Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors

by Tom Bower

The British Royal Family believed that the dizzy success of the Sussex wedding, watched and celebrated around the world, was the beginning of a new era for the Windsors. Yet, within one tumultuous year, the dream became a nightmare. In the aftermath of the infamous Megxit split and the Oprah Winfrey interview, the Royal Family's fate seems persistently threatened.

The public remains puzzled. Meghan's success has alternatively won praise, bewildered and outraged. Confused by the Sussexes' slick publicity, few understand the real Meghan Markle. What lies ahead for Meghan? And what has happened to the family she married into? Can the Windsors restore their reputation?

With extensive research, expert sourcing and interviews from insiders who have never spoken before, Tom Bower, Britain's leading investigative biographer, unpicks the tangled web of courtroom drama, courtier politics and thwarted childhood dreams to uncover an astonishing story of love, betrayal, secrets and revenge.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Audiobook, Royalty, History, Biography Memoir, British Literature

465 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 21, 2022

About the author

For the author of works on child development, see T.G.R. Bower

Tom Bower (born 28 September 1946) is a British writer, noted for his investigative journalism and for his unauthorized biographies.

A former Panorama reporter, his books include unauthorised biographies of Tiny Rowland, Robert Maxwell, Mohamed Al-Fayed, Geoffrey Robinson, Gordon Brown and Richard Branson.

He won the 2003 William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award for Broken Dreams, an investigation into corruption in English football. His joint biography of Conrad Black and Barbara Amiel Conrad and Lady Black: Dancing on the Edge was published in November 2006, and an unsuccessful libel case over a passing mention of Daily Express proprietor Richard Desmond in the book was heard in July 2009.

An unauthorised biography by Bower of Richard Desmond, provisionally entitled Rough Trader, awaits publication. Bowers's biography of Simon Cowell, written with Cowell's co-operation, was published on 20 April, 2012.

Bower is married to Veronica Wadley, former editor of the London Evening Standard, and has four children.

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 4 out of 5]

Update What is the US coming to? "Joe Biden's political activist sister Valerie has endorsed Meghan Markle as a woman she would back for the White House. And despite having never stood for election, the former TV actress is topping a poll of Democrats asked which woman they would vote for. She ties with vice president Kamala Harris and is ahead of Hillary Clinton." Markle is a proven liar, lies to Oprah, lied in Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family about collaborating with the authors on this hagiographic book (she had to admit it in court), lied about so many things and now Biden's daughter and a Democrat poll think she should stand for President of the United States? The mind boggles....
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Review Revenge is something Meghan and Harry can't get enough of, it's mother's milk to them. Also publicity. I wonder how Harry likes being in showbiz? Meghan has finally got top-billing, quite a way up from acting in a cable tv show with no hopes of Hollywood. The question now is when will the public have had enough? Netflix is showing commercials of their upcoming show which has been dubbed 'Oprah with more crying', but the stills do not come from events with Meghan but from all sorts of other ones, including the US, and from before they were even a couple. It is believed that Americans won't care about the truth only about Meghan's story, she being an American princess and it makes out that the English are even more racist than they are (which they aren't). Two malcontents making $88M from their story of woe.

Meghan tells lies. She lied on Oprah, she lied in court about not having any involvement at all in the hagiography Omid Scobie wrote Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family. She said she 'forgot' she had collaborated on it, suggested things he might write about and gave him her full participation. Meghan lied about growing up an only child, her half brother and sister were in the house. Meghan lies, but since it is the initial statement that has impact and few people even notice apologies and retractions, it is a good way to operate if it's bringing you fame and fortune.

I didn't see the Oprah interview, I probably won't watch the Netflix documentary, Edit I did! The British press will be outraged, the American press will praise her for her strength in standing up to this nasty racist institution which set out not to have her as a rather beautiful and glamorous working member but to destroy her from the moment she met Harry (she just got an award for that, which is kind of sick as there are a lot of people working against racism who really deserve it rather than Meghan who plays the race card when she doesn't have anything else to defend her behaviour with.

How many more tales can they sell? Neither of them have any talents or skills, they just live off slagging other people off and making sure they are in the press everyday. If they didn't have the titles Duke and Duchess but were Mr and Mrs Harry Windsor, they would disappear into the world of showbiz parties and speaking engagements.

These are awful people. Even if the royal institution is pretty awful itself - financial corruption is major. King Charles takes money from Saudi Arabians for citizenship and titles, for his charity projects - restoring a grand old house he bought in Scotland. He also takes money to have people invited to banquets and seated near him. But this is not the subject of the book. … And What Do You Do?: What The Royal Family Don't Want You To Know is the one to read for that.

It's actually quite a good book, quite fair in many ways. A good read definitely. But probably out of date as soon as the Netflix series airs.
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Update 3 The death of the Queen has exposed more of Meghan's lies. Moaning on Oprah that the royals were so racist that Archie wasn't made a prince because he would be black and therefore not get any police protection. Harry let it go through even though he knew it was lies. The children and grandchildren of the monarch get titles. The heir's first born son's children get titles, these are the great grandchildren of the second heir So now Charles is King his grandchildren get titles, included Meghan's two. She knew all that but thought she could get sympathy and more celebrity for playing the race card.

Police protection has nothing to do with having a title or not. Andrew's daughters both princesses don't have it. Meghan knew that too. Lies lies lies.

Meghan's truth is whatever she says and does not necessarily bear any relationship to facts. Her latest is her half sister challenging her in court as Meghan says she grew up an only child when she actually grew up with her half sister and brother. Meghan says she 'felt' like an only child and feelings can't be challenged.... Well that is the way the West is going isn't it? For now.
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Update 2 If you find something in a book that is not true, it makes you doubt everything doesn't it? Meghan's 'game' in the media, especially interviews is to rely on no one actually knowing the truth (in the US) and so she gets away with it. The author is playing exactly the same game.

