Last July, we learned that Prince Harry had signed a publishing contract and that he was already working on his memoir. Ever since then, Harry’s “tell-all memoir” has become the sword of Damocles over the royal family’s heads. Especially Prince Charles, who is downright convinced that Harry will use his memoir as some kind of epic “takedown” of the Duchess of Cornwall. Keep in mind, Harry has not said anything about the memoir since last summer. He’s just been quietly working on it and not leaking anything. The British tabloids have created a narrative that Harry is looking to burn the whole monarchy down, and that he will burn every bridge he has with the UK. It’s ridiculous, but that’s what they do – they overhype things and try to anticipate what the Sussexes will do or say, and it often leads to them telling on themselves. In any case, Omid Scobie is trying to dial down the drama:
Prince Harry has no plans to rip Queen Elizabeth II or the rest of the royal family in his upcoming memoir.
“Harry really is going out of his way to make sure that there isn’t material in there that can be seen as negative towards the Queen or her reign in any way whatsoever,” royal expert Omid Scobie said on the March 10 episode of the “Royally Obsessed” podcast. “He really wants to celebrate her life and his relationship with her in that book. I think as much as the press wants this to be a burn book and an attack on the institution, this is more just about his story.”
The writer also noted that the book won’t serve as some sort of bombshell piece, but will still be an interesting look inside the royal’s life.
“Of course, his story is so much more than just the few years of his life as the Duke of Sussex,” Scobie explained. “I think for people expecting that warts-and-all moment, it’s not going to happen. That said, it’s still going to be fascinating.”
Page Six broke the news in July 2021 that Harry would be writing an explosive memoir about his life in the British royal family. We also exclusively reported that he made $20 million from the book deal with Penguin Random House.
Affirming Scobie’s claims, sources told Page Six that Harry’s memoir was not intended to be a “f–k you” to the royal family and that his intentions are purely to tell his “truth.”
At some point, we should probably acknowledge that the British media actually *wishes* that Harry would write a burn book, and explicitly tell the royal family to go f–k themselves. If Harry did that, they would have headlines for YEARS. Anyway, I’m kind of mad that Scobie is trying to dial down the drama! I was looking forward to the monthly freakout from Clarence House about Charles telling every single person he knows that “Harry is going to write dreadful things about dear Camilla.” Plus, I enjoy when the monarchy tells on itself. It’s like all of the anticipatory sh-t that came from Salt Island ahead of Finding Freedom AND the Oprah interview. More often than not, the biggest and worst stories are coming from Kensington Palace, Clarence House and Buckingham Palace before the Sussexes do something.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Prince Harry signs the visitors book during a visit to Mildmay HIV hospital and charity in London, to mark the official opening of their new purpose-built facilities. Harry also had a tour of the hospital which has been at the forefront of specialist HIV care since 1988 when it became the first dedicated hospice for people dying of AIDS related illnesses.,Image: 527782518, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- Prince Harry signs the visitors book during a visit to Mildmay HIV hospital and charity in London, to mark the official opening of their new purpose-built facilities. Harry also had a tour of the hospital which has been at the forefront of specialist HIV care since 1988 when it became the first dedicated hospice for people dying of AIDS related illnesses.,Image: 527782585, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- Prince Harry signs the visitors book during a visit to Mildmay HIV hospital and charity in London, to mark the official opening of their new purpose-built facilities. Harry also had a tour of the hospital which has been at the forefront of specialist HIV care since 1988 when it became the first dedicated hospice for people dying of AIDS related illnesses.,Image: 527782654, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- 145602, Prince Harry seen at the South African Wildlife College in the Kruger National Park on day five of his tour of Lesotho and South Africa. South Africa – Wednesday December 2, 2015. South Africa. UK, FRANCE, AUS, NZ, CHINA, HONG KONG, TAIWAN, SPAIN & ITALY OUT Photograph: © i-Images, PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office: +1 310.822.0419 sales@pacificcoastnews.com FEE MUST BE AGREED PRIOR TO USAGE,Image: 532077372, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS, DIRECT SALES ONLY UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE IN CAPTION – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: i-Images, PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- 145602, Prince Harry seen at the South African Wildlife College in the Kruger National Park on day five of his tour of Lesotho and South Africa. South Africa – Wednesday December 2, 2015. South Africa. UK, FRANCE, AUS, NZ, CHINA, HONG KONG, TAIWAN, SPAIN & ITALY OUT Photograph: © i-Images, PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office: +1 310.822.0419 sales@pacificcoastnews.com FEE MUST BE AGREED PRIOR TO USAGE,Image: 532077428, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS, DIRECT SALES ONLY UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE IN CAPTION – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: i-Images, PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex speaks as he attends the opening match of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup between England and South Africa at The Oval on May 30, 2019 in London, England. The ICC Cricket World Cup, which takes place from 30th May to 14th July, is being hosted by England and Wales,Image: 536104801, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
I honestly think they want Harry to say the things that they know but can’t disclose themselves because of the invisible contract. But once Harry says them the cats out of the bag and they can discuss them without having broken the contract.
