A new royal book has made a series of damning accusations against Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, from their feuds with the Royal Family to the optics of their philanthropic efforts

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are the subject of a scathing new royal book(Image: PA)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are the subject of a damning new book by royal author Tom Bower, who has taken aim at the Sussexes in the first part of his serialisation. Published by The Times, a lengthy excerpt of Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the Royal Family has detailed numerous claims about the Duke and Duchess’s relationship with the Royal Family, as well as how they have navigated life since leaving the Firm and moving to California.

From allegations that Harry was ‘brainwashed’ by Meghan, to continued tension between Harry and Prince William, we look at all the biggest bombshells from the explosive new book.

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A new book by Tom Bower has detailed a series of accusations against the Duke and Duchess of Sussex(Image: PA)

Harry ‘brainwashed’ by Meghan, according to Camilla

According to Bower’s account, when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle first started to feel their grievances about the Royal Family, Harry’s apparent change in behaviour became evident to those around him, including his step-mother Queen Camilla.

Bower writes in his new book: “Meghan had become a divisive agent. To please her, Harry was ignoring his old friends. He even changed his telephone number without telling his family.

“The jovial lad about town became possessed by seeking revenge. “Increasingly, his character mirrored Meghan’s. Emotionally, he veered towards extremes. Simple dislikes became passionate hatred. ‘Meghan’s brainwashed Harry’, Camilla told a friend.”

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Queen Camilla reportedly told a friend that Harry had been ‘brainwashed’ by Meghan (Image: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Meghan’s snap at William over peace talks

After returning from their honeymoon in 2018, Bower recalls a meeting held at Kensington Palace between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince William and Princess Kate. According to the royal author, the two couples, who were then known by the public as the ‘Fab Four’ held peace talks which quickly escalated.

Bower writes: “William’s dislike of Meghan had been obvious after his warning to Harry before their engagement. ‘It’s gone too quickly,’ William had said about the speed of Harry’s relationship with ‘the American actress’. William’s suspicion of Meghan was echoed by his wife.”

According to the biography, Meghan snapped at her brother-in-law as tensions rose during their conversation where the Duchess of Sussex said: “If you don’t mind, get your finger out of my face.”

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Peace talks between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and the Prince and Princess of Wales reportedly ended in disaster(Image: In Pictures via Getty Images)

Harry’s fears over losing his titles

The book details how Harry was stunned by William’s reaction to their uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, which then welcomed Harry’s own concerns about his and Meghan’s royal future.

William has long stood by his father King Charles and his decisions around Andrew, namely kicking him out of Royal Lodge and stripping his titles. The Prince of Wales also issued a statement after Andrew’s arrest, saying he and Princess Kate supported the actions of the King, who proclaimed that “the law must take its course”.

As a result, Bower claims that Harry has grown increasingly worried that his older brother may take drastic action when he ascends the throne. The author writes: “Rightly, Harry fears that the future King William could remove all the Sussexes’ titles and effectively banish him from Britain.

“Whether Meghan understands the potential consequences of any deliberate aggravation of the Prince and Princess of Wales remains to be seen.”

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The book claims Harry is in fear that William will strip him of his royal titles(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Sussex’s LA fire appearance condemned

In January last year, when Los Angeles was being ravaged with deadly wildfires, Harry and Meghan met with victims of the fires and helped out for an afternoon, listening to people’s stories and handing out essentials in a soup kitchen.

According to Bower, the couple were mocked for their trip as some made claims that they were capitalising on the disaster for their own gain. Bower writes: “After recording a video of her listening and hugging victims, the scene was posted that day by publicists to Meghan’s 1.6 million Instagram followers.

“Instead of getting credit for her efforts, Meghan was mocked as an attention-seeking pseudo-royal.” The author then quoted Hollywood film-maker Justine Bateman, who said online at the time: “Meghan Markle and Harry are no better than ambulance chasers.

“What a repulsive ‘photo op’ they achieved. They are ‘touring the damage’? Are they politicians now? They don’t live here; they are tourists. Disaster tourists.”

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Harry and Meghan were branded ‘disaster tourists’ during the LA fires(Image: BBC)

Invictus claims

Much of the excerpt from Bower’s book focused on the Invictus Games, and how, as he claims, the Duchess of Sussex has harnessed the event for her own personal gain, and how Harry and Meghan had been difficult around event organisers.

Bower writes: “Meghan needed a global stage for genuine admiration and cheering fans. To her good fortune, Harry agreed that she could star at the Invictus Games, which he was about to open in Canada. Just before flying up to Vancouver in a private jet, she alerted her Instagram followers.

“‘How should we address them?’” the Canadian organisers asked. ‘Meghan insists on ‘Ma’am’ and Harry should be called ‘Sir’,’ replied Nick Booth, the chief executive of the games.”

The excerpt also highlighted purported internal worries, including those voiced by former Invictus Foundation chief Dominic Reid, that sport and competitors were being eclipsed and that the Games had morphed into “the Harry and Meghan show”. It points to poor event attendance and alleges crowd “padding” for the benefit of cameras, as well as suggesting that competitors and their families were being overshadowed by meticulously orchestrated photo ops.

King Charles’ Birmingham ‘gamble’

With the 2027 Invictus Games set to take place in Birmingham, the book claims that Harry has long plotted to have his father King Charles open the games, which would dominate media cycles and be a public declaration of their reconciliation.

However, Bower writes that the games are likely not immune from protests, making Charles’ potential appearance a huge gamble for the monarch. The author writes: “Considering all the damning words and lies spoken and written by the Sussexes against the royal family since 2021, and the enormous damage caused by the Sussexes’ exploitation of their royal titles, the chance of the King irritating the Prince and Princess of Wales to please the Sussexes is, in spring 2026, remote.

“For the King to publicly meet his son and his troublemaking daughter-in-law, both guilty of betraying the royal family, is a gamble with little upside. The feud embroiling them is far from resolution, and it remains to be seen what damage the 2027 Invictus Games will inflict on an already fragile family.”

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Prince Harry wants his father King Charles to open the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Harry and Meghan’s response

Within hours of the first part of the serialisation being released, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex issued a scathing statement condemning the slew of allegations made by the royal author.

The representative for Harry and Meghan said: “Mr Bower’s commentary has long crossed the line from criticism into fixation. This is someone who has publicly stated, ‘the monarchy in fact depends on actually obliterating the Sussexes from our state of life,’ language that speaks for itself.

“He has made a career out of constructing ever more elaborate theories about people he does not know and has never met. Those interested in facts will look elsewhere; those seeking deranged conspiracy and melodrama know exactly where to find him.”