Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Insist They Did Not ‘Reignite Rift’ With Queen Elizabeth
Ever since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided to step down as senior royals and leave their life in the U.K. behind, news about a rift with other royals has been a topic of discussion. Reports of feuds with certain members of the family intensified when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex sat down with Oprah Winfrey for their explosive primetime special.
Now an updated version of the biography Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of A Modern Royal Family details what has gone on since that chat with the legendary talk show host. But claims are being made that the Sussexes have “reignited a rift” with Queen Elizabeth II. This has caused the couple to hit back and call their lawyers.
The claim made in updated chapter of ‘Finding Freedom’
A year after Finding Freedom first hit bookshelves an updated version is set to be released and already it’s making news following an excerpt that was published in People Magazine. The extract from the book discusses the accusation the Sussexes made in their sitdown with Oprah that a senior royal inquired about and voiced concerns about what Archie’s skin color would be. It claims that the duke and duchess are not happy that there has been no “accountability” taken within the family.
Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote: “The queen’s ‘recollections may vary’ comment did not go unnoticed by the couple, who, a close source said, were ‘not surprised’ that full ownership was not taken. ‘Months later and little accountability has been taken,’ a pal of Meghan added. ‘How can you move forward with that?’”
According to the New Zealand Herald, attorneys for Meghan and Harry decided to “distance them from those claims and threatened legal action should any media outlet suggest they had reignited a rift with the queen.”
What author Omid Scobie tweeted about the excerpt
Scobie has long been thought of as the pair’s spokesperson. The journalist has said that is not the case, however, he’s believed to be a confidant of Meghan and Harry’s and was even attended their private farewell engagement in the U.K.
He took to Twitter to reinterate that the information in the new chapter is merely from a “source.”
An insider told the Daily Beast: “[The Sussexes] created this issue themselves. As they talk to Scobie, they’ve made him their unofficial spokesman, so people buy into him.”
This has left some to wonder if the prince and his wife’s threat of legal action is just something to generate buzz around the latest edition of the biography or put the Sussexes allegations of racism against a senior royal back in the news.
Were Prince Harry and Meghan the sources for the book?
This news and the reissue of Finding Freedom brings up the question again about where the majority of information in the book actually came from. Because Scobie is the co-author of the book many believe Meghan and Harry were the sources due to the amount of detail that can’t come from just anyone.
The duke and duchess have denied that they were involved as did Scobie who told The Times: “The book doesn’t claim to have any interviews with Harry and Meghan. And nor do we.”
But many royal fans aren’t buying that especially after it was revealed that Meghan did pass information onto the authors to correct the narrative about her father, Thomas Markle, because she didn’t want any “misrepresentation.” A number of royal watchers have pointed out that since the duchess gave that information she could have certainly given much more considering that Finding Freedom is such a pro-Sussex biography.