Yes, it’s not just that the BM wishes Harry would write a burn book, it’s that they want him to say specific things in that book. The BM have been trying to write Harry’s narrative for him, which points directly to those subjects in which they’re interested.
@eurydice; that gets me wondering what Camilla has done to harry and meghan that the press knows about. Because they keep bringing her up in regards to this memoir.
Chloe – it makes me suspect that Camilla may have played a larger role in the smear campaign against Meghan than previously suspected.
@Chloe- Camilla may not have done anything to H&M (beyond some kind of general lack of support), but the BM media knows people looooooove to hate Camilla. Cause that outrage! Get them clicks!
@Chloe — I can think of 3 instances when Camilla acted like a smug cow to Meghan. First was her barely contained smirking at the wedding ceremony during Bishop Curry’s address. Then the tummy rub she gave herself mimicking Meghan holding her baby bump while talking to Kate, and they both smirked. Then the smirk and flippant answer…”…’course” when asked by reporters if she’d miss Harry and Meghan. She should be referred to as Duchess Smirkalot from now on.
@ Eurydice, I am just going to enjoy the twisting of the minds coupled with sleepless nights with Chaz, Camilla, TOB and CopyKeen until the book comes out!! There is certainly many minds spinning as well as conversations replayed in everyone’s minds!! Will it be names of what WHO said, WHO did what and WHO worked in conjunction with regards to the leaks, locations, RR’s and office staff/Knaufs nefarious disclosures to MoS!!!
In the end, Harry will discuss his life and how it has developed, the impacts by situations out of his control and his impact with his programs, ie Sentebale, Invictus, etc., including his plans for the future. Plus his amazing love story with Meghan and their two beautiful children.
@kiera: Like, Kaiser already pointed out: the royal rota want this to be a tell all where he basically rips the royals to shreds. They would be set for life as reporters.
Harry has never actually claimed that it would be a tell all. And i still doubt that the rest of his family wil feature much. Obviously he’ll talk about his mum and her death. But i don’t think he’ll really go into any debt about his father and brother. I hope he rips the british media a new one. And that he exposes the invisible contract.
I do think he could go after Camilla, Charles, and Will some – Harry has a petty side. (I hope he exposes Camilla & Will!!) But I’m following his lead on the Queen. He has gone out of his way (over and over) to not link her to the suffering he & Meghan endured. My gran passed in her 80s, but in the years before she took a lot of naps, watched a lot of telly, loved on the pets & our family shielded her from drama because she truly couldn’t take it. The Queen is 95 and I think she has very little to do with the running of things and for what happened to Meghan. H&M obviously don’t blame her.
I do think the Queen shares the blame by her sheer inaction. Harry and Meghan were married back in 2018 the Queen was in better health. She sat back and watched William calling the shots and did absolutely nothing. She is 95 now but a few years ago she was doing a lot more work and this was also pre pandemic. The Queen also was active enough to protect Prince Andrew. And she still is. Harry and Meghan though never said anything against her. But he spoke of his father. As a father and Prince of Wales, HE should have reined in William.
@ Tessa, she has proven time and again that when their are issues regarding the family, she steps in, Pedrew especially, to which she was proactive I every step!!! She never in the 4 year smear and leak campaign by her child and grandchildren/spouse, gone nuclear on anyone!! She has no compassion or love for Harry and Meghan. To the TQ, they are dispensable.