Now I don't doubt what he wrote in the book is true as he has the texts and emails from all the disgruntled people Meghan pissed off in one way or another. But the ending he is hoping no one knows and will question. He writes that the recent disastrous tour of the Caribbean by Princess William and wife was the result of Meghan and her the royals-are-racist etc schtick and so all the little islands rebelled against the Queen (and anything colonial). He obviously didn't think anyone political in the Caribbean would read this.

That's me! I'm from a top political family in the Caribbean and the disastrous tour had nothing to do with Meghan at all. It has been brewing for so long. Barbados pulled out after many years planning to become a republic with one of the best and most intellectual politicians Mia Amor Mottley as prime minister. Jamaica has been talking about it so long, that it only needed the spur of Barbados for them to finally speak out. Grenada and St Lucia are just pissed off with colonialism and the Chinese are busy funding projects and teaching them Mandarin.

There is an outlier, the British Virgin Islands, they want to be British, they like the Queen, they think their own politicians (the Premier Andrew Fahie is in prison in Miami awaiting trial on drug and corruption charges) they are happy to be a colonial outpost at least right now.

Nothing at all to do with Meghan. So although there is no way of doubting Meghan's lies (she swore an affidavit prepared by her lawyer that she didn't know anything about Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Familyand then in court had to admit she gave 31 point briefing of what she wanted written in the book and collaborated fully).

Her latest is her half-sister Samantha suing her for saying she grew up an only child, when in fact she didn't and her mother Doria had her step-children living with her. Meghan's get out is that whereas it wasn't factually correct, she was expressing how she felt... what a load of bollocks.
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"Private faces in public places Are wiser and nicer Than public faces in private places," WH Auden. Meghan's private face to anyone who didn't fall in with her, from childhood, through the absolute horridness of her relationship with her father to the Queen herself, is not reflected in her public face of beauty, warmth, concern and helping others lead a better life, she can act! She never got an offer from Hollywood, she never got another meaningful acting job other than Suits (which was a rather small cable tv show watched by only 1 million. Her talent was not recognised by others in the acting industry. One wonders if it is because they are like that? I'm thinking Amanda Heard, Ellen deGeneres, Naomi Campbell...
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I've read about ten chapters so far, learned quite a bit. Meghan's mother was a hippy-dippy make up artist who either failed a makeup artist exam or couldn't get work, with such a disorganised view of family and life that Meghan chose to live with her father who financed everything and spoiled her. He turned her into what she is today when he and her mother decided, on her birth, that whatever Meghan wants, Meghan gets.

Later chapters focus on her naked ambition to be famous and rich and a real somebody in this world. She rewrites documented history as and when she thinks it will help her. Says one thing one year, and years later, this is rewritten. The author does attribute positive values to Meghan too, but they come across as damning with faint praise.

Since Meghan warned everyone not to talk to Tom Bower, the 80 people he did talk to were no longer in her circle. He says he rigorously fact-checked everything, and it does look that way, there isn't much if any unsupported opinion that I have read this far. But I have to wonder if her mouthpiece from days of yore to the present, Omid Scobie, who is happy to present Meghan in a shining light and lie for her, Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family wouldn't have taken the exact same story and found a different spin. (The lies. He and Meghan swore in the book and in the publicity that this was an unauthorised story that Meghan had nothing, nothing, nothing to do with. In court, Meghan said in fact yes she had collaborated on it (even suggesting chapters) but had 'forgotten' that.)

So whereas the schadenfreude of taking a celebrity down is quite rewarding and it seems to be absolutely true, there is more than one way of looking at this, and I'm well aware that a friend of Meghan's might not see her life in quite this way.

That said, she deserves it. I didn't watch the Oprah interview but anyone who invites someone (lots of people) they don't know to their wedding in order to procure future fame and fortune must also realise that publicity isn't all one-sided much as she might get her PR team to try and control it.

[Jaidee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 "scathing, sharp, critical" stars !!!

Runner Up -THE GUILTY PLEASURE AWARD OF 2022

Mr. Bower knows the hypocrisies, shenanigans and wicked deeds of the rich, of the social climbers, of the established royalty as well as the falseness of celebrity social justice warriors. Nothing is left untouched here and we bear witness in minute detail to the Machiavellian antics of Meghan Markle and the misguided manufactured victimhood of her consort Prince Harry. Add to the mix an unrelenting fickle fan base, frenzied media and an increasingly irrelevant British royal family and you have not only a very dark soap opera but a mirror image of disparity within not only Western culture but the unceasing suffering of the third world which act as a backdrop to Yves St. Laurent haute couture.



On a simpler note this book is about really shitty people doing shit to other shitty people while the rest of the world is trying to either get their shit together or trying to better their shitty existence.

Well done but also infuriating and a very sad reflection as to who we are as a species !

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐

I want to preface this review with two things:

1. I have known about Meghan since 2011. I watched Suits from the day it premiered. I have never been a fan of Meghan, I always thought she felt inauthentic and calculated.
2. I am also not a fan of the British Royal Family or the idea of monarchies in general. The divine rights of kings is a concept best left in the 19th century.

Ok, so now, the book.

It seems that Harry has well and truly made a mess of his life. Some of the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the Royal Family, for not better instilling in him a purpose in life and a raison d'etre. Most of the responsibility though, falls on Harry himself for being a 30-something year old man baby who never outgrew his childhood trauma.

The main issue with this book is not the book itself, but who it is ultimately about. The only interesting thing about Meghan is her SHEER AUDACITY in thinking she could come in and change a 1000 year old institution, and her ability to completely sever people from her life once she has gotten every scrap of use out of them. There is not an authentic bone in her body.

In Meghan's own words: She is such a fraud.

