All language subtitles for Meghan and Harry The New Revelations 2020 HDTV x264 LiNKLE_track3_eng

We've all heard the stories.

The spoilt couple,

the tantrums,

the split.

But there are two sides
to every story.

It's an opportunity for us
to understand

why they did step down
as senior royals

and for us to understand what it is
that they're searching for in life.

When you have that level
of independence, my goodness,

you can do anything.

Tonight, we hear Meghan
and Harry's side.

This book has potential
to have huge ramifications

for their relationship
with the other royals.

What caused the rifts?

We're brothers,
we'll always be brothers.

We're certainly on different paths
at the moment.

And who is to blame?

They felt it was a slight.
They felt put out.

No-one in the royal family likes
being taken by surprise.

Was Harry really as unhappy
as is claimed?

Were Meghan and Kate really at war?

Or did the couple simply
demand too much?

Kate and Meghan are not obligated
to be best friends.

Meghan Markle made serious judgment
calls and made considerable errors.

Can the couple ever repair relations
with the rest of the royals?

I don't see them going back
into the constraining embrace

of the royal family.
I think that they will fly free.

And how kind will history be
to Meghan and Harry?

Yes, they were breaking
free of the royal family.

Yes, they were able to embark
on a new chapter of their lives,

but it came at a huge cost.

Meghan and Harry.

Everything seemed like a fairy tale

when the royal family gained
a new member.

I think we have the potential

to be this amazing, you know,
celebrity couple.

When they first got together,
it felt like a real win.

You know, I, myself, was like,
this is amazing.

I'm loving seeing this. The
Wedding's is going to be beautiful.

And that's when the chip,
chip, chip away started.

Since then, it's been a turbulent
two years

for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex

and, for many, they were to blame
for everything that has gone wrong

in the House of Windsor.

But is that fair?

I can just imagine what kind
of struggle it was for them to see

the constant lies, the constant made
up fabrications to sell papers,

and that they were the human cost.

Now months after Megxit,
we are witnessing the fightback.

An explosive new book tells
their side of the story,

and it's causing breathless
news coverage on both sides

of the Atlantic.

This morning, new revelations
about Harry and Meghan's decision

to step back as senior members
of the royal family.

There could be some pretty stressful
conversations for the royal family

following claims made by
a new biography

of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Finding Freedom charts
the relationship of Harry and Meghan

from their first meeting
to stepping back as senior royals.

Everyone wants to know if this book

is Harry and Meghan setting
the record straight.

They and the authors say
they weren't involved,

but that hasn't stopped speculation.

I think it's hard to believe

that they didn't have more than
an interest in it, certainly.

There's certainly lines
within the book, even quotes

that have come potentially
from Harry and Meghan

and I think that a lot of people
will be thinking

that they had more of a hand in it
than they have been letting on.

A royal will always deny
any involvement,

because that's the convention.

The convention is that
you never, ever openly say

that you have helped.
But I think with Fighting Freedom

when we when we read it, you can
hear Harry and Meghan's voice.

Finding Freedom is written
by Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie,

two seasoned royaljournalists.

Another author who has first-hand
experience when it comes

to setting the royal record straight
is Andrew Morton.

His book, Diana: Her True Story
caused a sensation in 1992.

He believes the objective
of Finding Freedom

is to set out Meghan's side
of the story.

This is basically trying to explain
how Meghan

approached the royal family and how
she was dismayed

by the easy criticism

of everything that she tried to do.

She's been frustrated by the fact

that she's not been able
to give her side of the story,

that all kinds of stories have come
out about her

and she's not been able
to answer back

and it's something which she's found
immensely frustrating.

It's an opportunity for them both,

and in particular, Meghan, for us
to understand why they did step down

as senior royals,

why they've moved all the way
across the pond,

and for us to understand what it is
that they're searching for in life.

At the heart of the book is Harry
and Meghan's decision

to step down as senior royals.

There are many reasons given,
but crucially, we are told

they were fed up being controlled
by the royal institution.

When they were told
that they had to be brought

within the confines
of the Buckingham Palace machine,

I think that's when they realised
that their wings were being clipped

and they weren't
going to actually realise

the stardom that they had set
themselves up to be.

The book claims...

I think they were particularly
worried about William and Kate

that they might become more popular
than them

and I think they just couldn't
stand the idea of that.

They couldn't stand the idea
of this young, modern couple,

half of which is African-American,

potentially being more popular
than William and Kate,

who were their golden couple.

It always reminds me of a top
football manager saying

that no-one is bigger than the club.