@Tessa You are right. TQ managed to step in to defend Carrie Johnson while she was pregnant but never defended Meghan.
I think so too. that way, the RRs can talk about the dirt they already have while acting like they’re just covering Harry’s book.
Yup, it’s obvious that they’re dying to report on all of the scandals that they’ve no doubt been sitting on for years, but none of them want to risk losing their royal favors and access. They’re dying for Prince Harry to be the one to spill all, that way they can continue feigning outrage against him for “betraying the family” while happily wallowing in the drama like pigs in mud (no offense to pigs).
I think the BM is also thinking that if they overhype the potential drama of the book, and it turns out to be a mild account of his growth as a human (and I really think it’ll be all about love and wellness), then the sales will not be great. They’re turning up the appetite for scandal, so that when it’s not scandalous, the sales will “flop.” And then that’ll give them their headlines.
Except them turning up the drama will only make people curious. If there’s one thing clear it’s that the royal rota has no idea whats going to be in that book and they are doing their best the guess hoping to get a reaction out of harry.
They would say it flopped anyways even without all that. They did the same with finding freedom and Meghan’s book.
They’ll do it with any of their future podcasts or Netflix projects.
Anytime Harry or Meghan appears somewhere they find the one comment on Twitter they probably wrote themselves saying “no one wants them there”.
they really want the drama and their wailing will only help increase sales.
I wonder what in the heck Camilla has done over the years to make Chuck so gosh darn worried about what Harry will say. I doubt Harry will spill that kind of detail, but it’s got to be pretty atrocious if his dad is so afraid. And I don’t think it’s that she’s the one with concerns about Archie’s skin color (thought I have no doubt she said stuff), I think it’s a whole host of things.
See, I don’t think either of the boys have ever had a serious problem with Camilla. Because given the leaking and backstabbing coming out of royal circles for decades, if there was a juicy story, someone would have shared it by now.
I think William and Harry are like plenty of other children of divorce who, with some time and therapy, come to realize that the “other woman” who broke up their parents did some shitty things, but ultimately your parents were both flawed, incompatible, and miserable. And you can carry that resentment for the rest of your life, or you can recognize that your father is happy now and move on. If these last few years have highlighted anything, it’s that the press and public care far more about harboring royal family grudges than is probably healthy.
Camilla supposedly wanted not to be a “mother figure” since Will and Harry were grown up when she and Charles got married. It would have to be awkward to Will and Harry since Camilla by all accounts loathed Diana and called her “that ridiculous creature”. It is subject to speculation about the Wales marriage if Camilla had not been around. I think it would have had a much better chance. It’s not like Charles had “met someone” else during his marriage to Diana. Camilla was always “there” one way or another. I think the “boys” thought of their mother’s happiness or lack thereof not just how their father be “made happy.” Camilla was put before the “boys” which might have caused resentment to Will and Harry although they were polite and courteous to Camilla. I think Charles seems to have held the grudge, since his sympathizers like Penny Junor and even an elderly cousin “label” Diana as damaged. So I think HE is the one carrying on the grudge. Diana’s not around anymore to carry grudges.
That’s what I think as well. I don’t think Charles is the source behind those comments; I think its the reporters themselves. I think they desperately want to stir up bad feelings about Camilla for when she becomes queen. The rehash of Camilla’s story in the Crown didn’t last long enough for their liking.
The thing is Harry notably mentioned his father during the Oprah interview. He was obviously hurt. What happened is subject to speculation but Harry never mentioned Camilla. The bad feelings seemed to have happened re: Harry and Charles. I don’t know what he will say about that in the book (he did talk about the non return of phone calls by his father in the interview). I think sides have already been taken up re: public opinion (Camilla). A reporter can’t rehash something that already exists re: the negativity to Camilla among some of the population. I think William bothered Harry by his telling him to “slow down” and not letting up on it.
Honestly, at this point, I wonder if the RR are saying Harry is going to go after Camilla in the book is because she was literally their source for a lot of negative Meghan stories and they obviously know that. Before, I never thought there was much ill will between her and “the boys”, but it’s become apparent she is really cozy with the DM and Angela Levin, which makes me rethink everything. Those people are out to hurt Meghan so why is she so close with them?