She claims her treatment in England was unfair when: she never tried to fit in with the Royal Family, she acted like a spoiled brat from day one, she bullied staff, demanding the family change for her instead of the other way around. She wanted to have her cake and eat it too. She wanted the fame, the money, the adoration, and none of the work.
And when she didn't get what she wanted, she ran away to whine about "racism" to Oprah. It seems like with Meghan, anything and anyone that doesn't kiss her ass is "racist". Give me a break.

Will Harry one day wake up and smell the roses, and realize the absolute mess he has made of his life? How big of a clown he is making himself out to be? The fact that he is now"Just Harry" while his social climing wife demands to be THE Duchess of Sussex, a place she probably could not find on a map of England.

Overall, if you know anything about Meghan and Harry, this book is nothing new. There are no bombshell revelations, mainly confirmation of what has up til now been mostly speculation. But, Tom Bowers has done his homework, and he's brought his receipts. It's well worth a read.

[Margitte · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have trouble finding this book in the US, order it from amazon UK.

With dedication and meticulous research, Tom Bower set the record straight on the Meghan Brand and the lies(that would destroy many people) and bring seismic changes to the Royal family and Harry's lives. She relied heavily on her version of her truth to launch herself into fame and fortune. It is a fascinating tale of an actress who wanted to establish herself as an activist, feminist and philanthropist. Her involvement in any endevour would be strictly on her own terms.

Published June 2022.

According to this book:

For Meghan everything was about financial security. She would sell out everyone who did not agree with her visions or her ideas. She was scared of poverty. Like many people before her, and many afterwards, she would rise to the top on her own steam and believes. That's what she banked on. The more famous a person become, the wealthier and secure they are. If fame can do it for them, it can do it for her.

From her birth Meghan got what she wanted. Her father made it happen. "What Meghan wants, Meghan gets." Little did he know that he was creating a little narcissist monster, however cute as a button, which would come back to haunt him. Her friends initially believed that she was warm, sincere and loyal. They too got the door firmly slammed shut in their faces when they became redundant to her ideals and dreams. The higher she tried to raise above her station, the more bodies(fractured relationships) piled up to stand on. She built the ladder, she alone would climb it. Even her father was history in the end.

When all else seemed to fail, even her many websites to become an influencer, her last chance to become rich and famous, was Prince Harry. Hollywood did not want her. Suits the TV-series, did not bring fame, she was not going to be an A-lister. She tried every trick in the book to be introduced to A-listers, such as Emma Watson and Nichole Kidman, but was shunned. It made her more determined. She was Meghzilla in the making. In in her mind's eye, Meghan, the brand, was winning.

Although she came over as friendly, compliant and considerate to work with in the small parts she managed to swing in Hollywood, she could not ace more prominent roles in auditions. She did not make it further than the auditions. Meghan was unable to lose herself and become a character. Instead she tried to change the characters to become her. Her telephone never brought her the 'eurekas' she so desperately craved. Hollywood did not cater to that kind of narcissistic self-importance. She just could not get over herself, is the long and short of it.

She controlled the way her character Rachel Zane was portrayed in Suits. The creator of the series, Aaron Korsch, constantly had to change the script on her command, while she was not one of the main characters.

"Falsus in unum, falsus in omnibus" - Lie about one thing, lie about it all.
Meghan rewrote her history. It was important to correspond with the stepping stones she wanted to use to rise above her own mediocrity (or social nothingness). The real Meghan had nothing to sell. The carefully curated, and forensically planned fantasy-Meghan had a better chance to succeed.

In 2014 she wrote in her Working Actress blog: 'I work long hours, I travel for press, my mind memorises. My mind spins. My days blur. My nights are restless. My hair is primped, my face is painted, my name is recognized, my star meter is rising, my life is changing.'

She tried to claim that her distant great great great Irish grandmother Mary Bird lived in Malta and got married in 1860 to Thomas Bird. It was said that Mary Bird was employed as a cook in 1856 at Windsor Castle. However, Malta was in the mix in another way. Thomas Bird married Marry McCue in Donnybrook, Dublin in January 1860 (clearly excluding any employment in Windsor Castle). Bird was then posted with his wife to India, and briefly to Malta.

Some of the facts, which cruelly and rudely burst her fantasy-Meghan bubble:
She grew up white, never worked while in school, wasn't present with uprisings in Los Angeles, did not live in poverty in a small converted garage in Hollywood with her father, and was not bullied in school as a mixed-race child. She did not work her way through college all by herself. Did not happen. Daddy paid all the way. She claimed she spent ten years of her life on the set of Married With Children in the afternoons after school. Nope, it was her Friday afternoon treat only. She also claimed that she spent her 'entire senior year' working at the US embassy in Argentina, when it was only five weeks.

The entire book exposes the constant contradictions and lies on numerous occasions to self-indulge and promote herself.

Without these elements there would be nothing to sell. She just did not expect the backlash from the people who set her record straight. They would regret it. As hard as she tried to control the narrative, it just did not work that way. Thomas Markle got sick of her lies, was offended, and decided to speak up. And so did many of her former friends and other people in the industry.

A good word for Meghan: She chose admirable role models for herself, like Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton(politically), with Emma Watson and Angolina Jolie(philanthropy and Hollywood). Strong women who set a perfect example of how to rise from obscurity to respectable prosperity, come what may. When Hollywood was not producing the fame and fortune, politics would. Or so she schemed.

Her introduction to the Royal family, clashed with her script. She no longer was running the show, and it was a much different fame than she ever bargained for. It came at a very high price and several caveats she did not anticipate. A price she was not willing to pay in the end. But with her now world fame, she figured she can return to Hollywood and control the show from there, since her efforts in Britain failed dismally. She wasn't the queen, nor Princess Diana 2.0. There were protocols and etiquette she did not accept, neither understood. It also did not benefit her own political or commercial agenda. The royal duties were overwhelming. She was after all not there to serve her new country. She was there to serve the Meghan Brand. Trouble is, she was not the main focus of a thousand-year-old monarchy, called the Windsor Brand, neither the best thing since sliced bread. While aiming to become a Princess Diana 2.0, instead became another Wallis Simpson, but with a plan. She became ruthless in her revenge against the Queen Mother and particularly William and Kate. In retrospect she might have succeeded much more if she chose Grace Kelly as role model.

