It has been no secret in royal and aristocratic circles that I was writing this book. The cooperation that I have received, as can be seen from the content of this work, was so comprehensive that I was catapulted back nearly three decades, to when I was writing my Diana biographies. As January 2020 was coming to an end, history repeated itself in a wholly unwelcome but enlightening way. After Britain’s Channel 5 aired its interview with Thomas Markle, in which he made it clear that he loved his daughter and was distraught at the loss of their relationship, and was perplexed as to the reason why she refused to get in touch with him, I received a telephone call from an extremely eminent, well-connected aristocrat who has a direct connection to Harry through one of his closest friends. Did I want to know the real reason why Meghan had had to sever ties with her father? Of course I did.
A song and dance then ensued with the informant asserting that the truth was so awful that she could not possibly bring herself to utter the words. I had to point out that a writer cannot consider, much less use, an allegation that is not spelt out clearly. I was then informed that Harry himself believed the information to be true, as if that would somehow mitigate for something that was so mysteriously awful that it could not be put into words. Yet I was supposed to write it.
I was then invited to guess what was the worst thing that a daughter could have against her father. Not being a simpleton or three years old, I immediately cottoned onto where this was going, but still refused to be drawn, pointing out that a responsible author does not guess but relies upon information that is freely imparted. After the most tremendous palaver, the informant then managed to spit out the odious word ‘interference’. I asked what the word meant in that context, and was left in no doubt as to what it did mean.
I am terribly sorry, but anyone with scruples or a heart, invited to accuse a man whose daughter was full of praise for his parenting skills only weeks before she met her prince, would have to be low indeed to give credence to such a debased piece of information. I felt duty-bound to point out to the informant that Harry could not possibly believe any such thing. If he did, it meant that he accepted that Meghan was a brazen liar who had fabricated a truly loving father to impress the readers of her blog as well as everyone else with how worthy she was of the love of such a wonderful man. Either that, or she was lying now, or someone had mischievously made up the whole thing to gain my sympathy.
That certainly cast me right back to the bad old days of the 1990s, when bizarre stories were invented which had so many permutations that their objective was frequently obscure, though their source was as transparent as the freshly cleaned glass at Kensington Palace.
Of course, one must acknowledge the possibility that Harry might not, despite appearances to the contrary, have known anything about the telephone call. Notwithstanding the fact that he was in Britain at the time, this could well have been a coincidence. His friend, knowing that I am neither a supporter nor a detractor, could have been trying to influence the narrative in such a way that I would be tempted to look more favourably upon Meghan’s treatment of her father. One must always keep an open mind until all the evidence is in, but when the wind is blowing strongly in a certain direction, the weather vane naturally registers that fact.
It looks increasingly unlikely that Meghan and Harry will be returning to live in Britain any time soon, if ever again. All the indications are that they will remain in the United States. Whether they will make the big bucks they are aiming for is another matter. They might well do so, though there is also every possibility that they might make less than they hoped. Either way, Meghan has destroyed her acceptability within the British Establishment in a way no one else has done since Diana Wales slit her own throat while spewing out her bile to Martin Bashir in the hope that she would deprive Charles of his right to the throne. From then until her death, most doors, including within her own family, were shut to her. Even before that, she had become so marginalised that she was playing serious catch-up with people she had fallen out with, including me.
Harry falls into another category. While there is no doubt that Harry has damaged his reputation by decamping, should he need to return to live in Britain, he will be reincorporated with dignity and even compassion. But reputation in Britain is like a beautifully wrought glass vase. Once it’s broken, even if it’s repaired and looks okay, it doesn’t ever hold water the way it used to. Its fundamental function being altered, it has less value. Harry’s glory days are over as a public figure in Britain, not only because he abandoned his post, but because too many people have voiced the opinion that he is ‘weak’, ‘pussywhipped’, and ‘pathetic’.
The speculation continues as to whether Meghan and Harry’s marriage will last. As stated earlier, from the very outset, people at the palace were taking bets as to whether