Agreed, Molly. Yes, my Stepmom slept with my Dad while he and My Mom were married, but she took VERY good care of my Dad and was a far better Stepmom to his kids from his first marriage than my Mom was.
@Molly I thought the same thing too for the longest time. But the more certain members of the rota harps on what Harry might say about Camilla, the more I wonder if that’s entirely true. Chuck is clearly worried, and he’s like everyone in that family, they just keep telling on themselves.
I think had both Charles and Diana remarried, they would be co-parenting still. William and Harry would probably be both adults when their father married and theoretically if their mother had lived to marry. For them it was better to have both Charles and Diana, to keep a balance. I think Diana would have been great to those grandchildren and perhaps “taught” William not to treat the Heir more special than the others. Diana was a wonderful mother to those children, and I doubt the rift would have been happen had she been able to be there to keep William (and Charles) in check about Harry and Meghan. It is a real pity. I doubt Harry will mention Camilla in the book. I never saw Harry sound and look so hurt when he told Oprah his father never returned his calls. I felt so sorry for him.
Camilla canceled two events it would have just been her with Harry & Meg. She could have gone to support Meghan but made a point NOT to go. Robert Jobson (Charles’ mouthpiece) has repeatedly said Harry will go after Camilla and H needs to grow up if he does (not that R.J. knows a lick about the contents of H’s book). I for one hope Harry exposes all Camilla’s machinations. That’s what she did to Diana – manipulate things behind the scenes. The woman has no morals.
I think Charles is afraid about what would be said about HIM. He tries to push Camilla into it which I find absurd and a way of deflecting perhaps. Both Charles and Camilla were responsible re: Diana’s not so great experiences. But Charles may be more worried about HIMSELF, which I think is his way of thinking. Camilla might have said unkind things about Meghan which would upset Harry as well.
@ Tessa, of course Chaz is worried as he should be! He was/is a sh!t father and was a horrible husband to Diana. Even in death Chaz is haunted by the popularity of Diana. His years long campaign of Camilla was that much more difficult. Charles has always placed his needs above his sons and that is why he is disliked by so many. Chaz and Camilla needs to suck it up and take responsibility for their actions!!
I don’t think there was only “one” person in that family who had things to say about Archie’s skin color. Maybe only one person brought it up directly to Harry, but that one person probably talked behind his back to a lot of other royals first.
I’m only saying this because the “one” narrative has allowed the British media to claim it can’t be one person because it’s another person, if that makes sense? They are using a process of elimination when none of them have been eliminated, as far as I’m concerned.
Omid don’t have a clue what is going to be in Harry’s book, I wish he would stop pretending he have a pipeline to the Sussexes.
He is searching Archewell every day for clues, like the rest of the BM.
Really? I honestly thought he was their go-to
I think it’s a combo — I think he IS their go to, I just don’t think they go to him that often.
They issue things through a proper spokesperson when needed so there isn’t a lot of need to have Omid drop nuggets.
Nah. I am not sure they have a go-to at this point. They definitely had a better relationship with him while in England than other RRs*, and he still has access to their press office (meaning he can call up and get an official statement, something the Mail, Express, Sun etc cannot do since H&M cut them off), but H&M aren’t calling him and feeding him leaks. They’re not calling anyone and leaking at this point, they no longer have to do that.
*yes yes I know they were forced to talk to him for Finding Freedom people, and yes yes I know he’s not their BFF like the british press likes to make it out to be, but it was still a better relationship than the Sussexes had with someone like Penny Junor or the Richards or Emily Andrews etc.
Omid knows the same about this memoir as we do. Of course Harry isn’t going to go after the Queen or her reign. He has always been nice and respectful towards her. I think they were fine with Omid while they were in the UK but he isn’t their go to. He gets the same information other outlets do now.
@Jezz: Omid gets his information the same time the rest of the press gets it. He has no special relationship with the Sussexes and if you read Jason Knauf’s submission to the court, Meghan and Harry didn’t want to have anything to do with him and his book
@Jackie What came out was that Knauf worked with the writers of FF. H&M worked with their communications person Knauf because he (Knauf) said that was how it was done. You are dismissing part of the actual sequence of events.