One can only hope that she will have the insight to realize that the monarchy is feuling her dreams in Hollywood and the political stage in America. Her claim to victimhood might work for the dollars to role in. For now. To become rich, she needs the royals. They do not need her. She created the new Harry as a stepping stone. She will have to maintain him, cherish him and ensure his survival in her self-important Meghan Brand, or she's toast.

On the other hand,she soon realised that her husband was the actual attraction. After connecting up with Harry, she finally gained access to the media. She was interviewed to talk about him. He was the popular global icon, although she tried very hard to take over the narrative to promote herself instead. It did not work.

She was smart enough to quickly change from the Meghan- to the Sussex Brand. As long as he is willing to be sold, he will make it. "What Meghan wants. Meghan gets." - became his trade off, even an extortion vise in the battle with The Royal Firm. The Firm could never foresee the revenge that was coming their way when they refused her demands.

They might become the next Kardashians for all we know. However, she needs the royals as bait, to achieve that. AND play her cards right.

Contrary to popular believe, the Royals all cash in on their titles and influence, but they have never put their own interests ahead of their country's.

I enjoyed reading the tale of Meghan Markle. Her ups and downs, her good and bad. She is a remarkable person, writing her own real fairy tale in the grim reality of fame and fortune in the politics of Hollywood's fantasy land for grown-ups. Her carefully calculated plans might just pay off. I am enough, she says. We better believe her. Unlike the Kardashians who developed their own merchandise, she might as well become the greatest 'influencer' who ever lived by getting paid to destroy a thousand-year-old-institution. That’s her ready-made merchandise. As long as she can uphold her role as martyr and victim, she will make money. She is first and foremost a businesswoman. Everything is calculated on commercial terms.

The author concluded:
Infused with American identity, Meghan had abandoned any pretence of interest in British culture. Endorsed by the Obamas, the presidential Joe Biden an the Clintons, she had become in America a courageous radical hero of her era.

... Meghans meteoric rise, was spectacular (thanks to the Royal family who gave her the opportunity).

... Merely four years since their wedding the Sussexes had transformed the Royal Family from a relatively harmonious group, embracing multiculturism as part of their service to Britain and the Commonwealth, into a beleaguered institution uncertain of its future. Single-handedly, and for considerable financial gain, the Sussexes had tarnished the Queen's global reputation for unblemished decency. To their harshest critics, they had become agents of destruction.

... The Sussexes' credibility and coffers required them to grandstand from California as members of the very family they unceasingly damned.

... In her own terms Meghan's career had been an astounding success. Thanks to her father she had prospered despite her parent's divorce and, during her school years, her mother's frequent absence. Thereafter her acting career and personal relationships had been a mixed success. At 24 she had faced an uncertain future. Meeting Harry (which she orchestrated) had delivered the fame and fortunes she had sought since childhood. Engineering that encounter and overcoming the justified doubters among Harry's family exposed the determination of a Hollywood survivor. Toughness came with a price.

...Concealing humiliation to achieve success had transformed a compassionate young woman into a merciless opportunist. To advance herself she not only abandoned her father and close friends, but first misled Harry's relations and then been accused of lying to Oprah Winfrey. The consequences for the Windsors were irrelevant to Meghan. She only considered the advantages for herself. Her television appearance with Winfrey had reinforced her global celebrity. The question was whether her damage to others, in revenge for their refusal to meet her demands, would eventually result in self-destruction.

... In the medium term her fate is uncertain. Until now the Sussexes' only guaranteed income is trading off the family they have betrayed. But at 40, Meghan remains ambitious — if only to finance her lifestyle. Money remains a permanent incentive.

"When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace becomes a circus" ~Turkish Proverb.

[Maxine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will be like marmite- depending on which side of the fence you sit with the Sussex duo.
I loved it - it reenforced everything I already though about the twosome.

I was suprised that the pair are even worse than I thought, and all the facts in the book are backed up by cross references, so we know that they are facts, and not just "Megan facts"!.

I simply couldn't put it down, some may say that says more about me, but it was fascinating, and I must admit I have a lot more sympathy for Thomas Markle now than I did before.

If you have an interest in our royals, this is a must read.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a book such as this, especially on my side of the pond, it is difficult to ascertain the veracity of what is written. I know little about Meghan, did not watch Suits, nor since I'm not an Oprah fan,watch the much talked about interview. This was, however, an titillating listening experience, sort of like being the proverbial fly on the wall. Was there bias? Quite possibly. Is there truths revealed? Also possible. So, all I can say I conclusion is that even if half of this is truth, Harry may have bitten off more than he can chew. At the very least, he has his hand full.

The narration was excellent.

[Vivienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this is not the kind of book I would normally read, I was annoyed to hear from American friends that it was being ‘suffocated’ in the USA by the Sussexes’ PR firm to protect their ‘brand’. So, I borrowed the audiobook from the library and obtained the ebook via Kindle Unlimited.

First of all, I am neither a monarchist nor a republican. I feel that my attitude to the Royal Family is quite down to earth, though do have enormous respect for the Queen.

In my reading of this book I didn’t feel that Tom Bower had done a hatchet job on Meghan Markle. He presented already known information about her life and behaviour; including her ambition and willingness to use and discard people. He also does give credit to her for being a hardworking actress.

I was surprised when he wrote that during her short tenure as working Royal that she had demonstrated little interest in the United Kingdom and its history. She seemed more interested in the freebies and posh wardrobe and lording it about.

It seems as if Harry had been indulged in his choice of bride, a woman who never seemed to realise the role of the Royal Family in a constitutional monarchy is about service to the country and its peoples. We no longer live in the Middle Ages or pre-Revolutionary France.

