There's a limit to what we can really know about the British Royal family. But when it comes to Harry and Meghan's busy last couple of years, few insiders are as close to the truth as the authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand. In their new book Finding Freedom, the two Royal commentators go into great detail to analyze what Harry and Meghan have been up to ever since they met, and there's no shortage of shocking revelations in the telling pages of their best-selling book.
In the 368 pages of Finding Freedom, Scobie and Durand explore issues like Meghan's introduction to Royal life, the increasingly complicated relationship between brothers Harry and William, the Queen's reaction to the couple's departure, and Harry and Meghan's private love story. We have all of these stories and more for you, including some hilarious facts about what goes on behind the scenes at Britain's most iconic household.
William Wanted To Make Sure Harry Wasn't "Blindsided By Lust"
If there's one thing Finding Freedom has told us, is that the feud between brothers William and Harry goes deeper than most would think. William was concerned about his little brother's happiness, and he didn't want him to rush things with Meghan. He was reportedly concerned he was being "blindsided by lust." He wanted to make sure Harry took his time to get to know this woman before making any rash decision. As we'll find out, things did move quicker than most people thought in Harry and Meghan's relationship. But William's comments on Meghan didn't sit well with Harry, who didn't feel like being overly-protected by his brother. He felt like he was more than able to make his own decisions.
Harry Said "I Love You" First
William was concerned Harry was taking his relationship with Meghan too far too fast, and there's a chance he was right. According to Finding Freedom, Harry was the first to say "I love you" to Meghan, and he did it after only 3 months of dating!
There's nothing wrong with expressing your love after a few months of meeting someone. But when you're a Royal family member, the consequences can be enormous. Naturally, the Royals are very protective of their own, and they like to be sure before introducing someone new to the family.
Harry and Meghan's First Date Was At Soho House
According to Finding Freedom, Harry and Meghan had their very first date at a Soho House restaurant. They were reportedly given instructions to use a private back door so that they could stay away from prying eyes. With locations on 3 continents, Soho House is a popular chain restaurant and private member's club.
While Soho's clubs are quite fashionable, they're no match to Harry and Meghan's third date location. After enjoying a quiet meal together, the young couple saw their love grow during a luxury African safari. Quite an upgrade on that surprisingly casual first date!
They Were Engaged Months Before It Went Public
The Royal family captures the entire world's attention, and news travels fast when it comes to Britain's most iconic household. Still, the Royals can be pretty much in control of their own narrative with the public. A clear example of that is Harry and Meghan's engagement announcement. In theory, it happened in November 2017. But we now know Harry and Meghan were actually engaged months before, in August.
When publically announcing the engagement, Harry declared he knew Meghan was the one "since the very first time" they met. Thanks to Finding Freedom, we now know the prince truly meant it! Their relationship developed concerningly fast, and we can see now why William worried so much about his little brother.
Harry Ventured in Botswana, Searching For The Perfect Diamond
Botswana is certainly a special place for Harry and Meghan. In the early months of their relationship, they enjoyed a small vacation together in the beautiful African country, but that's not all. Botswana was also the stage of a secret diamond scouting performed by Harry, who was reportedly searching for the perfect "conflict-free" diamond.
Harry's search for the perfect diamond happened 6 months before he tied the knot with Meghan, and it was unheard of before Finding Freedom came out. It goes to show how determined Harry was to show Meghan just how much he loved her.
Harry Grew Tired of Being Bossed Around
According to Finding Freedom, Royal couples Harry and Meghan and William and Kate are still not on good terms. But while many people blamed Meghan for the fall-out, the telling book of Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand takes a closer look at the complicated relationship between the two Royal brothers.
Apparently, Harry grew tired of being bossed around by his older brother, and his discomfort was not exclusively related to William's skepticism towards Meghan. Finding Freedom reports William made it hard for Harry to feel like a grown-up in control of his own decisions and that this was most likely the main reason behind the Royal brother's feud.
Harry Used To Be Anti-Ginger & Anti-Ties
On a lighter note, Finding Freedom has taught us that Harry hated on at least two things that are a definite part of his life now. The first was the gingers. Incredibly, the Royal had a natural dislike for ginger kids when he was a child, not realizing he himself was a ginger boy!
Harry is also not a big fan of ties. Unlike his hate for gingers, this is something he still doesn't like today. Even though he's forced to put on a tie for formal events, he's been wearing ties less and less over the years.
Meghan and Kate Are Not BFF's, But They're Also Not Enemies
While Finding Freedom focuses mainly on William and Harry's troubled relationship, the Royal feud that actually got the press crazy was between Meghan and Kate. Yet, the rivalry between the two ladies was always overstated by the media. While they're not friends or even seem to like one another that much, there are no real issues between the two.