Thank you @ equality for clarifying that piece of information that keeps being ignored time and time again. Had H & M worked directly with Omid/Carolyn, a number of stories would have been corrected. Like “tiaragate”. It all went through Knauf and his agenda filter.
He’s not getting their direct info, but he’s been around long enough (and had enough access at one time to both sides) to read the tea leaves better than most.
I think that Omid will get a response from their office which is not something that most other UK outlets can get. But I agree that he doesn’t know any insider information.
I think the book will be about Harry’s values and meaningful moments from his life that shaped him into the person he is today. Those moments will include the good and the bad. It’s not going to be a tell-all. It’s a way for him to reclaim his narrative.
I never expected Harry to go scorched earth on them. But here is the thing: Harry just telling the truth about his life and his feelings is enough for the whole lot of them to have a nuclear breakdown.
They’re entire existence is to paint a fairy tale that keeps them mysterious enough to be fascinating to the masses. Someone on the inside, as high up as Harry is, keeping it real (even if he does it with enormous compassion) is to destroy them. It’s like that one Janga piece being removed that causes everything to fall down.
Yep. Harry telling his truth about his childhood, the loss of his mother and the aftermath may be really damaging to Charles because he basically neglected his sons. A woman who was a teacher at Harry’s school once said that the teachers were instructed to not talk to him about his mother after her death – and she felt that was just deeply wrong because this was such a hurt and lonely child who was denied a chance to talk about these things with a caring adult he trusted. It was the typical royal Stiff Upper Lip, which is so damaging.
That’s incredibly sad and heartbreaking. It seems that Harry didn’t have an adult to speak to since he wasn’t living at home regarding his Mum. Just because you ignore it, doesn’t make it go away.
I agree. It seems that anytime Harry ‘s speaking about his mental health or experiences, the RF goes bersek because ‘HOW DARE HE’ etc etc. Which itself is very telling, considering what Heads Up (?) was all about.
I have been saying the same thing. There’s no way that he was ever going to do something like that and people pushing for it baffled me.
Don’t underestimate Harry’s rebelliousness. He’s basically taking on all the powerful institutions in England – the press, the crown, the govt (latest lawsuit), the artistocracy/class system. We all love him for being a rebel.
Yeah and I am going to say that all of the people expecting some epic book that is going to hit at the Crown, his father, Camilla are going to be disappointed. I do think he will focus on the press and misinformation though.
Not a Subject, you comment is interesting, because I’ve never considered the new life as rebellion. When a man in his 30’s decides to leave home and forge his own life, it seems par for the course. I think he was rebellious in his teens and twenties. When the tabloid media crosses the line, then H&M sue. If they were sue happy, they would have a new lawsuit practically daily. I believe they’ve been quit judicious in their decisions to sue. I assume that you’re alluding to his judicial review of the Home Office decision regarding security when you say the government. Is that taking them on? Harry simply wants a review of the facts to see if their decision was based on security needs or was spuriously decided. I don’t think he’s ever “taken on” the crown. He undoubtedly tried to get help with stopping the tabloid media from continuing their abuse of his suicidal wife. That not only seems reasonable, but required. He stepped back to protect his family and to become financially independent (he and Meghan) to support their family and to keep them all safe. All of those decisions were made by a reasonable adult. Not a rebellious teenager. I believe that the tabloid media wants Harry to be a rebellious teenager for the rest of his life. It really drives them crazy that Harry refuses to allow them to keep telling the masses (incorrectly) who he is. I believe Harry’s book is going to surprise many people when they find out who Harry really is. Who he has always been.
+1 Saucy&Sassy. Referring to Harry as ‘rebellious’ now seems disparaging. He’s a grown man who is standing up for himself, his wife and children. It’s not rebellion. It’s being a man who decided to not be trapped in a toxic system that needed/wanted him and his wife to be less. A system that has no problem being malicious.
I reckon even if Harry said Camila made me a cup of tea when i was visiting Pa they will turn it into something negative.
Omid dialing back the drama will make no difference whatsoever. The trolls and derangers will smother his TL with vitriol, and the BM will continue to send up flags of horror over what the Prince with eleventy billion bathrooms will reveal in his “tell-all”. There is no reason or common sense anywhere to be found among that crowd of 🤡🤡🤡.