Like many, I found the Oprah Winfrey interview cloying and wondered what on Earth Harry was thinking in agreeing to it. That so many inaccuracies came to light almost immediately made it even worse. As Bower writes: “Facts could never undermine Meghan’s truth”.

So, ‘Revenge’ was eye opening and frankly as sad as it is for the Queen to have one of her grandsons turn out this way, I hope that they are completely dropped by the Royal Family. They certainly are not missed.

[Lois · Rating 1 out of 5]

I revisited this as part of my reread of the biography's published between 2018 and when Harry's memoir, 'Spare' is released in January.
I read this so recently it made no sense to count it as a reread when I just really quickly revisited this.
I don't really feel any differently than I did 5 months ago.
This is a vitriolic and highly cynical look at Meghan and Harry.
Honestly as more is released from the couple themselves, this just comes off as both an attempt to make a quick tidy profit and a pre-emptive strike at the couple and any gossip they may reveal. It is beyond overkill and probably the most biased of the books I've read on the couple so far.
At least the next couple books are ones I haven't read before.
So there's that at least.

Original Review Summer 2022:
Malicious nonsense🤷🏾‍♀️
Why are *racist* British folks so hateful and bigoted?
Most of this was debunked long ago.
It's not even worth getting into the specifics.
Sigh

This feels like race based bigotry because the pedophile prince is just rarely mentioned while the author practically foams at the mouth at the mention of Meghan.

I was glad to read this:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentis...

Only Fox *faux* News really deals with these nonsense hit pieces against Meghan in the states which strengthens the racism angle.

I hope the haters die mad and sooner rather than later.

Edited to add: I pirated an audiobook copy of this.

[CeeJayBee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional. I literally read the book in a day. The level of detail is absolutely astounding. Well done Tom Bower!

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty grim reading but so well researched, and probably quite correct.
Hard to believe that two such financially privileged people are so happy to diss their respective families for money
Beyond belief!

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

For context: I’m writing this after Harry’s ghost-written biography came out (on top of all the rest of it). I don’t want to read it but since it was leaked I already know what it says anyway. It seemed like people couldn’t stop talking about it. And worse taking his word for it (that is a privilege that would not be given to ordinary people for good reason). I will never stop being surprised that with a war on, inflation, people who cannot afford to pay their bills, climate change, people suffering from life long effects of illness, etc this is the situation that is supposed to deserve all our compassion. Really, this is supposed to top all of that?

So I read this to see how we got here. Everyone wanted them to succeed (their family because it would be good for the monarchy and the public because they loved Harry). It should have been a great success and yet, here we are. A biography, docuseries, interviews and even guest appearances on comedy shows later and the story keeps changing and the truths keep contradicting themselves.

I for one will be thrilled when he stops invading his own privacy.

And while he is at it stop invading the privacy of others by sharing private conversations. They did not chose his path of a "private" life in Hollywood and so their lives are not fair game to talk about.

That being said I am not looking at this from a conservative or progressive standpoint, just common sense. Not politics of any kind.

Now on to the review.

When I saw this book I was like let me read this instead Tom Bower is a practiced biographer and as I saw here he doesn’t just sum up rumours for sales. He talked to over 80 people to make sure he got his facts straight and it reflects on the quality of this book.

He gives us an overview of Meghan’s life before Harry, the family she grew up in and the hopes and dreams she had. Which reveals an unwavering single-minded determination. I have the impression that this is a defining characteristic for how this is going to go in future.

He also addresses Harry and his life (though being a son of Diana we already know far more about it) and partly how he and William dealt with the loss of their mother as teenagers. He is not romantizing that and mistakes were clearly made. Nor do I get the impression that royal life is always easy (the fact that it is so public and everyone has sky high expectations either good or bad has something to do with that).

So fast forward until Harry and Meghan meet since that is when things kick off properly. They have some key similarities. They both want to have a happy marriage, which is good. They have hopes of making their mark on the world (which could have been good, especially considering the resources they had), but then came their obsession with what the gossip rags said about them. True or not. And Diana. The fact that he keeps saying she is so much like his mother, telling everyone while few people agree with him, is not good. Which of course leads to the fact that he does not prepare her for what is to come ahead. She was underprepared, there was never going to be any hitting the ground running. In my country we have a constitution monarchy as well. It is an institution that goes slow since they exist by the publics consent. Meghan (due to her job) is used to being her own brand. If you are a working royal your brand is your country, the love for your country, the work you do for the charities in your country and lifting your country up. That is the goal of a constitutional monarchy. It has to be there for everyone which means you cannot put your own personal stamp on it. Harry should have told her that, but no. He was, as he is now, so in awe of her that he did not tell her when her assumptions on their future life were wrong. Which is why I do not understand when she said she was struggling during her pregnancy that he did not get her the same psychological help that he got himself. There are several other members of the royal family who have attended therapy for one reason or another, so there is no shame in it.

The rest of the family and the country of course cannot blindly share his devotion or show her the way he does and that is where it went wrong. If he, like her parents, wants to live by the motto what Meghan wants Meghan gets then he can do that in a private life, but it was never going to work for the rest of the family. They had to respect the system even when they did not like it and so of course they expected them to do the same. In ordinary families it would be very different of course, but that could not be here.

So when they said no more we will go and get ourselves some privacy in Vancouver, Canada (it is later on that they moved to the film stars neighbourhood of California) and step down that could have worked. If they stopped worrying about the press, but that is not meant to be as history has shown. This is one of the great could have been's of the century and that is not all on the outside world. Looking at ones own actions would be useful here as well.

