Prince Harry’s Friend Warned Him About Meghan Markle After Having ‘Doubts’ About Duchess, Book Claims
Prince Harry’s close childhood friend Tom “Skippy” Inskip reportedly had some concerns about Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, the new biography Finding Freedom claims. When Inskip warned Harry, the authors shared, there was a falling out between the friends.
Prince Harry’s friend reportedly had ‘doubts’ about Meghan Markle
In the book Finding Freedom, the authors claim that Inskip was “punished” for giving Prince Harry some well-intentioned advice about Meghan. Harry and Inskip had met in Eton College and were very close, but reportedly had a falling out after he told Harry he “had doubts” about Meghan while the two were dating.
According to the book (via The Telegraph), a source told the authors that Inskip advised Prince Harry that he and Meghan should live together before “doing anything more serious.” The insider added that Inskip’s warning “came from a good place,” but that Prince Harry “didn’t totally see it that way” and was left “hurt” by the suggestion.
“It really hurt him that someone he was so close to would not trust his judgment,” the source added, leading to Inskip and his wife Lara being “punished” by not being part of the Sussexes’ wedding party at Frogmore House.
Celebrity friends, however, were in attendance at the event, including Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney.
Prince Harry didn’t like Prince William’s advice about Meghan either
If this report is true, Inskip shouldn’t feel too badly because Prince Harry also reportedly took offense to the advice his own brother offered him.
Finding Freedom’s authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claim that Prince Harry and Prince William’s relationship took a turn for the worse after William shared his advice about Meghan.
Prince Harry reportedly didn’t respond well to William because he referred to Meghan as “this girl.”
In an excerpt from the book published by The Times, the authors quote sources who shared the details of the brothers’ conversation. “Don’t feel you need to rush this,” an insider explained Prince William said. “Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl.”
“Harry was pissed off,” another source explained. “Pissed off that his brother would ask such a thing.”
“Some felt it was an overreaction,” they added. “But then, this sums them up as people — William, the calm and rational one, and Harry, who can’t help but take things far too personally.”
Prince Harry found the advice to be condescending
The book’s authors further write about the way that Harry reportedly perceived William’s opinion. “In those last two words, ‘this girl,’ Harry heard the tone of snobbishness that was anathema to his approach to the world,” the authors explain.
They add, “During his 10-year career in the military, outside the royal bubble, he had learnt not to make snap judgments about people based on their accent, education, ethnicity, class or profession.”
“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 note. “There had come a point when Harry no longer felt as though he needed looking after.”
Despite William looking out for his brother, “There was a thin line between caring and condescending,” Scobie and Durand write.
