiders believe the couple will use the platform of this new book to reveal what really happened behind the scenes around this time and in the lead up to the Megxit announcement, as well as settling scores with members of the royal family.
Last week it appeared the couple, who are now thought to be living in a gated Beverly Hills mansion, were taking their first step in airing these grievances.
According to a report on Mail Online, before stepping down, Harry frequently approached Prince Charles and the Queen about Meghan being bullied by the media and requested the palace change royal protocol so critical outlets were blocked from access. Harry’s father and grandmother, however, “wouldn’t do anything” to appease the disgruntled prince, according to a source.
The insider also claimed Meghan told close friends the palace would have intervened
if her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge, had been treated similarly and this “irritated” her and Harry.
Now Phil Dampier fears Harry and Meghan could use their tell-all book to take aim at Kate and William, who have only cemented popularity among royal fans amid the current COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s the personal stuff, particularly about their relationship with William and Kate, that could be most messy,” he points out.
“If Harry repeats the cry that William didn’t welcome Meghan and queried if she was suitable princess material, the brothers will fall out again and it will become impossible for them to heal the rift,” he said.
For more, pick up the latest issue of New Idea. Out now!
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