And I think that analogy
is very, very true here,

that they weren't bigger
than the institution and certainly

the men in grey suits that they
believe were stalking the corridors,

trying to clip their wings

might have been an invention
in their own heads

rather than actually
what was going on.

Those men in grey suits,
as Princess Diana used to call them,

were allegedly another element
pushing Meghan and Harry away.

In the book, friends of the couple
call them vipers,

and it's claimed some of them simply
didn't like Meghan

and would stop at nothing
to make her life difficult.

One of the suggestions in the book
is that the courtiers or the vipers

as Harry and Meghan apparently
referred to them

were out to get them, that they
didn't like Meghan from the outset.

It may very well be the case that
there was a courtier, maybe two,

who had it in for Meghan,
who felt that she was too different,

too confident, too ambitious,
too different from anyone

who had married into the royal
family before.

Meghan's differences led friends to
call her Duchess Different,

a play on the often repeated claims
she was known as Duchess Difficult

inside palace walls.

I think calling Meghan
Duchess Different is...

It is very telling.

And it shows the gap between
the old ways and the new ways.

We can appreciate the value
that both represent

and celebrate the difference
rather than try to push it down

or make it look like
it's something bad.

As Meghan and Harry's relationship
with each other blossomed,

their relationship with the palace

and the rest of the royal family
seems to have soured.

The new book says...

And the pair had to wait
to announce projects

if other, more senior royals,
had announcements of their own.

I think she found it very difficult
because actually what she thought

she was getting was unrivalled power
and she'd be able to help

and effect this change
and be this change maker,

which is what she wanted to be.

And actually, she found she was
living in a gilded cage.

By Christmas of 2019, Meghan
and Harry had skipped Sandringham

to take an extended break in Canada.

They decided something
had to change.

And was that decision reinforced
when they saw

the Queen's Christmas message?

Well, the lack of photograph of them

appearing for the Queen's
Christmas speech

obviously had an effect on them
and the book will tell you

in detail about how this made
them feel.

They felt it was a slight,
they felt put out.

What I think was trying
to be demonstrated

during that Christmas message
was the future of the monarchy,

the future heirs
and the future sovereigns.

Harry and Harry's son are not there.

They don't have that place
on the table.

From the $18 million estate they
were staying at on Vancouver Island,

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex
set Megxit in motion.

E-mails were apparently sent
to the Queen and Prince Charles,

but the book claims Harry thought
he was being blocked from a meeting

with the monarch, which led
to an extraordinary plan.

One of the most fascinating
and new revelations in the book

was that when they landed in the UK
from their sabbatical in Canada,

they considered detouring straight
to Sandringham to try

and get a meeting with the Queen.

If they had done that,

I think the Queen would have been
point shocked and surprised

and because, frankly,
that's not the way things are done

and I think that was...
That's a lot of the problem here.

Harry and Meghan didn't want to keep
doing the way things are done

and the monarchy wasn't going
to change things just for them.

The monarchy's a supertanker.

It just keeps on going,
ploughing its own furrow.

Harry and Meghan wanted to become
financially independent,

split their time between the UK
and North America,

but, crucially, still carry out
duties for the Queen.

Eventually, the Queen agreed
to issue a joint statement

about her grandson's plans.

On the 7th of January, the Duke and
Duchess attended an event

at the Canadian High Commission.

The book reveals they
were feeling nervous.

They'd seen the planned statement

and thought it showed
a lack of warmth.

It's meant a lot to us
and it's just important for us

to start the year here
and say thank you.

More concerning to them than that,

reporters got wind of the plan
to stay in Canada.

A day later, the Sussexes made their
shock lnstagram announcement,

a move that's been endlessly
criticised,

but it seems in their minds
they felt they simply had no choice.

It was very sad, really,
that a couple who offered so much

to the monarchy and to the nation
had decided to go their own way.

As well as their announcement,
Meghan and Harry

simultaneously launched
their Sussex Royal website.

It's since been claimed this
and making an announcement

without discussing it first

left the Queen and the Duke
of Edinburgh devastated.

Crisis talks were needed

and on the 13th of January, Harry
met the Queen, Charles and William

at the famous Sandringham summit.

Yes, they were breaking free
of the royal family.

Yes, they were able to embark
on a new chapter of their lives,

but it came at a huge cost.

Especially for Harry.

He had to give up
his military roles.

Finding Freedom gives an insight
into Meghan's feelings.

Harry has had to give up everything.

He's giving up his family, his home,
his country,

everything he's ever known,
and those military titles,

which... And Meghan's right,
they meant so much to him.

