Ever since it was reported that Prince Harry had started dating Suits actor Meghan Markle, the world has been captivated by their relationship. The pair was first romantically linked in 2016, before announcing their engagement in November 2017, marrying at Windsor castle six months later and welcoming their son Archie in May 2019.
However it hasn’t all been smooth sailing, they have also had to cope with significant struggles, dealing with an unprecedented level of intrusion into their lives, navigating racial abuse directed at Meghan and facing rumours of a rift between them and fellow members of the royal family.
On Tuesday 11 August, Finding Freedom, a biography about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, is being published. Written by royal journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, the book documents the reporters’ experience of working in close proximity to the couple.
While a spokesperson for the duke and duchess has told The Independent that they had no involvement in the book – it is “based on the authors’ own experiences” in the royal press corps – it promises insight into their lives, their work, and their decision to step away from royal life, following interviews with over 100 royal insiders.
Here is our report on Finding Freedom as we read the book from start to finish:
Finding Freedom is finally here
The day has finally arrived. After much anticipation (and several headline-grabbing extracts already made public), Finding Freedom, a biography on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex written by royal journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, is being published.
Join us as we read through all 24 chapters (and 349 pages) of the book, learning more about the things we already knew – how the couple fell in love after being set up on a blind date – to behind-the-scenes events (like the day the couple finally left the royal fold or “the Firm” for good).
We’re already enjoying the playful chapter titles, which include: 'London Calling', 'When Harry Met Meghan', 'A Problem Like Samantha' and 'Duchess Different'.
A symbolic title
Before we delve into the book, we have to draw attention to its title, Finding Freedom.
This choice of title speaks volumes about the way Scobie and Durand perceive Meghan and Harry’s relationship with the royals.
While some may believe the duke and duchess made a wrong turn by deciding to step down from royal life (and all the power that comes with it), according to the authors, doing so helped them find freedom from the gilded cage they had been living in.
A two-year stretch for Meghan and 35 years for Harry was enough to prompt them to fly the coop, all the way across the Atlantic.
A look back at the highs and lows
The book opens with one of the most memorable moments of Meghan and Harry’s relationship. Stepping out to the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, Meghan wearing a white Line the Label coat and beaming from ear to ear as she held onto Harry’s arm, the spotlight fixed firmly on the couple as they announced their engagement to the world in November 2017.
Scobie – who appears to be in the driving seat of the narration at this point – describes the day as undeniable “magic” for those who were there.
At this point in time, the couple undoubtedly had some idea about the level of scrutiny their lives would be under in the years to come (Kensington Palace had already issued a statement about media reporting of Meghan at this point), but it’s safe to say what followed exceeded all expectations.
The normalcy Prince Harry always craved
For some, Harry and Meghan’s announcement to step away from the royal family in January came as a total surprise. To others, not so much. Right off the bat, Durand and Scobie claim they had been aware for a long time of how much Harry desired to lead a somewhat normal life.
The author gives an example of a “small drinks gathering” where the duke reportedly told Scobie he wanted to be “just a normal guy who could pack up and spend a year in Brazil pursuing his own passions” and said he “hated” smartphones being thrust in his face.
He says Harry “deepy craves normalcy” and cites his mother, Princess Diana, taking him to McDonald’s as an example (apparently Prince Harry loved the plastic Happy Meal toy).
An emotional farewell
If you’ve just joined us – we’re still reading the prologue at this point and have fast forwarded from the happy scenes at Kensington Palace in 2017 to the final day of their official royal life.
The picture Scobie paints of Meghan’s farewell to her Buckingham Palace team as one full of sadness and longing for a different outcome. Meghan and Harry previously said saying goodbye to their team in March was a “saddening” occasion for them and their staff.
We are told the words the duchess reportedly uttered as she and Scobie shared a farewell hug. “It didn’t have to be this way,” she said of her and Prince Harry’s exit from their royal duties.
Tormented by the tabloids
We’ve made it to the introduction, where we find the couple at Christmas 2019 - when they famously decided to go to Vancouver Island, Canada for the festive season, rather than stay at Sandringham with the rest of the Firm. (Note, this is something previously done by the Cambridges).
But spending the holiday away from Britain for the first time since they started dating – and with their young son, Archie – meant it was a move heavily questioned by the media, despite being signed off by Her Majesty, according to the book.
At this time we get our first glimpse of Harry’s relationship with the press: Scobie describes him reading a tabloid story online about their Christmas plans, saying he was “disgusted” at the way he was portrayed. Most notably, the way he was being attacked in the comment section - he continued to read it anyway, says Scobie.
“Harry instantly regretted opening the link. His stomach tied into the same knot every time he saw those sorts of comments,” it reads.
They say the pair spent the rest of the trip “mapping out various scenarios for their future” (as well as doing daily yoga and making breakfast together…).
A Californian calls in the capital
Chapter One – 'London Calling' – starts back in 2016, and Meghan is shopping at Selfridges (!!) for some shoes (her favourite designers are Stella McCartney, Chloe and Marc Jacobs apparently). We hear a little more about Meghan’s childhood, growing up in Los Angeles, including some time spent in a “cramped converted-garage” and how that has impacted her adult financial choices.
