Behind the scenes, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan have been riding a rollercoaster of emotions.
Of course, that’s not uncommon knowledge – it’s widely assumed the pair were struggling as they tried to live a life away from the cameras as much as possible while also fulfilling their royal duties.
WATCH: Harry and Meghan make last official appearance as senior royals
And it was this very reason the pair chose to step back from their roles in the first place.
Well, that’s certainly part of it, but according to an explosive new royal biography, the story is a lot more complicated than that.
Respected royal writers Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie have penned Finding Freedom, a book which unveils “the truth” behind the “misconceptions” of the Duke and Duchess.
Though it is due for release on August 11, an extract was published in The Times recently, and it’s given royal watchers a completely new perspective behind the Sussexes thought process.
Here, New Idea takes a look at the biggest revelations to come from the tell-all biography.
Meghan ‘gave up her entire life’ for the royals
The book claims that the Duchess felt she had to give up her “entire life” to be part of the royal family, and was hurt when it was suggested that her and Harry’s exit was entirely her own idea.
“The courtiers blame Meghan, and some family do,” a source said in the book.
According to the source, Meghan tearfully told a pal in March that she had been willing to do whatever it takes. “But here we are,” she reportedly told them. “It’s very sad.”
Rumours of a feud between Duchesses Catherine and Meghan were not true
In 2018, reports swept the world pertaining to a so-called feud between Duchesses Meghan and Kate.
From tears in rehearsals for the grand royal wedding to disagreements over treatment of staff, the headlines were drenched in reported “drama” between the two royals.But the book claims the feud had virtually no basis.
“The truth was that Meghan and Kate just didn’t know each other that well,” the royal writers explained in the book.
The biography also directly addressed those reports of Kate’s “tears” while Princess Charlotte was being fitted for her bridesmaids dress ahead of the royal wedding.
According to the writers, “Some of the children weren’t cooperating, and there was a lot going on.
“Everyone tried to help where they could, but it’s never easy with kids at fittings. There were no tears from anyone.”
Harry and Meghan believed royal households were leaking stories about them
According to Scobie and Durand, Harry and Meghan adopted a “trust no one” approach.
“There were just a handful of people working at the palace they could trust,” the pair reveal in the upcoming book.
“A friend of the couple’s referred to the old guard as ‘the vipers’.
“Meanwhile, a frustrated palace staffer described the Sussexes’ team as ‘the squeaky third wheel’ of the palace.”
The book claims that relations between the Sussexes and the Cambridges had deteriorated to a point that by March 2020, the couples were barely speaking.
If you cast your minds back, you may also remember the Commonwealth Day service, and the exchange that got everyone talking.
It was the first moment the two couples had been publicly seen together since Harry and Meghan announced their decision to step back as senior royals.
While the foursome, formerly dubbed the ‘Fab Four’ seemed amicable, royal watchers spoke widely of supposed tension between the couples.
The book references it to the point where their tensions had mounted by that March day, which led to the awkward encounter.
The beef was not between Meghan and Kate, but rather Harry and William
While there’s no denying there were tensions between the former Fab Four right up until this year, the book states this was not because of a feud between Kate and Meghan.
Indeed mounting tension between the two brothers dates right back to Harry and Meghan’s earliest courting days, where the book claims William told Harry not to rush things with Meghan.
“Don’t feel you need to rush this,” he said to his brother, sources say.
“Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl.”
If you read that sentence again, we’ll take a moment to let the phrase, ‘this girl’ sink in – apparently, those were the very words that ruffled Harry’s feathers.
“Harry could see through William’s words. He was being a snob,” a source close to Harry says in the book.
The Cambridges were upset at way Meghan and Harry went about their exit
According to a source, William was “hurt” more than “upset” at the way the Sussexes went about their exit.
As the pair’s announcement was made in January, the world was barely reeling for an hour before Buckingham Palace released another quick statement to clarify that no plans had been finalised.
Cue more reeling as it seemed to suggest some serious crossed wires within the royal fold.
Harry and Meghan felt like they took a “back seat”
While Harry and Meghan went about the duties we’d expect from any senior royals in the months following their wedding in 2018, the pair still felt they were given a “back seat”.
“While they both respected the hierarchy of the institution, it was difficult when they wanted to focus on a project and were told that a more senior ranking family member, be it Prince William or Prince Charles, had an initiative or tour being announced at the same time – so they would just have to wait,” an extract of the book states.
This article first appeared on Now To Love.
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