Sure, Meghan felt like she wasn't getting the support she expected from her Royal sister Kate. But there's a good chance Kate was simply aligning with her husband and feeling unsure about Meghan's addition to the family. According to Finding Freedom, there are no hard feelings between Meghan and Kate, but they're also far from being good buddies.
They Moved To Windsor To Get Away From William
Here's yet another thing that the press got wrong. When Harry and a pregnant Meghan first moved from Kensington Palace to their Windsor cottage, many said the relocation was motivated by Meghan and Kate's estranged relationship. We now know that's not true.
In fact, the decision to move was Harry's, and the reason behind it was William. We've mentioned before Harry felt like his older brother overly controlled him, and leaving Kensington Palace was Harry's way of finding his own space and stop feeling suffocated by William's constant presence.
William and Kate Never Visited Harry and Meghan's Oxfordshire Home
Before moving to Windsor, Harry and Meghan shared a home in Oxfordshire, where they entertained many guests' visit. But do you know who never showed up? That's right, William and Kate! And the worst part is that Harry and Meghan lived in Oxfordshire for close to a year.
Once again, this speaks volumes about how deep the fall-out between Harry and William goes. And it also helps to explain just how impactful Meghan's arrival to the Royal family was. She was never the troublemaker the press thought her to be, but she did raise many eyebrows as she settled in the U.K.
Harry Fell on a Bush While Drunk Once
A detailed exposition of the Royal family's dramatic private affairs, Finding Freedom also contains one or two funny stories that make us relate closely to Harry. One of the most impressive happened in 2016. At the time, Harry was enjoying a few drinks with his brother when he stepped outside to have a smoke.
It was then he lost his balance and fell into a bush. The minute he did, someone reportedly tried to take a photo of him, but security quickly intervened. It goes to show that Harry has matured a lot over the last 4 years!
Meghan Was An Exemplary Royal Student
It's not easy to learn the infinitely complex ways of the Royal Family. But if there ever was a fast Royal student, that's Meghan! She not only did her best to lose some of her Hollywood habits (which included calling the paparazzi before going to a public event), but she also worked hard to learn everything she could from the people around her.
Luckily, she was able to learn from the very best: the Queen herself! With a teacher like that, it's no wonder Meghan transitioned quickly into a bonafide Royal member.
Harry Worked Around Prince Philip And Invited Sarah Ferguson To His Wedding
In 2019, tabloid headlines ensured Prince Philip and the Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson could never be "in the same room" together again. But Finding Freedom has revealed that Harry was adamant about having his aunt present during his wedding, and he worked around Philip to invite her to the ceremony.
The Duchess of York was formerly married to Prince Andrew, the second son of the Queen and Prince Philip, with whom she's reportedly had a decades-long feud. In recent years, Prince Andrew resigned from all his public roles after being associated with the late convicted criminal Jeffrey Epstein.
Meghan Did Speak At Her Wedding
It's a relatively misogynistic tradition, but a tradition still. At Royal weddings, the bride is not supposed to make a speech, as the role is normally performed by the groom, the best man, and the father of the bride. But ahead of Harry and Meghan's wedding, the press revealed that Meghan intended to break the tradition and had a speech prepared to deliver.
According to Finding Freedom, we now know she did speak at her wedding, saying a few words in praise of her husband and the Queen's support. Speaking of which, do you know who also made headlines for breaking this particular Royal tradition? Yes, the Queen herself. Back when she was still known as Princess Elizabeth, she spoke briefly during her 1947 wedding ceremony, thanking her father and guests.
Harry Uses The Internet Just Like The Rest Of Us
It's hardly a scandalous revelation, but Harry is an avid Internet user just like every single one of us. Finding Freedom has exposed some interesting details about the former Royal's online habits. For one, he has stalked Meghan online before getting to know her. He reportedly looked her name up at Google and browsed through a few of her Instagram pictures.
More interestingly, Harry is an intense emoji user. Strangely enough, he likes to replace the traditional smiley face emoji with the ghost emoji, which has to make for some odd and confusing texts!
Harry Is a Big Fan of House Music
Even though Harry is an Internet user, he's not entitled to the same privileges ordinary people enjoy. His social media accounts never feature his real name and are instead inspired by some of his favorite films and music. His old Facebook profile featured King Julien, the dancing lemur from the Madagascar animated movie.
His private Instagram account was @SpikeyMau5, which is a reference to the house music DJ Deadmau5. Besides being likely one of Harry's favorite musicians, Deadmau5 wears a mask during live concerts to hide his true identity... This is definitely something Harry can relate to!