Omid starting to sound like that those other royal commentators who can only speculate on Harry’s thoughts and activities. That being said I agree, I don’t think that the book is going to be an attack on the Royal Family and it definitely will not be a celebration of the Queen’s reign, that’s going a bit far considering what happened to his mother. I think individual members are not going to figure in his book and this will be cause of most of the press’ outrage. I think he’s going talk about incidents in his life and the impact they had on him and the Royal Household is not going to be spared. Just like with Oprah interview, the Royal staff will be doing the most before the book comes out.
If he can write the book without literally mentioning any of them that would be best, the royal family are thirsty and whether negative or positive want to be included in their lives and make headlines . It’s like when the media was complaining Meghan didn’t talk about her husband’s relatives in Ellen, it would literally be best if he ignores them all including the queen, he has lived a more interesting life not central to any member of that family that will make for pleasant reading.
Well I highly doubt that Harry is telling Omid or anyone in the media, especially the British media what’s in his book. So I will just wait patiently for it to come out
Harry didn’t make 20 million dollars on his memoir- he and Meghan signed a $20 million deal for 4 future books, one of which is his memoir. I’m sure there will be (and have been) advances, but the books have to be written, published and sold. Granted, the memoir will be the big seller of the 4 – I don’t know that the public will be clamoring for H&M’s views on leadership.
They didn’t sign a book deal for 4 books. This way a lie by Rebecca’s English and the Daily Mail….it’s when she said he would wait to write another tell all when the Queen dies. Their spokesperson outright said this is not correct. We don’t know what their book deal actually was.
Ok, I didn’t read this in the DM – it was reported in Vanity Fair and pretty much every other outlet when the deal was announced. It was reported that there would be a memoir, an H&M book on leadership, a wellness book by Meghan and one other. Maybe all of this is wrong, but it makes sense that a publisher would make a $20 million deal for 4 books, rather than just one. Who knows, maybe H&M said “You want the memoir, you have to take these others,” I don’t know. My point is that the tabloids keep making it sound like Random House just sent Harry a check for 20 million dollars, and that’s not how publishing works.
Barack Obama got a 20 mil advance for his memoirs. Bill Clinton got a 15 mil advance and Hilary got a 14 mil advance for memoirs.
@eurydice Vanity fair who kate Nichols works for took the info from daily mail. They used to constantly regurgitate info about the Sussexes from the daily mail and create their own for Kate N.
All of it originally came from Rebecca English and was repeated by other outlets. Their spokesperson said it was incorrect.
@Polo, yes. Page Six broke the initial memoir story. Peguin Random House/Harry were then forced to confirm it. English then wrote her story and Page Six wrote another story saying the 4 book deal was confirmed. But, they couldn’t go so far as to say PRH confirmed it. Most likely they were using English’s story as some kind of confirmation. The tabloids like to use each other as confirmation. Vanity Fair then wrote their piece linking to Page Six stories. No real legit news source has printed a 4 book deal. Some have just said ‘reportedly’ citing the DM & Page Six. It’s entirely possible more books are involved, I lean towards tabs being shady as of now.
https://www.thebookseller.com/news/prh-tightlipped-prince-harry-four-book-deal-claim-1273506
I think Omid is just saying what any rational royal follower (if there are any left lol) already knows. No, harry is not going to use this book to criticize the Queen. I don’t know if its going to celebrating her reign or whatever, because that’s not going to be the focus. The focus is going to be Harry’s life and the parts of it that he chooses to share, and I don’t think his goal at this point is to burn it all down.
But I think he “could” and I think the potential of that is really stressing out the royals.
I don’t know what to expect from Harry’s book, we weren’t expecting their interview with Oprah to be the bombshell that it was and Harry was the one who dropped a lot of the bombs. Personally, I think that it’ll be a mix of Harry’s life and the various influences that shaped him into the man he is today And the dark side of being royal which also brought him to where he is now.
I think Harry’s book will be about his childhood memories, his life in the armed forces, his working life and philanthropy, his relationship with his mother and the queen, finding Meghan and the beginning of fatherhood. I hope the rest of the family are just a prologue to his story.
I hope he says great things about his mother to counter some of the “gaslighting” spin about her. ANd it would counter Wiliam’s use of the word “paranoid” regarding their mother.