And in this quest for privacy they did the Oprah interview. Having to share their story. This in itself is again not a problem, but his grandfather was dying and Meghan was pregnant, so I have serious questions about the wisdom of that timing. As it turned out there were a lot of questions about other things as well. Especially with regards to race and who said what in the family. Later in an interview Harry would say that this whole thing was not about race. Let everyone get upset and now it is all for nothing. Same with the titles and how their kids would not get them because of their looks. They have since gotten their titles because they are now the grandkids of the monarch. That is how it works. Like I said supposed facts are always changing.

Also I have the impression that they are fonder and more talkative with press who does agree with them (after all some people are just here for the tea, not looking at it as a family tragedy or consider the serious consequences of taking someones word for it without fact checking). So what is that about just wanting a private life out of the limelight?

It seems like such a waste of what could have been a wonderful change and lifelong opportunities for good. No instead this is a story of people obsessing over gossip rags, pretty much from day one as this book shows and trying to shape whole nations in accordance to their views and that just can't happen. All it does is cause a fuss until the fact checkers arrive and then it is headlines about things that could not have happened or did not happen or were walked back. There are better ways to earn a living and having an ordinary life. Not to mention do all that and still have a good relationship with your family and friends.

[Adii (adiiturnsapage) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never been an MM fan, and this book is OH.MY.GOD! Go read.. NOW 😁

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my memorable reads this year, not so much for being so good, but because I never read a celebrity biography before and so it was a unique experience. (By celebrity I mean a famous person who possesses no talent that's admirable + politicians. Lying although talent is not admirable. Anyway. Where was I?)

I'm not going to pretend it was a worthwhile read, but it only took me two days so I don't feel like I wasted too much time on it.

If you are Megxit curious, but feel like a lot of the information is partial to one side, I believe this book is pretty decent and provides as realistic a picture as it gets. Although it leans towards the establishment, the author clearly has some admiration for Meghan's ambitions and her fulfilment of them.

Now I'd love to read another Bower book. I'm thinking about the Bernie Ecclestone book or the Boris Johnson one. Bernie reluctantly cooperated with him and he himself says it's a very honest picture of his life, often hard for him to read, but nevertheless, he doesn't regret opening up to him. As for the Boris book, Bower was criticised for being highly biased ( his wife worked with Boris at the time), but having read the Meghan book, I am wondering if the criticism itself might be biased. He seems to me as a pretty honest and unapologetic observer. The Boris book will be a real test.

[Kay]

My head spins. This family doesn't have the same version of the truth! I'm not sure if I will finish this one. Perhaps someday! As for right now, despite the material and dysfunctional family drama being very juicy, I just think the immense media coverage sort of spoiled the book for me.

[Caro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book, I could hardly put it down. It is very complete. I was surprised that he didn’t mention the ridicule on social media regarding the TIME Magazine’s cover where Harry’s hair seemed airbrushed into a full head of hair. And although he did mention the fact that there were reportedly 17 inconsistencies in the Oprah interview that proved wrong, he didn’t mention what these were.
Tom Bower is very thorough in his summary of all that had transpired (the one thing he didn’t write down is the fact that Harry always seems to walk behind Meghan). He clearly did his homework! It even has some tidbits that I didn’t know about.
I can highly recommend this book; it is very well researched and Tom Bower is a good writer. He clearly knows how to write!

[Elis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I instinctively knew I shouldn’t have bought this book, but I’ve seen many positive reviews online. I was dragged by the writer’s reputation as thorough and responsible and decided to give it a shot. It was also somehow exciting to be exposed to a different point of view about Meghan, who, I still think, is one more person trying her best. Somedays, you nail it; others, you don’t.

When I finished the first chapter, I was sure I shouldn’t have bought the book but decided to give it a chance. When I finished the second chapter, I knew I was done with the book.

The narrative (up to the moment I stopped reading) was built around the idea that Meghan was determined to succeed in life from a young age, and all that she achieved was a by-product of this aspiration. Determination is, in itself, a characteristic that most western cultures celebrate. But as I realised during my reading, any good in the world can be transformed into something ugly given time and effort.

You know when someone is negative and a dragger? That is the whole narrative, from the book conception to the choice of wording. It is a cynical and biased effort to cash some easy money by the author, the publisher and (I can’t rule out) some people interviewed for the book.

Let me advise: there’s nothing good in this book and nothing that will make a difference in your life. If you love books as I do, find something else to read; there are amazing and inspiring stories out there

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name]

11/13 I honestly do not know if I can finish this book. I want to retch. She is like a cult leader except the cult most of the time is written off as soon as she notices better placed members. My small dose of today ‘s reading consisted of two pages. I think I may skip ahead. A GR friend of mine (who shall remain anonymous) used the word narcissistic this evening. Forgot about that one. I could just get my copy of the DSM and dog ear pertinent pages.
But then the question becomes-why do I even care? Do I hold any shares in this family? Is my ex sister in law any better? Am I related, stolen from, disrespected, used for gain? Is it her fault that the grapes the grocery store picked for me are already rotting? It’s not like I’m going to rate a book simply because I’m harboring such animosity for any person who is not a fictional character. What hurts, and is too sad to contemplate, is that she now has two little soldiers that she can hold over a literally big soldier’s head for the rest of his life. Huzzah for Charles trois being so guarded with that woman.