And what about what Meghan has had
to give up?

Finding Freedom claims Meghan
told a friend...

Even so, it's said courtiers and
some family blame Meghan for Megxit.

This girl who fell in love
with a boy

who happened to be part
of the royal family

And she gave up her whole career
to move over here to, of course,

follow tradition and ritual
marrying into the royal family

and she literally couldn't win.

And she basically gave up a part
of herself

because that is what would have been
expected of Meghan,

expected of Kate,
you know, the Duchess of Cambridge,

and they all did that too

out of love for their spouses and
out of respect for the institution.

These new revelations tell a story
ofjust how unhappy Harry and Meghan

were with their royal life and how
they felt forced into leaving,

but the new book also gives us a
new insight

into Harry and William's
relationship.

I would imagine if there was any
conversation that William probably

could take back,
it would be that one.

To understand why the relationship
between Harry

and his family broke down, you have
to go back to the summer of 2016.

Rumours about Harry and Meghan's
relationship were circulating,

and Meghan soon had the world's
press following her every move.

By November, Harry had had enough

and issued an extraordinary
statement

asking the press
to leave his girlfriend alone.

The statement that Prince Harry
released through his private office

in November came just after
a deluge of media reports

about their relationship.

I mean, the statement was
a bombshell,

perhaps the first of what we were to
expect from the Sussexes

in that it was certainly the most
personal statement I've ever read

from a senior member of
the royal family.

This was also confirmation
that Meghan was his girlfriend.

Don't forget, up until that point,
it was only speculation.

It's now been claimed the statement
caused tension in the family,

not because of its content,
but because of its timing.

It immediately took attention away
from Charles and Camilla.

They were on a diplomatic
tour of the Middle East.

The royal family has strict
protocols in place

to ensure they don't overshadow
each other's work,

something Harry appeared to overlook
when he attempted to protect Meghan.

I think one of the themes that is
explored in Finding Freedom

is the jealousies of some members
of the royal household

and some courtiers of the level of
attention

that the Sussexes were getting.

You know, there was a point when
Charles and Camilla

weren't even getting a look in.

You know, all the tabloids wanted
to run with stories

about Meghan and Harry,
and that became a problem.

And I think there's definitely some
truth in the fact that Charles

at times has felt a bit jealous
maybe of his son's public profile,

because for a long time, William
and Harry were getting really,

really positive publicity.

And Charles, of course,
had had dreadful publicity.

Harry's statement caused shock
waves in the palace

and allegedly upset
the Prince of Wales.

But looking back, this wasn't
the first time Harry had come out

in vocal defence of his girlfriends.

In 2005, whilst dating Chelsy Davy,

he gave a frank interview
to mark his 21st birthday.

I suppose that is the media
in general.

There's truth and there's lies,

and unfortunately I can't get
the truth across

because I don't have my own
column in the paper,

which I'm thinking about getting.

It does irritate me because
obviously I get to see how upset

she gets and I know the real her.

I don't think Harry has changed
an awful lot over the years.

He's become far more considered

and far more aware of what's
going on in the world.

At the same time, this hostility
to the mass media,

and to photographers and paparazzi
in particular,

hasn't change one jot.

So he was hostile to them before
and is hostile to them now,

to the point where he has in his own
mind more control over his life.

Less than a year after
the statement,

there was another incident,
this time between Harry and William.

Finding Freedom details
a conversation that supposedly

took place just before Harry
proposed to Meghan.

William is quoted as saying...

A source claims William
didn't want his brother

to be "blindsided by lust."

The book goes on to say...

I think there was a great
misunderstanding in that moment.

That was, I believe, intended
from a genuinely good place,

a place of brotherly love and just
wanting Harry to be absolutely sure,

given the speed that this
relationship had moved at,

that he wasn't rushing into things.

Harry, who was clearly sensitive,

and I think aware of some
of the sniping

in the corridors of power
about Meghan

just took this deeply personal
and the wrong way.

And I would imagine if there is any
conversation that William probably

could take back, it
would be that one.

I think William was
just trying to say...

Trying to look out for
his younger brother.

Now, maybe it goes to the heart
of their relationship

and Harry was frankly fed up
with playing third wheel

effectively to William,
Kate and Harry.

I mean, sometimes when the three of
them did jobs together,

I'd go would watch them and I did
feel a bit sorry for Harry.

You know, Kate and William
were always first because, you know,

in the line of succession.
William's always first.

And Harry was always slightly
trailing behind.

So did William ever really
accept Meghan?

Rumours of a rift refused to go
away.

