Harry and Meghan: the book scandal Finding Freedom does not scandalize
The controversial biography of the Dukes of Sussex is released in bookstores. Announced as "a bomb" does not move much opinion on the couple. Because we are no longer in Lady D's time, because there is an ongoing pandemic and because the real scandal is another
The most announced of the books of the summer, that Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, which promised to tell the true story of the couple Meghan Markle and Harry of England, is released today in British and American libraries, as the former actress entered the royal family , how she was treated and why, with her husband, they decided then, sensationally, to get out, renouncing the duties of the members of the royal family and moving first to Canada and then to California, where Meghan was born and raised, going to live in Malibu like any celebrity couple. The book is available for purchase from today (for the Italian edition we have to wait until August 27) but for weeks, indeed for months, the media have been offering advances and "uncomfortable" revelations for the queen and for the whole Royal Family because they highlight the "Bullying" of which the former actress would have been the victim in her new role as Duchess of Sussex, the aggressiveness of the tabloid press, the clashes with William and Kate. The book (Harper Collins) will surely sell many copies (even if the price of the ebook format is already discounted on Amazon) but it is not turning out to be the "bomb" it should have been. For different reasons.
A "guided" biography
The authors, two reporters who have been involved in following the royal family for some time, but who are American like Meghan (detail not negligible), have stated several times that Harry and Meghan were not involved in the writing of their biopic, but the story is all, undeniably told by the couple. And, as Hadley Freeman points out in the Guardian, it is full of intimate (and even somewhat useless) details about the habits of the Dukes of Sussex. The credibility that this is a truly unguided biography is the same as that which could be given to the biography (yes, explosive) of Diana written by Andrew Morton in 1993. None.
In short, Diana's son seems to take up a script already written by his mother in some way, says The Guardian, who used his trusted journalists and reporters to give his version of events. And if no one questions Harry's real suffering when he saw that his wife was being targeted by the tabloid press as his mother was in the 1990s, it is also true that today, "anyone who buys the book already knows the elements of the story" : how the two met, the beginning of the fairy tale, the "bad" press, the decision to "live their life" away from the Palazzo .... All the rest are details. Also cloying and useless (from Meghan's hairstyles, to romantic dinners). In short, "If Harry and Meghan have a story to tell, it's not the one written in this book" is the lapidary thesis of the Guardian reporter.
We are not in Diana's time
We are not in the early 90s, the period of Lady D, of the Carlo-Camilla-Diana triangle; today the network and social networks make photos, news and indiscretions available to the public in real time. Any new royal release should really offer something different and new. In the case of Harry and Meghan, then the authors of the biography Finding Freedom get lost on anecdotes and details that only serve to fill the sites of the tabloids day by day. As for the other books on the couple, there are no less than five, either coming out in this period or just out, in the UK and the US, each promising new details and anecdotes. Each "hanging" now on one side (all the royals) now on the other (the Sussex couple) Too many alleged truths, no truths.
The Sussexes and their fool
The "jolt" that Harry and Meghan gave to the royal family is undeniable: their farewell represented for the queen and for the image of the Crown something comparable only to the abdication of Edward VIII after marrying Wallis Simpson. A real earthquake. But every book that comes out in this period will not greatly shift the scope of their gesture. In the end, in the eyes of the British who still believe in the monarchical institution, the Sussexes, rather than victims, are those who have gone to live the life of nabobs in Hollywood. A judgment that became even more serious after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic: why weren't they in their place "fighting" with the English people instead of experiencing a golden lockdown in California? The image of the 94-year-old queen, alone in Windsor, speaking on TV and, gravely, telling her subjects, "We will meet again" has only strengthened public resentment towards the fleeing Sussex.
Andrea and the Epstein case are the real real scandal
Finally, if we really want to talk about a scandal within the royal family, the Guardian always points out, let us look at the case of Prince Andrew, the third son of Elizabeth II overwhelmed by a dangerous friendship with the billionaire Epstein and the related sexual abuse scandal. Andrea's departure is also another missed opportunity for Harry and Meghan to claim a role within the Royal Family rather than leave it. And if they really wanted to present themselves as "new" and revolutionary royals, they could at least have their say, distance themselves from the awkward uncle, rather than remain silent like the others. The invectives and barbs of the book are all against Kate and William while with the "senior" royals Herry and Meghan they are cautious. Maybe Harry didn't really want to close the door. And guarantee yourself a chance to return home.