At this point in my submersion in British Royal history, just about everyone on the planet could probably trace their heritage to Edward III so that really doesn’t impress me, MM.
I have already gotten to the point in this book (about chapter 4) that I’ve determined I can only take this book in small doses. I’m disgusted and MM is either a borderline or or a psychopath if what I’ve read so far is true, which I’ve yet to have read anything that challenges this book. I now feel like reading about her and the royal family is like riding on top of a dumpster fire that drives right past a train flying off the track and I don’t know where to look.
I really do not know what to say at this point. I can’t shrink the typeset so the words are huge maybe in a similar way that little red riding hood keeps noticing until she’s eaten by a granny who knows better how to play the game, but sadly, the super power is now gone. Id like to comment that maybe MM is just misunderstood, but nope that’s not it. She is spoiled, self centered, grasping, attention seeking, and perhaps a pathological liar who will learn all of these borderline personality traits to get what she believes she is due. It’s like her own tiny world full of self aggrandizing behavior. I do not believe she will walk in Diana’s shoes because mm does what she wants to be seen doing it and then garner praise, while Diana walked those lines because she wanted to feel it in her bones what her country’s soldiers dealt with, how it felt for those brave souls in hospital to hold their heads high while inside they were literally dying. I truly think Diana would have still worked for all of those charities that no one else wanted to deal with and remained anonymous if she could have. MM would want cameras from all networks available to film for all news breaks. And let her dad do the lighting unless he angered her again for calling her out on her bullshit.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, he does know how to paint a negative portrait. If half of what he has written is true - and I think more than half is, she is NOT a nice person. However, having said that I'm a bit disappointed that he didn't connect more dots and even appears to back off at times. Maybe he just doesn't want to get sued. But these two are a very unappealing couple who are trading off their royal titles for money and fame. The entire thing leaves a bad taste in one's mouth. I thought he would be a better writer - maybe he went too fast on this one but it was definitely clunky writing in places.

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 3 out of 5]

⤅ Non-Fiction Book of the Month: September 2022

I am VERY behind on my reviews, so I won't say nearly as much as I'd planned to. But the last time I alluded to Meghan Markle on Goodreads, it unleashed a wave of abuse from her fans which was quite simply staggering, even to me - and I'm used to facing down abusive comments from both authors and other readers.

Fortunately, I've never yet allowed people screeching at me to prevent me from writing my reviews honestly, so on we go.

This is not a well-written book by any stretch of the imagination. Bower is a very poor technical writer - he overuses certain words (e.g. 'pertinently') FAR too much, and his overall style is dry and repetitive. However, I do give this book kudos for being clear and easy to follow. It chronicles Meghan's life and career from birth onwards, as well as of course her introduction to Harry and explosive departure from the royal family.

Personally, I (and many other Britons) have always felt like the largest source of tension was probably Meghan's very different outlook. Royalty in the UK is not celebrity as we understand it. It means shutting up about your personal opinions, not carving your own path, and not drawing excessive attention. Someone who's been intent on a Hollywood lifestyle from a young age would understandably find that level of self-silencing quite difficult to follow.

Also, quite amusingly, some of the people who decry any and all criticism of her as 'racist' have happily crossed the line into racism themselves. Someone on my other review ranted that 'Asians are all racist as f*ck', which is so spectacularly blind to irony that I can only applaud in awe...

[Sue grears · Rating 5 out of 5]

at last the truth

I would recommend this book Megan sought after a rich man and got one but he was only rich through his mum father and us the British tax payer and it’s only a matter of time before she “ ghosts” him

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

A book full of garbage, lies and contradictions.

[Judie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Need a second book

Whilst informative and well written. This books confirms much of what we already knew or presumed, no big revelations or answers to questions many want clearing up. Neither Harry or Megan are painted in a good light, but then they don't deserve to be. I think spoilt & cosseted Megan watched too many Hollywood blockbusters & Disney Princess movies as a child and believed that was how you acted...
Her version of HER TRUTH (recollections may vary) and no other seems to be her mantra.....anything else and you're the enemy. Use, abuse & forget (ghost) once your usefulness is over. The book goes quiet lightly on the wayward Prince. He is shown as a self centred but easily manipulated. Did he see his chance for finding a wife running out, after the previous long-term girlfriends had rejected him and jumped on it?
Harry needs to grow up and learn life is not easy, even if you are a privileged brat from a broken home. He made his choice to leave The Firm, that means you lose the benefits of that employment...
He is a laughing stock of his own making. I did notice than apart from the odd snippet none of his oldest friends have contributed to this book. Still loyal maybe, hoping he will see the light?
On a side.... I wish Thomas Markle would release a book with HIS TRUTH

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. The story about Harry and Meghan has never sat right with me… and reading this book has helped me understand why. Reading about Meghan Markle and how she has walked all over people, used and then discarded “friends” so easily, and how she cries racism for everything has answered a lot of questions about her. This is the book that Harry and the royal family should have read before letting her in. Meghan Markle definitely seems to have some sort of personality disorder (narcissistic much?) and my only complaint is the author claiming that she used to have a lot of empathy for people when she was younger. To me it seems that she knew how to get what she wanted from an early age, how to say the right things to seem empathetic, but really she was just always trying to get ahead. The way she mistreated staff (not to mention her father), lied about her early childhood, stretched the truth on her background… it was all infuriating to read. Definitely worth reading to discover the real story about Meghan Markle… Tom Bower does not shy away from telling the truth and he has all the receipts to go with it!

[Sandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

The hypocrisy of this book is astounding. The hate this woman has been exposed to by old white (primarily British) men is disgusting. Not ever will I read this garbage.

[Carol · Rating 1 out of 5]

Totally biased bitchfest…. This author is supposed to be a good journalist? I certainly don’t see it.. just full of unsubstantiated rumours and fake news. Statements made that have often been disproved. Hated this book. I would have given it minus stars if I could

[Rae D]

I’ve been waiting for this book for what feels like an eternity! I’m ready to be either thrilled with it or pissed off - I’ll probably be both. 😂 I love reading about the drama between the Sussexes and the working royals, but I just hope it’s not the same rehashing of gossip we’ve been hearing for years. I’m a little worried that the hype will cause me to be disappointed in a book I’m paying $37.16 for. Hahaha

One question I have though: why isn’t this book available to purchase in the US? I had to preorder from the UK and have it shipped across the pond! I worked in publishing at two small companies for about a decade, and I never encountered this. Our books were available to any booksellers who were willing to pay for them. We were always trying to expand our reach to anyone who would be interested in reading our content, so it seems so strange to see this book’s audience being limited. Someone enlighten me, please.