The Decision To Leave Was Mostly Harry's
When Harry and Meghan announced they were going to leave the Royal family, all hell broke loose. And people seemed to know exactly who to blame. To the eyes of the public, Meghan was the main reason behind the departure.
According to Finding Freedom, though, the decision to leave was a joint one, and Harry was the one pushing for it. Theories saying that Meghan forced Harry to leave his family couldn't be any more wrong. We now can see that Harry glimpsed a chance of breaking free and decided to take it with his wife's support.
A Leak Got In The Way of Harry and Meghan's Plans
Even though Harry and Meghan exclusively decided to leave the Royal family, we now know they were forced to announce their plans earlier than they would like to. According to Finding Freedom, there was a leak inside the Royal household/staff that caused Harry and Meghan to make a move, and make it fast!
The leak's origin was never revealed, but it put some unwanted pressure on the young Royal couple. Harry and Meghan had a complicated task ahead of them, even if everything went as planned. This way, they were rushed into doing things as complicated as announcing their decision to the Queen.
The Sussex Royal Website Broke The Queen
The Queen was surely not happy after learning about Harry and Meghan's decision to leave. But what really broke her was the news that the couple had just launched the website for Sussex Royal, their personal, community-supportive brand. According to Finding Freedom, the sudden website launch made the Queen feel "devastated."
The website was not only a surprise, unannounced public affair. It was also the final nail in Harry and Meghan's departure coffin. The Queen saw this as a definite sign of the couple's resolution to build a future for themselves and get financial independence.
Meghan Was Not a Staff's Favorite
Well, saying she was not a staff's favorite is probably putting it lightly. According to Finding Freedom, Meghan was a horrible boss, and many of the Royal employees loved to say mean things about her on her back. She was reportedly called a "squeaky third wheel" and accused of being rude to the staff in charge of helping her.
To make it worse, the troubled relationship between Harry and the rest of the family caused the Royal staff to kind of hate the couple. By the time they left the U.K., only a handful of employees could be considered trustworthy by Harry and Meghan.
Some Royal Family Members Showed No Respect For Meghan
It wasn't just the Royal staff saying nasty things about Meghan. A mixed-race American with a Protestant Christian background, a divorce on her name, and a Hollywood career, saying Meghan was a typical Royal would be crazy. And quite predictably, her welcoming to the family was far from nice.
Finding Freedom authors have claimed that Meghan was looked down on by many of her new relatives, and many said horrible things about her on her back. Insults cited in the book include the offensive nickname of "Harry's showgirl" and the accusation that she had "a lot of baggage," a likely reference to her past relationships.
Two Unbiased Royal Commentators wrote the Book
Finding Freedom is the result of a 2-years project of the Royal commentators Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand. Scobie has been covering the Royal family for over 8 years and has followed Harry and Meghan around on their commitments inside and outside of the U.K. As for Durand, she's a writer and producer who's been collaborating with the Royal Family for over 15 years.
With lots of hands-on knowledge on the Royal Family's ever-controversial lives, Scobie and Durand make for arguably the best guys around to write a book on the subject. They claim to show an unbiased and "beyond the headlines" version of Harry and Meghan's Royal departure, based on their unique access to the couple.
The Royal Family Exchanges Hilarious Christmas Gifts
What do you give to the men and women who have everything? According to Finding Freedom, funny gifts bought at popular retail stores such as Urban Outfitters! Yes, the Royal family Christmas parties have featured some hilarious and surprisingly cheap presents over the years.
Odd Royal gifts include a shower cap with the words "Ain't life a b*" that Harry gave to the Queen, a Big Mouth Billy Bass singing toy Harry also presented the monarch with, and even a "grow your own girlfriend" kit Kate hilariously gave to Harry in the days before Meghan was around.
Meghan Cared a Lot About Harry's Health
It's undeniable that Meghan had a huge influence over Harry during the past few years. But while many people accuse her of being a bad influence, Finding Freedom has reported that the former actress has actually helped improve Harry's life in many ways.
For one, she has managed to convince him to try a healthier lifestyle. An extremely fit and healthy American woman, Meghan introduced her British husband to the benefits of doing yoga and meditation. This revelation may be no surprise; in 2019, British tabloids reported Harry was supposed to join Meghan to perform yoga labor coping techniques.
The Queen is Still There For Harry
At a certain age, people get a broader perspective of what's really important in life. And despite all the disappointment and struggle created by Harry and Meghan in recent years, the Queen is the one who's still there to support them.
According to Finding Freedom, Harry and the Queen are still on good terms and have even recently got together to share a meal. Saying she was not saddened by Harry and Meghan's decision to leave would be a lie, but for better or worse, the monarch is still always there to help her beloved grandson.