Next thing we know – Meghan is on a hen do on the Greek island of Hydra as a maid of honour (and it seems Meghan has some strong feelings on penis paraphernalia describing them as “headbands of the phallic persuasion”).
The trip is interwoven into the authors building a picture of Meghan before she was a princess: her childhood, her schooling, her charity work, her college choices, her adult-life before Harry.
The book describes her as anything but a party animal and says at university she was “less Animal House and more Elle Woods”.
Briefcases and Suits
The early stages of Meghan’s career were worlds away from her future life as a royal. Over the course of two years, hours were spent on the set of Deal or No Deal, poring over scripts in her free time as her fellow Briefcase Models went out for drinks. In the first episode of the rebooted 90210 series, she had to simulate giving oral sex in a car at the start of the school day, something Meghan was “hesitant” to do. “But struggling actresses can’t be picky,” the authors add.
When auditioning for the role that would make her somewhat of a household name on television – the character of paralegal Rachel Zane on Suits – Meghan apparently fluffed her audition. But never one to give up, she didn’t mull over her poor performance. Instead, she set to work, contacting her agent to see if she could have another go.
“There’s nothing you can do,” her agent replied. “Just focus on your next audition.” Seven seasons later, it was Meghan who had the last laugh.
Is it love, actually?
Chapter two opens more like a Nora Ephron rom-com. “When Harry Met Meghan”, the title of the chapter cheesily reads. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal eat your heart out.
Several years after breaking into the world of entertainment, Meghan is now enjoying her gains, being paid around $10,000 for appearances at exclusive red carpet events. In addition to her acting career, the Suits star is also trying to make a name for herself in the lifestyle sphere, having launched her lifestyle blog The Tig in 2014. A woman of many talents indeed.
But it wasn’t always obvious she would become an actress, say the authors. In fact, she considered a life in journalism at one stage. “She had always enjoyed writing in school and even thought about becoming a journalist at one point, as it was an opportunity to channel her creativity and frustration,” the authors write.
The future duchess wrote an anonymous blog called The Working Actress, where she “detailed the pitfalls and triumphs of struggling to make it in Hollywood”. For an individual who has strived to ensure her life is as protected and private as possible, this provided Meghan with an outlet to express her “raw” emotions, under the guise of supposed anonymity.
Mingling with high society
Even before she married into the royal family, Meghan was already becoming acquainted with the who’s who of British high society. She was friendly with Ralph Lauren PR executive Violet von Westenholz, who grew up going on skiing holidays with Prince William and Prince Harry, and attended Wimbledon, where she supported her close friend Serena Williams and admired her crush, actor Dominic Cooper, from afar in the VIP area. While Meghan and Harry’s union may have come as a surprise to some, others might say it was inevitable given their social circles.
A pint with Piers
Before she met Prince Harry, Meghan met another famous Brit during her travels to London. Good Morning Britain co-host Piers Morgan – who this year admitted that his criticisms of the Duchess of Sussex went “too far” at times – joined the Suits actor for a drink at his local pub in Kensington, having received a private message from Meghan asking if they could meet for the first time.
While the impression the Finding Freedom authors give of Meghan is that of a genuine, down-to-earth person, it is also apparent that she knew how to network, a skill she used to her advantage.
A date with destiny
Deep into the second chapter of the book, we have finally arrived at the pivotal moment Meghan and Harry meet for the first time. A blind date as unexpected for Harry as it was for Meghan. A prince meeting a Hollywood actor. A Hollywood actor meeting a prince. It had all the makings of a cheesy rom-com. But this was real life nonetheless.
When Meghan told her London-based agent Gina Nelthorpe-Cowne the identity of the man she was going on a blind date with, the agent had an inkling of the impact a relationship with the royal would have on the actor’s life. “You will be the most wanted woman,” she reportedly said, in an attempt to explain what tabloid culture is like in the UK. This statement was strong enough to send anyone running to the hills. And apt, considering the attention Kate Middleton received over the years as Prince Williams’ girlfriend-turned-future Queen.
Meghan joked with a friend that she would “settle for ‘a nice English gentleman to flirt with’,” the authors state. Boy did she get more than she had bargained for.
All or nothing
According to the Finding Freedom authors, “casual dating” was never on the cards for the duchess. Ever since she first started dating as a teenager, “she was always looking for commitment”, they say.
One of her most serious relationships came in the form of producer Trevor Engelson, who Meghan met at the age of 23. The couple married seven years later. Despite being together for such a long period of time, according to a friend who was interviewed for the book, when Meghan was cast in Suits months after becoming engaged to Engelson, the “dynamic” in their relationship “was changing”.
“Meghan wondered aloud to her closest friends why Trevor didn’t always act as if he supported her acting career,” the authors write. “She felt that he liked her being dependent on him.”
Following their divorce in 2013, Meghan embarked upon a relationship with restaurateur Cory Vitiello, combining Meghan’s search for love with her passion for fine cuisine. But as we all know, Vitiello was not the one for her. In early 2016, the same year she met Prince Harry, she broke off their relationship.