Same here. If he goes after anybody, I guarantee it will be the British press.
This.
There have been many stories from the BM about Harry over the years, a lot of them untrue, and he could never say anything. Imagine he will burn some of those journalists down when he tells what really happened. So many of those stories had nothing to do with the queen so there’s nothing holding that back.
I honestly think Harry will say very little about Camilla. She had no part in raising him and I doubt they spend much time together. She may have said or done something tacky about Meghan which would upset him. Other than that, I doubt he’d say much if he says anything at all. Charles I think feels he DID nothing wrong so he is in a way scapegoating Camilla.
Tessa, I keep wondering if this is just the BM using Cam for distraction, so people don’t speculate about what the Shamebridges did.
scobie knows as much about Harry & Meghan’s life and plans as the dailyFAIL.
Lets not forget that prior to “Finding Freedom” scobie allowed rumor and speculation to go on about his inside knowledge abt the Sussexes. He WANTED that speculation to be accepted as truth: that he was the Sussexes ‘go-to’ reporter.
This is and was a lie.
We learned from Meghan herself, thru those leaked emails from JasonKNIFE, that she didnt trust scobie!!! She said the fact that he got things wrong in his articles, like every other RotaRat, makes her hesitant to co-operate with him when he wanted to write Finding Freedom and interview her so she merely gave jasonKNIFE the greenlight to share with him the info she had prepared for the RF regarding the story of her life.
And since the Sussexes left struggle-ISLE they have spoken to NO REPORTER from there. Scobie just has a bit more intelligence than the average RotaRat and is not a fully bought-and-paid-for royal mouthpiece so he has a veneer of authenticity.
Prince Harry already told everyone what his book will be about. Interested parties can read all about it on archewellDOTcom.
@Charm: “He WANTED that speculation to be accepted as truth: that he was the Sussexes ‘go-to’ reporter.”
I disagree. Scobie definitely had an inside track to the Sussexes during the M&H courtship. He wasn’t and isn’t their close friend, nor has he ever been their ‘mouthpiece.’ He’s just a reporter who used connections to his advantage, but never with any negative intent. It’s clear that when the Sussexes were senior royals, they often relied on Scobie to get the truth out on their behalf, which is an indication that M&H found Scobie to be honest and trustworthy.
Also, at her last event as a senior royal, at BP, Meghan purposely invited only three U.K. reporters: Byrony Gordon, Omid Scobie, and Victoria Murphy. IMO, this is an indication that Meghan found these three reporters to be good at their jobs, as well as fair and balanced.
Of course, M&H were NOT interested in working with Scobie/ Durand on a book when it was proposed to them shortly after their wedding. It was Jason Knauf who pushed that book project on M&H. Just because Knauf’s ulterior motive was to undermine Meghan, does not mean Scobie/ Durand were part of KP’s machinations. If anything, Scobie/ Durand were unwittingly being used by Knauf, IMO.
@Charm: “She said the fact that he got things wrong in his articles, like every other RotaRat, makes her hesitant to co-operate with him when he wanted to write Finding Freedom…”
It’s important to be as accurate as possible in regard to details and chronology. M&H did not want to work with any of the media on book projects after they married. They had other things on their plate. It was Knauf, as I said, who pushed the project proposed by Scobie/ Durand in 2018.
At that point, the proposed book was NOT entitled Finding Freedom! It was initially planned to be a book chronicling M&H’s courtship and the early years of their marriage as senior royals. After Sussexit, Scobie/ Durand had to quickly come up with a completely different approach for the book, which they’d been working on for under two years by January 2020.
It seems to me that the publisher pressured Scobie/ Durand to finish the book for publication asap in 2020 to capitalize on the Sussexit drama. Unfortunately, Scobie/ Durand were NOT finished with the writing, and it shows! The book is poorly written and not well edited either.
None of this means that Meghan ever considered Scobie to be “like every other RotaRat.” As a reporter of color, Scobie has often been targeted and attacked in the U.K. media. There’s no need to further unfairly pile on him.
I’m looking forward to the book. Having said that, it’s another damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation for Harry. If he spills any tea on his family, it’s a disgrace and a betrayal. If he doesn’t say anything, it’s a n insult for not acknowledging their importance. He’ll write whatever he does, and they will melt down anyway.
