Key royal revelations that have rocked the monarchy
The British royal family’s biggest secrets have been exposed in three new explosive books. See the biggest revelations.
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From the so-called Sussex Survivors’ Club to the ousting of Prince Andrew from royal life, three new bombshell books have laid bare the secrets of life behind the walls of Buckingham Palace.
Here are the key revelations that have rocked the monarchy while exposing some of the true powers behind the throne.
1. MEGHAN’S STAFF ‘FELT THEY WERE BEING PLAYED’
Meghan Markle’s former team allegedly dubbed themselves Sussex Survivors’ Club and were not surprised when the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry gave up their royal roles, Valentine Low writes.
In his book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, the royal correspondent for The Times alleges that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had strained relationships with some of their staff during their time as working royals.
Staff members reportedly felt they were being “played” by Markle, Low writes.
“Those who once worked with her … came to be so disillusioned that they began to suspect that even her most heartfelt pleas for help were part of a deliberate strategy that had one end in sight: her departure from the royal family,” he says.
2. WHY WILLIAM WAS SO ANGRY OVER MEGXIT
In her explosive book The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown, Katie Nicholl claims one of the reasons Prince William was so angry over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to resign as working royals was because of the extra strain it would place on his family.
“It was William who felt Harry’s departure most acutely because of the immediate repercussions on his own life,” Nicholl writes.
“Friends of his say one of the reasons he won’t forgive Harry is due to the consequence of Megxit for Kate and their children.
“The Cambridges now have a significantly increased royal workload while trying to raise their young family.”
3. ‘HARRY’S COLD STARES FREAKED CAMILLA OUT’
Prince Harry’s issues with Camilla, Queen Consort stem back to his younger days when the troubled royal used to “unnerve” his stepmother, according to Angela Levin’s new book, Camilla: From Outcast to Queen Consort.
“It is always difficult to take on the role of stepmother and William and Harry presented the then-Duchess of Cornwall with an almost impossible challenge,” Levin writes.
“One insider felt that being Prince Harry’s stepmother in particular wasn’t easy.
“The Duchess always felt quite wary of Harry and used to see him out of the corner of her eye looking at her in a long and cold way. She found it rather unnerving. Otherwise, they got on quite well.”
4. HOW WILLIAM AND CHARLES BONDED OVER SCANDAL
King Charles and Prince William have forged a close bond amid the fallout of Prince Andrew’s sex scandal, working together for the good of the monarchy, Katie Nicholl writes.
Before Prince Andrew’s explosive interview with the BBC in 2019 — in which he discussed his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein — Charles and William had clashed over the Palace’s ivory collection and the King not seeing his grandchildren as often as he’d like.
“But on the Andrew issue father and son were united,” Nicholl writes.
“It was really the start of them forming an allegiance with each other for the sake of the good of the monarchy,” she said, adding that it was about the “importance of the Crown and preserving its reputation.”
Relations between the then Prince Charles and his younger brother had previously hit a low in 2012 at the time of the Queen Diamond Jubilee.
Key royals were not invited to stand on the balcony with Her Majesty, including Prince Andrew as well as Princess Anne and Prince Edward.
“That balcony appearance would be a turning point in Charles’ relationship with his younger brother, which today remains glacial,” Nicholl said.
5. MEGHAN ‘REJECTED CAMILLA’S HELP’
The then Duchess of Cornwall tried to give Meghan Markle a “warm” welcome when she married into the family, but that it “fell flat”, writes Angela Levin.
Levin writes: “Camilla tried to be supportive, was happy to be her mentor and took her out for private lunches.
“A source at the time told me: ‘She doesn’t want to see anyone struggling and she is fond of Meghan.’
“Meghan, however, seemed bored, was unresponsive and preferred to go her own way, with the result that the Queen Consort’s advice landed on stony ground.”
6. ANGER OVER HARRY’S BOTCHED MEETING WITH QUEEN
In the run-up to Megxit, Prince Harry reportedly informed his father that he and Meghan were “unhappy” with royal life over email – but tried to tell the Queen in person.
Valentine Low reports that during their time in Canada, “Harry sent an email to his father, saying that they were unhappy”, indicating that “the current set-up was not working for them, and they wanted to go and live in North America”.
Low claims that Prince Harry had tried to inform the late Queen of his plans and hoped “to see his grandmother alone”.
The private meeting was not granted, with Prince Harry having reportedly been informed that “the Queen had been confused about her diary, and was no longer available”.
The Duke of Sussex allegedly doubted this and suspected that “the courtiers had got in the way”’.
Low claims having to liaise with courtiers made Prince Harry and Meghan feel “cornered, misunderstood and deeply unhappy.”
Having to make an appointment to see his own grandmother was particularly galling.