During Christmas of 2018,

William appeared to ignore Meghan
outside church.

The following Easter, another
incident

on the Queen's 93rd birthday.

The footage appeared to show
the brothers avoiding each other.

Is there petty jealousy?

Yes, because I think there is
between any family.

Show me any family in the world

where there's not jockeying
for position

or one sibling doesn't think that
sibling shouldn't have that or etc.

That is family.
That is the human condition.

I do think this is
War of the Wales' party,

but this is also
the British royal family.

This is what they do.

They argue, they fall out
and then we make a drama out of it.

But, for some, Harry and William's
fallout is far more serious.

This was a devastating blow
to the British people,

and indeed members
of the Commonwealth,

because they have looked to William
and Harry as being the successes.

So to see a divide between those
really did tear at the very fabric

of the British public's relationship
with the royal family.

From an early age,

there was clearly a friendly rivalry
between the brothers.

Would you live together again?

A nice experience,
being in the same...?

Harry told us the other week
that he did all the washing up.

Oh, the lies!
The lies.

I think the difference
between William and Harry

has a lot to do
with succession in the royal family.

William knows that, one day,
he will become king.

Harry knew that
the reality of that was...

...very, very unlikely that
he would ever sit on the throne.

So, in many ways, he lived a life
free of those shackles.

He was the rogue
and renegade prince.

And there was nothing wrong
with that in Harry's eyes.

And, seemingly,
there was nothing wrong with that

in the House of Windsor's eyes,
either,

because it made him more relatable
and it also modernised the monarchy.

Tension between the brothers
was confirmed by Harry himself

during a bombshell interview
with Tom Bradby.

There's been a lot of talk
in the press

about rifts with your brother.
How much of that is true?

Look, we're-we're brothers.

We'll always be brothers.

We're certainly on different paths
at the moment.

But I will always be there for him.

And, as I know,
he'll always be there for me.

We don't see each other
as much as we used to.

But, you know, just...
As I said, as brothers, you know,

you have good days,
you have bad days.

Not only is it alleged that William

wasn't as accepting of Meghan
as Harry would have liked,

it's also claimed she wasn't warmly
welcomed within the palace.

It is alleged that a senior member
of the royal family

referred to Meghan
as "Harry's showgirl".

We don't know which senior member
of the royal family this is.

According to another source,

a courtier said that
"she came with a lot of baggage".

And to a degree, you know,
Meghan did come with baggage.

She wasn't the virgin bride
marrying into the royal family.

I think it was celebrated
that she was from a dual heritage -

she had a black mother,
a white father.

There was a great excitement
about the fact

that she was akin
to a Hollywood movie star -

not A-list,
but still famous in her own right.

Meghan was a senior royal for,
you know, an incredibly short time.

And I think, if we look back
at that short time,

she was almost immediately hounded
by the British tabloid press.

And there wasn't a...
There really wasn't...

It's very hard to find
a really kind article about Meghan.

That was rather ruthless,
to be honest.

Now, with thousands of miles
separating Meghan from the palace,

and Harry from his brother,

it remains to be seen if
Harry and William's relationship

can ever be the same again.

The irony about this book,
in many ways,

is that the brothers
were just getting to a stage

in their relationship
where they were on a more even keel.

I was told that communication
had resumed between the brothers.

We don't know
whether they've spoken,

in light of the excerpts
from this book.

But one can only imagine
that this has done nothing

to improve relations
that were strained in the beginning

and, at this stage,
must seem pretty beyond repair.

Finding Freedom not only
claims to know what happened

behind the scenes
with Harry and William,

but sheds a light
on the rumours of duchesses at war.

I think there was a lot
of excitement.

That Kate and Meghan
would have come best buddies.

However, when you look at it,
on the face of it,

they were very, very different women
from very different backgrounds.

They were already going
to have very different roles

within the institution.

And I think the pictures of them
laughing and joking at Wimbledon

were probably the best
it was ever going to get.

Finding Freedom is said to be Harry
and Meghan's side of the story.

It claims to provide a new
perspective to all the stories,

rumours and gossip
that we think we know.

In particular, a focus on negativity

surrounding Meghan's relationship
with Kate,

not long after she became
the Duchess of Sussex.

After the royal wedding, you know,
once that sort of crest of the wave

of excitement and euphoria
had subsided,

there was a slow drip of reports

that began to show Meghan
in a different light.

After her wedding, Meghan was faced
with a number of negative headlines.

One in particular seems
to have angered the Sussexes.

It was reported that Meghan
had made Kate cry

during a bridesmaid fitting.

