In the months since the now-infamous "Megxit",
much speculation has been made of why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were driven to resign from their
duties as senior members of the royal family in favor of a life of independence in Los Angeles.
Now, a new book by two journalists centered entirely on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's
break from the rest of the royals is providing an in-depth look at what went on behind the scenes.
It has also revealed some shocking information about how Prince William
and Kate Middleton played a larger part in Megxit than anyone would have guessed.
In newly released excerpts from Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal
Family, which was published in August 2020, authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand cite
anonymous sources with firsthand access to the goings-on in the royal court. The insiders claim
jealousy played a significant role in Harry and Meghan's decision to sever ties with the Windsors.
Finding Freedom argues that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's life pre-"Megxit"
was rife with turmoil. Though neither Harry nor Meghan were interviewed for Finding Freedom,
a reportedly "extensive" number of court insiders and friends of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
are said to have contributed to the biographical book. Ultimately, most of them came to a similar
conclusion: that Harry and Meghan felt, quote, "unprotected" by those who surrounded them, and
William and Kate were among the most prominent to close ranks and allegedly "freeze" the couple out.
The supposed mistreatment of both Harry and Meghan was seemingly instigated by William and Kate.
Whether intentionally or not, Harry and Meghan felt that William and Kate were only too happy
to benefit from the Sussexes' lack of popularity. As the Daily Mail reported,
"Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were frustrated that William and Kate got
all the best official roles and felt 'cut adrift' from the Royal Family and 'viper' courtiers."
Adding insult to injury, Prince Harry apparently felt that projects he collaborated on with
his wife, Meghan Markle, most of which were philanthropic in nature, were given a "backseat"
to those helmed by Prince William and their father, Prince Charles. But according to Finding
Freedom, the further slights against the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were even worse, and dangerously
insidious. Tensions were inadvertently heightened between the royal family and Meghan and Harry
due to alleged racism and racist attitudes. According to the writers of Finding Freedom,
"[T]here are individuals who may like to take a look at how they view the world."
The lack of repercussions for those who perpetuated these
behaviors reportedly led Meghan to confess to a trusted friend,
“I gave up my entire life for this family. I was
willing to do whatever it takes. But here we are. It’s very sad.”
Though it's not apparent whether or not Prince William or Kate Middleton participated in any
of these racism-driven behaviors alluded to in excerpts of the book Finding Freedom,
William and Kate's handling of the situation at large didn't seem to help much, either. Indeed,
the book suggests that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's decision to side with the family,
rather than sticking up for Harry or Meghan, only
intensified feelings of jealousy and anger over perceived favoritism. This
also added to feelings of increasingly apparent isolation for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
"Its... it's, umm, hard."
Things came to a head at the last royal event both couples participated in back in March at
Westminster Abbey, in which William seemed to ignore the couple, and Kate
went as far as to refuse to make eye contact with her sister-in-law. According to Scobie and Durand,
"Although Meghan tried to make eye contact with Kate, the duchess barely acknowledged her."
As Scobie told The Times of the incident,
"To purposefully snub your sister-in-law [...] I don't think
it left a great taste in the couple's mouths."
Now that Harry and Meghan have officially resigned from their duties as senior royals,
it seems that their estrangement from William and Kate shows no signs of reversing anytime soon,
and if the accounts in Finding Freedom are indeed accurate,
it's pretty apparent that Meghan and Harry's feelings might be perfectly justified.
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