One of the funniest parts of Russell Myers’ new biography on the Prince and Princess of Wales is how much of it is about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Going solely from the excerpts, more than half the book is just “sources close to Prince William and Kate” throwing tantrums about Prince Harry and Meghan, often years after the fact. William and Kate have been desperately trying to reimagine their own romantic history and their more recent history with Harry & Meghan. They can’t even make up their minds about why they were mad at Meghan in the first place, have you noticed? It was just like… one day, Meghan appeared and William and Kate started wailing and they’ve never stopped. Well, Myers also has some nonexistent tea about one of the funniest moments of the past five years. Picture it, winter 2022, just a few months after QEII’s passing. William and Kate travel to Boston for Earthshot. They are overshadowed immediately by a racist scandal back in England. Then, just two days into their trip, Netflix drops the first trailer for Harry and Meghan’s docuseries. Please, William had to take a day off to rage-howl at everyone. Here’s how Myers remembers that moment.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s choice to leave the royal family sent shockwaves through the monarchy. The Sussexes announced their departure in January 2020 – a mere 20 months after their highly publicized wedding. However, it was in December 2022 when they made a ‘declaration of war’.

Three months after the Queen’s death, William and Kate embarked on a three-day visit to Boston to celebrate the second annual Earthshot Prize Awards – a cause exceptionally dear to William’s heart. Their trip spanned from November 30 to December 2, 2022 – and right in the middle, on December 1, the first trailer for Harry and Meghan’s Netflix series dropped.

Russell Myers discloses: “In royal circles, this trailer was considered a blatant attempt to hijack the Waleses’ visit; it included a dramatic voiceover from Harry saying ‘no one sees what’s happening behind closed doors’ as Meghan appears in the background, stretched over an armchair, apparently crying.”

“The next day the Daily Mail, quoting royal sources, called it a ‘declaration of war’, whilst The Times presented the Sussexes as ‘Self-styled victims’ who were ‘pulling no punches’. The Sussexes may or may not have had anything to do with the timing of the release, but they must have understood the consternation it would cause.”

The timing was viewed as inappropriate in numerous circles considering that the Queen had only recently died. However, it did help to reinforce one relationship – that between William and the new monarch, Charles.

According to Myers, “‘They were in constant contact over that period,’ one courtier revealed. ‘They were completely aligned that if there were any further accusations they believed to be untrue then they would be ready to respond.’ In the end whilst the documentary did garner hyperbolic headlines claiming the Sussexes were intent on bringing down the monarchy, palace officials described the six-part series documentary as a ‘drawn-out whingefest’.”

[From The Daily Express]

I remember this period very well, and it’s funny that Myers isn’t even mentioning the Baroness Susan Hussey-racism debacle which completely overshadowed William and Kate’s trip because it happened just one or two days before they even arrived in Boston. And Baroness Hussey is William’s godmother! Then, when William and Kate were in Boston, that’s when the Netflix trailer came out and William was screaming to every reporter that Harry is “like a Kardashian now.” As for whether Meghan and Harry had anything to do with the timing… yes and no. The trailer came out like two weeks before the series aired, which is Netflix’s usual time table. But there were reports that the Sussexes simply didn’t care about overshadowing William’s dumb trip. It’s also worth noting that if William or King Charles actually wanted to avoid having their thunder stolen by Harry and Meghan, the monarchy should have acquiesced to the Sussexes’ half-in solution. Oh well!

Also, fun fact: William didn’t invite any of the Earthshot winners or nominees to Boston in 2022. He invited a bunch of celebrities to fly in for the ceremony, but he made all of the environmentalists and nominees stay away.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Netflix.