Update: 7/26/22 - The kindle version is now available on Amazon US, and it’s even free with Kindle Unlimited! Now I REALLY regret preordering the book when it wasn’t available here. But, oh well! I’m off to read! Here is the link to the Kindle version for those of you who may still be looking:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B7K5SSDR/...

[Ghost of the Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an absolutely spectacularly messy cluster^%#$& of a sh$% show ...pardon my language.

I said it here, and I will repeat it one last time, for the most part I avoid reading gossip books or royal biographies, unless the subject's been dead for a mininum amount of time....Hello Queen Victoria!
That being said, I more or less knew that, sooner or later, I would likely end up reading something on these two.
Why Bower's book? He's the only one of whom I can say, never heard the name, don't think I've ever read anything by him.....and I do so very much love a rebel spirit :)
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, it allows you to pass judgement on events from 100 or even 300 years ago from the confort of the 21rst century, even if on ocasion you are aware you end up sounding like a stuck up know it all....lol.
I grew up on the shadow on Princess Diana, her marriage, her husband, her children, they were so much a part of my life that I do remember where I was when I learned she had died, and my shock at what followed.
Now, about the subjects of this book, there's a very tiny age difference between me and her so, to hear her say in the "engagement interview", she had never heard of Harry or Diana or the RF...say what?
You can't be an American, with her background in Hollywood and her years in Canada and not know them....ridiculous thing to say.
Give her the benefit of the doubt Ghostie, probably nerves....ok ok....and I could go on and on, but it all kind of pilled up for me from there and well the rest is history...still in the making, but history for sure.
Do they deserve each other? Oh yes for sure, its actually scary how identical they are....I keep getting stronger and stronger Wallis and Edward vibes the more this soap opera advances.
This will end one of two ways I believe - eternal happiness because he's why she's famous, and she will never let go of that fame, or a spectacular divorce followed by a 50/50 asset split...Bless those California divorce laws....and a very bitter custody battle with few chances of him succeeding, I think.
Why is this book different? For starters it is, blessedly in my opinion, devoid of any sensational language and "histerical tone", it simply picks up the thread of how it all began and brings it almost to present day. I for one being ignorant of several details have to say thanks for such a detailed timeline, since it puts the pieces together from all those lurid headlines we've been bombarded with and, with a lot (seriously A LOT) left unsaid, it confirms pretty much my own personal (and interely irrelevant) opinion.
Bower is extremely careful in his language, in how he describes both of them, and even on ocasion makes a point of showing positives actions that they took, to then surgically pinpoint all the flaws and inconsistencies, not through insults but through facts with dates, names, places and testimonies.
The author never says it out loud, nor does it write it down, but I believe he sees the pararells with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and how that story ended....talk about another cluster&^%*! Edward's hatred of his position, his family, his life but his love of luxury, beautiful things (and women) and his ability to relate to the middle classes - ring any bells? Wallis, her past life, her lovers, her travels and the smoke screens and mirrors used around her - the awful twice divorced American who is taking our Prince, as someone no doubt said.
The difference? Wallis I believe never wanted to marry Edward, was fully aware of his shortcomings and only married him due to society conventions at the time - my own personal belief.
Here, its a whole other story.

Sorry if my review sounds all over the place, this is a lot to process for someone of my generation... Call me silly if you must, but I watched him and his brother grow up...it seriously sucks that things turned out this way.

Peace, Love and Happy Readings Kids!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't help myself! As biographical hitmen go, Tom Bower has a reasonable reputation, and this is well presented and very readable. It's pretty scathing of the Sussexes, but other big players, notably Prince Charles, don't come out well either, and even the Queen seems diminished by this account. Most of the narrative is familiar in outline and the named sources are also the usual suspects. Two things struck me with this rehash of the evidence - firstly, part of the reason for the popularity of the Duke and Duchess in America, as compared to here, isn't really a different attitude to race and racism between the two countries. Nothing will convince me that America is any less racially divided than the UK. But I think that, mostly, the energetic grifting, massaging of facts and ruthless manipulation of useful people, which Mehgan Markle has used to grease her rapid social and financial ascent is secretly and not so secretly admired by most Americans, but repels many on this side of the Atlantic. What Brits class as lying can be seen elsewhere as imaginative recasting of 'alternative' facts. The second striking aspect, is just how un-altruistic most charitable work undertaken by celebrities really is. Bower spells out far more than any other commentator that, having chosen activism and altruism as her 'brand', Markle (and latterly Harry), actively sought out, via paid PR agents, opportunities to publicise herself as much as the cause (particularly before she was well known); that she seldom really donated her time, but parleyed for expenses, such as first class flights for herself and friends in circumstances where charities like World Vision, for eg, are supposedly doing their all for starving Africans. The famous not for profit foundations, we learn, have been incorporated in Delaware - a state with no known connection to either Sussex but conveniently where the accounts don't have to be made public and so noone has the slightest clue what 'expenses' are now lining Sussex pockets from the supposedly charitable foundations. They aren't the only ones doing this.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthwhile, but rather sombre, summing up of the deceitful behaviours of both Harry and Meghan. Not easy to read.
I needed to absorb the book in stages.
As Thomas Markle said “her lies are almost psychotic”. (I would remove the word ‘almost’).
Harry strikes me as a man of quite limited IQ, who needs a caring, guiding hand in life, and unfortunately fell instantly in love with an unknown (to him) woman of ‘unstable’ mind.
Harry is no match for Meghan at her best, let alone her controlling worst.

I imagine Meghan will at some stage get so knee-deep in her lies, that even Harry will wonder what’s happening. That might cause her to implode catastrophically, and see a need for her (or both) to spend time in an ‘establishment’
I hope the children will be protected.

[Denise · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m disappointed in this book. A lot of statements have already been disproven. It reads like all the tabloid stories about Meghan Markle. Just a bunch of gossip stringed together to make a book. I’ll be returning my copy to Amazon.