Finding Freedom’s new chapters could be ‘final straw’ for Prince Harry and royals, says royal expert

Finding Freedom’s new chapters will be ‘extremely telling’ about the state of the royal rift between Prince Harry and his family and could blow any chance of a reconciliation, a royal expert has claimed.

An updated version of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s biography by authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand is set to be released this summer.

The first edition was published on August 11 last year and painted a flattering picture of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from when they met in 2016 to their departure from the Firm in early 2020. 

According to The Sunday Times, it is now being updated with new chapters which will cover their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, the allegations that Meghan, 39, bullied royal staff – which she denies – and the death of Prince Philip.

An updated version of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s biography by authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand is set to be released this summer

Duncan Larcombe, author of Prince Harry: The Inside Story, warned there will be ‘no chance’ of a reconciliation if the book divulges more negative information about the royals or in-depth details of any personal conversations between Harry and his family after the funeral.

‘That really will be the final straw,’ he told Closer magazine. ‘That’ll be it – there will be no chance of a reconciliation ever and all trust will be broken. 

‘How could anyone from the Royal Family trust them again if the intimate details of conversations were leaked. Why would they want anything more to do with them? Those chapters will be extremely telling as to the state of the royal rift as it stands now, and to where it’ll head in the future.’  

The updated Finding Freedom, which is also expected to discuss their multi-million pound deals with Netflix and Spotify, their new life in California and the Queen’s decision to strip them of their royal patronages including Harry’s military roles, will go on sale on August 5. 

Finding Freedom is being updated with new chapters which will cover their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, the allegations that Meghan, 39, bullied royal staff - which she denies - and the death of Prince Philip (pictured: Harry and William at the funeral)

Finding Freedom is being updated with new chapters which will cover their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, the allegations that Meghan, 39, bullied royal staff – which she denies – and the death of Prince Philip (pictured: Harry and William at the funeral)

It was hoped that Harry and his brother William would start to build bridges following the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, but the reissue of Finding Freedom is only likely to aggravate tension between the Sussexes and the Firm, it has been claimed.

‘The Oprah interview detonated a bomb under the Royal Family and most of them are still reeling in shock. The book will not help,’ a senior courtier told The Sunday Times.

Another senior royal source added: ‘After Oprah, what else is there to say?’ 

While he admitted it ‘makes sense’ for there to be more chapters to address unanswered questions about the Oprah interview, what was said to Gayle King and what was said in the wake of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, Duncan added that he hopes the recent rebuilding of bridges will have deterred the Sussexes from worsening the rift.

‘Whatever’s said will be a bombshell – everyone is just so gripped by the situation,’ he told Closer.

Duncan Larcombe, author of Prince Harry: The Inside Story, got to know the Duke of Sussex, 36, during his decade-long stint as a royal editor and described him as 'hot-headed' (pictured with Harry in 2008 in Buthe Buthe, Lesotho)

Duncan Larcombe, author of Prince Harry: The Inside Story, got to know the Duke of Sussex, 36, during his decade-long stint as a royal editor and described him as ‘hot-headed’ (pictured with Harry in 2008 in Buthe Buthe, Lesotho)

‘But we have to hope Harry and Meghan have been encouraged by the recent progress made during Harry’s trip to the UK… so that they don’t do any more damage.’

He added that if it appears Harry and Meghan have worked with the authors this time and made negative claims or revealed private discussions, it could be ‘over for them’ with the Firm.

‘If the content isn’t vague or neutral, it could cause another huge fallout,’ Duncan warned.

Last week Duncan claimed Harry was ‘hurt and angry’ over how his wife was treated by the Royal Family and used their Oprah Winfrey interview to ‘get it out’ – but is now ‘regretful and embarrassed’.

Finding Freedom, which was spotted on sale for 99p in January just five months after its release at £20, raised eyebrows for its gushing praise and intimate knowledge of Harry and Meghan, but the couple claimed they were not interviewed and did not contribute to the book. 

It was declared a bestseller, with 31,000 copies sold in the UK in the first five days of its release, according to figures from data provider Nielsen Book.

While he admitted it 'makes sense' for there to be more chapters to address unanswered questions about the Oprah interview, what was said to Gayle King and what was said in the wake of the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral, Duncan added that he hopes the recent rebuilding of bridges will have deterred the Sussexes from worsening the rift

While he admitted it ‘makes sense’ for there to be more chapters to address unanswered questions about the Oprah interview, what was said to Gayle King and what was said in the wake of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, Duncan added that he hopes the recent rebuilding of bridges will have deterred the Sussexes from worsening the rift 

The book offers a window into Meghan and Harry’s lives during their time as senior royals, and is full of details on their shock exit from the royal family. 

It addresses the alleged rift between brothers Harry and William – with the former being ‘p****d off’ by his ‘snobbish’ sibling’s suggestion he take ‘as much time’ as he needed to get to know Meghan before proposing, as well as the relationship between their wives. 

The book alleged that Meghan was ‘disappointed’ that Kate, 39, wasn’t ‘welcoming enough’. 

Scobie said that while they did not interview the couple, ‘many’ friends gave them insights – providing ‘a lens to the couple through their friends and their circle of aides’.

Royal expert Katie Nicholl said the authors may be the ‘only winners’ from the publication of Finding Freedom. Writing in Vanity Fair, she asked if the book was ‘worth it for Harry and Meghan’ before adding: ‘The irony of Finding Freedom is that, locked down in their rented mansion in LA, the Sussexes have less freedom than they did when they lived in Windsor.’

Meanwhile she added that the book’s authors write that the monarchy had lost two of its greatest assets.

She concluded: ‘They, perhaps, might be the only winners in this rather sad story.’

After the emotional funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh, William and Harry took ‘baby steps’ towards healing their relationship when they walked back to Windsor Castle from St George’s Chapel together after being pushed together by peacemaker Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge.

Later there was a face-to-face meeting within the grounds of the castle between the brothers and their father Prince Charles. Harry had been widely reported to have been planning to stay for the Queen’s birthday, although sources said he was ‘conflicted’ about the decision and wanted to get home to Meghan, who is pregnant with their second child, a girl.