A new version of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s biography Finding Freedom is set to be released this summer, once more raking over royal rifts and addressing the couple’s explosive Oprah Winfrey interview.
The first edition, by authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, was published on August 11 last year and painted a flattering picture of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from when they met in 2016 to their departure from the Firm in early 2020.
It is now being updated with new chapters, covering their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey last month, the allegations that Meghan, 39, bullied royal staff – which she denies – and the death of Prince Philip, reports The Sunday Times.
The new version, which is also expected to discuss their multi-million pound deals with Netflix and Spotify, their new life in California and the Queen’s decision to strip them of their royal patronages including Harry’s military roles, will go on sale on August 5.
A new version of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s biography Finding Freedom is set to be released this summer, once more raking over royal rifts and addressing the couple’s explosive Oprah Winfrey interview
It was hoped that Harry and his brother William would start to build bridges following the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, but the reissue of Finding Freedom is only likely to aggravate tension between the Sussexes and the Firm, it has been claimed.
‘The Oprah interview detonated a bomb under the Royal Family and most of them are still reeling in shock. The book will not help,’ a senior courtier told the publication.
Another senior royal source added: ‘After Oprah, what else is there to say?’
Harry, 36, returned to the US on Tuesday, having flown in for Prince Philip’s funeral – his first trip back to Britain in a year and the first time he saw his family since making explosive allegations about royal racism during the interview with Oprah, in which he also claimed his father and brother are ‘trapped in the system’.
Harry, 36, returned to the US on Tuesday, having flown in for Prince Philip’s funeral – his first trip back to Britain in a year and the first time he saw his family since making explosive allegations about royal racism during the interview with Oprah (pictured)
The Duke missed the Queen’s 95th birthday on Wednesday and is believed to have met only once with Charles and William, with the rift caused by his decision to emigrate and pour his heart out to the chat show host still seemingly unresolved.
After the emotional funeral William and Harry took ‘baby steps’ towards healing their relationship when they walked back to Windsor Castle from St George’s Chapel together after being pushed together by peacemaker Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge.
Later there was a face-to-face meeting within the grounds of the castle between the brothers and their father Prince Charles. Harry had been widely reported to have been planning to stay for the Queen’s birthday, although sources said he was ‘conflicted’ about the decision and wanted to get home to Meghan, who is pregnant with their second child, a girl.
Finding Freedom, which was spotted on sale for 99p in January just five months after its release at £20, raised eyebrows for its gushing praise and intimate knowledge of Harry and Meghan, but the couple claimed they were not interviewed and did not contribute to the book.
Finding Freedom, by journalists Omid Scobie (left) and Carolyn Durand (right), raised eyebrows for its gushing praise and intimate knowledge of Harry and Meghan
It was declared a bestseller, with 31,000 copies sold in the UK in the first five days of its release, according to figures from data provider Nielsen Book.
The book offers a window into Meghan and Harry’s lives during their time as senior royals, and is full of details on their shock exit from the royal family.
It addresses the alleged rift between brothers Harry and William – with the former being ‘p****d off’ by his ‘snobbish’ sibling’s suggestion he take ‘as much time’ as he needed to get to know Meghan before proposing, as well as the relationship between their wives.
The book alleged that Meghan was ‘disappointed’ that Kate, 39, wasn’t ‘welcoming enough’.
Scobie said that while they did not interview the couple, ‘many’ friends gave them insights – providing ‘a lens to the couple through their friends and their circle of aides’.
After the emotional funeral William and Harry took ‘baby steps’ towards healing their relationship when they walked back to Windsor Castle from St George’s Chapel together
Royal expert Katie Nicholl said the authors may be the ‘only winners’ from the publication of Finding Freedom.
Writing in Vanity Fair, she asked if the book was ‘worth it for Harry and Meghan’ before adding: ‘The irony of Finding Freedom is that, locked down in their rented mansion in LA, the Sussexes have less freedom than they did when they lived in Windsor.’
Meanwhile she added that the book’s authors write that the monarchy had lost two of its greatest assets.
She concluded: ‘They, perhaps, might be the only winners in this rather sad story.’