Low writes that the Palace exhibited an “inflexibility that was always guaranteed to infuriate them”.
7. THE BROTHERS FELL OUT LONG BEFORE ‘MEGXIT’
Prince William and Prince Harry haven’t always been close, as has often been portrayed, writes Katie Nicholl.
The brothers reportedly suffered their first major falling out in 2001 when they were aged just 19 and 16.
Prince Harry allegedly felt like he was unfairly labelled a party animal when Prince William was just as bad, Nicholls claims.
The brothers had reportedly gotten into mischief at a party, drinking and smoking various substances.
”Harry was given a furious dressing down by his father, which led to him falling out with William properly for the very first time,” she writes.
“Harry resented taking the flack when William had also been drinking at the Rattlebone Inn.”
8. QUEEN VETOED IDEA THAT SUSSEXES COULD BE PART-TIME ROYALS
Valentine Low reports that Harry and Meghan initially “wanted to find a compromise whereby they could live part of the year abroad but carry out some royal duties at home.”
Amid the flurry of talks and meetings, senior aides reportedly worked with the family to try to find a solution, going through “five different scenarios”.
However, Low writes, their plans were quashed. “The view from the Palace establishment was that, however much time Harry and Meghan spent away from royal duties, anything they did would reflect on the institution,” he reports.
Low alleges that the late Queen herself was clear on this point, reportedly feeling that “unless the couple were prepared to abide by the restrictions that applied to working members of the royal family, they could not be allowed to carry out official duties.”
9. KING CHARLES’ OFFICE ‘FULL OF BACKSTABBERS’
Valentine Low reports that the office of King Charles has long been full of ‘internal backstabbing’ among staff, leading to difficulties.
A source tells Low that there was sometimes an air of competition among Charles’s courtiers, “an internal dynamic about who was he listening to”, explaining: “everyone wants to be close to that [the power surrounding the King and late Queen] and to be drinking from that”.
Low claims that the King is also open to suggestions from “outside advisers”, from celebrities to entrepreneurs, which “could then lead to real problems for individuals” in his household, with a source stating that Charles “falls under people’s spell”.
10. WILLIAM BROUGHT CAMILLA INTO THE FAMILY
A major turning point in Camilla’s relationship with King Charles’ family came a year after Princess Diana’s death, Katie Nicholl writes.
The now Queen Consort attended a party at Highgrove for King Charles’ birthday.
Nicholl reports that it was the first night Camilla officially spent the night with Charles, having formally met William and Harry that same year.
A cautious Camilla met Prince William first and with Prince William’s help, got to know Harry a few months later, Nicholls writes.
Prince William warmly invited Camilla and her children into the royal family, she claims.
“It had been William’s idea to invite Camilla, Tom, and Laura on their holiday yacht The Alexander,” Nicholl says, adding that seeing how happy Camilla made their father helped cement her place in the family.
11. MOMENT KING CHARLES TURNED ON THE CROWN
The Crown has been a global smash hit for Netflix but has proved to be a royal pain for King Charles III, Katie Nicholls writes.
The series that dealt with the marriage of the then Prince Charles and Princess Diana reportedly proved too much for the monarch.
Nicholls says the King was dismayed by the show’s portrayal of him as a “murderous wimp.”
“Charles apparently switched off in frustration at the one-sided portrayal of Diana as a victim and himself as villain,” Nicholl writes.
12. PRINCE WILLIAM DOESN’T WANT HIS HOUSEHOLD TO FEEL ‘STUFFY’
While working with the royal family comes with inevitable formalities, the Prince and Princess of Wales want to adopt a less stuffy approach, Low writes.
Low reveals that when “William and Kate’s children were young… William told his staff that he did not want them wearing suits when they were in the office”, with a household source stating: “He wants it to be casual… The kids run around the office, and he does not want it to be stuffy.”
Nicholl writes of the Wales children: “They are being raised by their parents in a remarkably ordinary albeit privileged way with an awareness of their positions within the royal family and the roles they will one day carry out in support of the monarchy.
“While William and Kate are keen to shield them from too much public scrutiny and press attention, the children are now at an age where they know how to behave in front of cameras.”
13. PRINCE WILLIAM’S FEELINGS ABOUT BECOMING KING
While some monarchists speculated about the possibility of the Crown passing directly from the Queen to Prince William, this wasn’t something either father or son wanted, particularly William.
“He fought hard to be allowed to take a civilian job as an air ambulance pilot and postpone full-time royal duties. He is the father of three young children whom he wants to raise with a maximum of privacy and informality,” Nicholl writes.
She that William’s friends confirmed he was “happy to wait his turn.”
Originally published as Key royal revelations that have rocked the monarchy
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