Meghan Markle and Prince Harry quit royal duties in 2020 (Image: Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images)

In his explosive new book, Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the Royal Family, royal author Tom Bower claimed that Queen Elizabeth II instructed that Meghan Markle receive appropriate training for her role as a senior royal, contradicting claims made in interviews that she received no support when joining the Royal Family.

One official told the author that Meghan refused to grasp that “The Royal Family is the nation’s family and a national obsession” and that “the royals may appear to be ordinary people, but to maintain the monarchy, they relied on the public’s willingness to treat them like God”. Noting that Meghan allegedly ignored all advice, the source added that she “thought she should be treated as God”.

Topics in the latest book by Mr Bower include Harry and Meghan’s relationship with Prince William and Catherine, and their business and charitable dealings since stepping down as working royals and moving to the US in 2020, and deals with Netflix and Spotify.

Harry and Meghan are pictured on the front cover of Bower’s book Betrayal: Power, Deceit And The Fight For The Future Of The Royal Family. The image was chosen from the couple’s attendance at Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Festival in New York.

The author previously wrote Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War Between the Windsors, published in 2022.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were married May 19, 2018, in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle but quit senior royal duties in 2020 for a life in California, US. Meghan was previously married to the film producer Trevor Engelson from 2011 until their divorce in 2014.

After quitting royal duties, Meghan and Harry’s first high-profile interview was with Oprah Winfrey aired on CBS in March 2021.

Meghan Markle talked about the Royal Family with Oprah in 2021 (Image: Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images)

A spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan said Bower had “long crossed the line from criticism into fixation”.

They said in a statement: “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.

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“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.”