Tales of a playful prince
Before we reach the point of Meghan and Harry’s blind date, the authors remind us of Prince Harry’s playful nature, an attribute that has helped him become one of the most well-liked members of the royal family ever since his childhood. Sticking out his tongue while being held by Princess Diana at three years old and sneaking out of the Palace while playing with his mother’s protection officer… Prince Harry always had a penchant for mischief.
As the younger of two royal brothers, Harry had the freedom to bend the rules more than his elder sibling Prince William, who is second-in-line to the throne behind their father, Prince Charles. Prince Harry is “not one for pomp and circumstance” and “to this day”, the Duke of Sussex “doesn’t like wearing a tie”, the authors state.
While some may have felt overshadowed as the younger sibling in the royal family, Princess Diana ensured her younger son never felt he was any less important than William. “Diana had tried to imbue in her younger son that he should never let anyone make him feel that he wasn’t special just because he would never be king,” the authors say. “If anything, she reasoned, he was lucky, because Harry had the opportunity to find his purpose.
The pitfalls of dating a prince
Before Meghan, one of Harry’s most serious relationships was with Chelsy Davy, who he met on his gap year. Her face was frequently splashed across the newspapers, as was Harry’s subsequent girlfriend, Cressida Bonas. The intense scrutiny of their lives proved too much to bear for both Davy and Bonas, the authors state. Which left Harry in 2016, open for another serious relationship.
The start of something new
And then, there were two. After conducting “thorough Google searches” of each other, Meghan and Harry met for a blind date reportedly set up by fashion designer Misha Nonoo and Soho House consultant Markus Anderson. Coming face to face for the first time at the exclusive member’s club, the pair settled in for an evening in a “private dining area cordoned off behind floor-to-ceiling velvet drapes”.
“Wow,” Prince Harry reportedly told a friend later on. “The most beautiful woman I’ve seen in my life.”
With a “bashful start”, the pair gradually began to feel more comfortable with each other, with a source telling the authors that they were “in their own little world”. They connected on topics such as their mutual desire to “make change for good”, with Harry discussing his trips to Africa and Meghan showing the prince photos of her dog on her phone.
Their first date did not end with a kiss, despite the evident connection between the two. But it did end with a “hint” of what was to come, with both parties keen to meet up again in the near future.
Redefining texting etiquette
Anyone well-attuned to the world of dating will understand the significance of text lingo. One x or two? To emoji or not emoji? Should you keep your cool by waiting an hour to respond or reply straight away?
Prince Harry seemingly followed no unofficially established rules when texting Meghan, pinging her a message that same evening when she had returned to her hotel room.
According to the authors, Harry’s texts were “often short and full of emojis, in particular the ghost emoji”. While someone else may have cringed at the unusual choice of preferred emoji, Meghan apparently found his texting style “funny and adorable”, a win for the prince 👻
A spattering of clues on social media
As we enter the third chapter of the book, the courtship between Meghan and Harry is well and truly underway.
A friend reportedly said that the couple were “almost obsessed with each other” from the get-go, with Harry appearing as though he was “in a trance” following his first meeting with Meghan.
For a second consecutive night, Meghan and Harry met for another date at Dean Street Townhouse, the “chemistry” seemingly sizzling as they coyly dined together, with just one waiter entrusted to serve them.
While their dates were kept – by and large – a secret, Meghan did leave clues about their meeting on social media, when she still had her own personal accounts. After the couple’s first date, Meghan began following an Instagram account with the handle @SpikeyMau5. The authors say this was Harry’s private account, which he named after one of his favourite DJs, DeadMau5, and “Spike Wells”, the name the prince used as an alias on Facebook.
On the same night as one of their dates, Meghan shared an image on Instagram of a Love Hearts sweet that read “Kiss Me”, captioning the picture “Lovehearts in #London”. In hindsight, one could say her burgeoning relationship with Harry couldn’t have been more obvious.
A whirlwind romance
Just six weeks after their first date, Meghan and Harry were jetting off to Botswana in for Africa, a trip organised by the prince. Few people knew about their romantic getaway, among them Jessica Mulroney, a fashion stylist and close friend of the duchess whose children would play a role in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding in May 2018.
While a holiday to Africa may sound a bit extreme for two people who had only just started dating, for Meghan and Harry, it made perfect sense. Harry wished to spend time alone with Meghan with the knowledge that they weren’t being watched closely, a tricky feat in the heart of London. Plus, Africa meant a lot to Harry, as a continent he had forged a deep connection with after the death of his mother, Princess Diana.
Meghan reportedly asked a friend “Is this crazy to go away like this?” when she agreed to join Harry. But, as a friend told the authors, “Sometimes you just have to allow yourself to get swept up in these things – and that she did.”
Butterflies aplenty
Following their trip, which was technically their third date, it was apparent Meghan and Harry were absolutely sold on one another, the Finding Freedom authors write. Meghan seemed “completely spellbound” when she returned from Africa, a friend said, telling a close confidante that she had “never felt that safe” and “close to someone in such a short amount of time”. The gamble of a spontaneous minibreak to Africa had paid off for the transatlantic sweethearts.
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