There is one thing that won’t cost RH any money: advertising for this book. Look how many copies Meghan sold of her children’s book without doing much in promoting the book. Imagine how many either could sell if they did a tour and book signings.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again…the ONLY people who know what’s in the book are Harry, Meghan and *quite possibly* the editor who has zipped up and not said a word.
That’s my take. 🤷
It’s my understanding that the Sussexes were pressured into giving Omid access to that creature Jason Knauf to be a ‘fact checker’. They did not work with Omid directly. I believe that the Sussex press office currently will speak to Omid if he calls them, and that it does not speak to the Daily Mail, etc. Nothing has been said about what is in Harry’s memoires other than what was in the press release which clearly said that it was going to be about Harry’s experiences and growth as a human being. Royal reporting is such a vicious and pernicious enterprise or more realistically, absolute shit. It seems that the Sussexes speak “once” to get their message out and they do not engage with the Rota at all with any follow-ups. The Rota are the only ones who keep making up lies and speculating on the content to make money and to smear Harry and Meghan.
Excellent summary.
+💯 @Tamsin. ITA! Concise and accurate. The Sussexes hold nothing against Omid Scobie. For e.g., in April 2019, M&H trusted Scobie to fairly report in Harper’s Bazaar their response to Tom Sykes’ famous Times article that claimed William wanted to exile them to Africa.
While the Sussexes no longer need to rely on Scobie to correct media inaccuracies about them, the Sussex reps surely respond to queries from Scobie.
Meghan will undoubtedly have some unofficial input into the book and because she’s such a diplomatic and gentle person, she may have a “softening” effect on some of the subject matter he writes about. I’m sure she’s offering her POV on the period of time when she came into Harry’s life and thereafter until they left the BRF.
I HAVE A THEORY!
That Harry already sold the exclusive rights to his memoir to Netflix and it’s already in development! And it will be announced as soon as the book drops.
^^ An interesting theory, but I doubt that will happen. Netflix already has The Crown. And M&H are already working with Netflix on a variety of projects.
I think Harry wants his book to standalone and speak for itself. He’s writing it chiefly as his legacy of truth for his children. I can’t see Harry wanting his memoir to ever be dramatized. There’s really no need.
While I wished too that Harry would burn it all down, he won’t. He has showed many times that he respect his grandmother (despite it all, which..baffling, but okay) and so he expose anything. The thing is, for the RF, the media and all the circus around them, even Harry talking about his past, his feelings and whatnot, is a big offence in itself so everything he’ll say will be outragious for them.
Omid is just stating the obvious. Harry said that his grandmother is still his “commander in chief” and he already said he’s anxious to see her. So yeah.. But you gotta say something on a podcast, you just can’t sit there.
Harry will not let it rip until the Queen passes. Then all bets are off.
As long as everyone’s speculating: I think it’s going to be a collection of essays or chapters, each centering around one person who has had a profound impact on Harry’s life. What s/he taught him, and how that person changed his life. It will be mostly people that the public doesn’t know, but of the people we do know, there will be: Meghan, the kids, Diana, Elizabeth, (maybe) Philip [I would leave the last two out, but not being white I have no patience for white relatives who fail their black great grandchildren.]
And also: Mark Dyker, Desmond Tutu
Possibly: Tiggy Pettifer (I know this would make Diana stans mad, but he DID name her godmother to Archie), Prince Seeiso, Nacho Figueras, Doria
Charles won’t be listed and that will be considered a snub (and perhaps it would be)
^^ Harry’s book is reportedly a memoir, not a book of essays. I’m sure it will include many of the people you have mentioned, but not in the format you are imagining.
The collaborator for Harry’s book is a Pulitzer prize winning author He is extremely well respected A number of people will buy and read the book for that reason only I am also sure it will be a best seller whether or not Harry was involved There are many more layers than anyone is thinking about
That might have some effect on those who routinely read memoirs but doubtful that many people choose reading materials (or can even name) based on who has won a Pulitzer.
I want to read his views of his mother as a young child and the feelings shared between them-the lost of his mother and growing up without her posed some difficult challenges-I hope this book helps Harry with his mental health-I don’t care whether he writes about the queen or any other member of the royal family-this is about Harry and only Harry.