Finding Freedom
details the incident.

I also think that proves that,
yeah, that story was put out

by anti-Meghan people, by people
who wanted to vilify Meghan

and it actually unpicks that.

And it also proves that we know that
there's people actively out there,

working to make Meghan look bad.

There are always two sides
to every story.

But, you know, Kate either cried
at that dress fitting or she didn't.

And there are only
a couple of people

who know if that actually happened.

It's interesting that
that is one of the stories

that is contested
in Finding Freedom.

What Finding Freedom doesn't do
is actually explain what did happen.

Whatever the truth,
Meghan and Kate's relationship

soon became a favourite topic
for the tabloids.

I think there was a lot
of excitement

that's Kate and Meghan
would have become best buddies.

However, when you look at it,
on the face of it,

they were very, very different women
from very different backgrounds.

They were already going to have
very different roles

within the institution.

And I think the pictures of them
laughing and joking at Wimbledon

were probably the best
it was ever going to get.

Despite the press rumours
the duchesses were at war,

Finding Freedom claims
the relationship

between the sisters-in-law
was less tense than reported.

It does, however, reveal
they struggled to move past

the distant politeness
of when they first met.

It was very easy for us to escape
into this storyline

that Meghan and Catherine
were best friends,

that William, Harry, Meghan and
Catherine represented the Fab Four,

this union of young royals
that were set to take control

and modernise the monarchy.

It wasn't the case at all.

Just one year
after they were photographed

laughing together at Wimbledon,

new photographs emerged of Kate
and Meghan together at a polo event.

This time, the atmosphere appeared
a little less friendly.

The book notes there was a cordial
but distant rapport.

So it's a big exclusive event
in the summer of 2019,

and both Kate and Meghan
were there with their children.

In fact, it was probably one
of the first times

we'd seen Meghan out and about
with baby Archie.

Kate was watching the children
playing on the field

while watching the polo.

But the real striking thing was that
the two women were not speaking.

They weren't even conversing
for most of the day.

And I think that was
quite a bit of a realisation

for the British public,
and quite a disappointment as well,

that these two women were not
going to be the best of friends.

It's reported Meghan had wanted
a strong and close relationship

with her sister-in-law.

The book details that Meghan
had initially hoped

that Kate would potentially
reach out to her

and help guide her, as somebody who
had married into the institution.

But the offer never materialised.

It goes on to say Kate felt
they didn't have much in common,

other than the fact that they lived
at Kensington Palace.

So, while there might have been
an expectation from Meghan

that Kate was going to sit down
and show her the ropes,

perhaps that was
an unrealistic expectation -

you know, the Duchess of Cambridge
is a busy woman.

But Meghan clearly took that
quite personally.

In the same weekend Finding Freedom
dominated the papers,

Emily Andrews broke the story
that friends of the Cambridges

say Kate rolled out
the red carpet for Meghan.

So who was to blame
for this coldness?

I think it seems that Meghan
had a very unrealistic expectation

of her relationship with Kate.

If you look at it
from the Cambridges' point of view,

they don't know this woman at all.
From their point of view,

they absolutely did welcome her
into the family.

William and Kate invited Meghan
and Harry to Apartment 1A,

Kate met Meghan pretty early on
in the relationship,

and I think, from William
and Kate's point of view,

they did try and help
as much as possible.

But they were at a very different
stage of life.

With friends of William and Kate

refuting stories
from Finding Freedom,

the public is once again presented
with two sides of the story,

unsure which side
is telling the truth.

By the time Harry and Meghan's
final royal engagement came around,

in March of this year,

the tension was clear
for everyone to see.

At the Commonwealth event,
Meghan appeared to wave to Kate,

but the gesture wasn't acknowledged.

I was sitting behind William
and Kate and Meghan and Harry,

a few rows back, with other members
of the press at that service,

and there was absolutely a tension
between the two couples.

While Kate turned around to speak
to Edward and Sophie Wessex,

she just didn't acknowledge
Meghan and Harry at all,

and that was very obvious.

Finding Freedom notes that,

after flying straight back to
Canada, Meghan...

There is no doubt
that certain plotlines

sell newspapers and sell magazines.

And initially what sold

was the remarkable story
of these four young royals

and the tight union
that they supposedly had.

But, in reality,
that just wasn't the case.

Finding Freedom has done nothing
to quell the fascination

with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex,
presenting another side of the story

and asking if the criticism facing
the Sussexes has been fair.

The whole story about
Meghan wanting, you know,

the chapel for her wedding
to smell a certain way

and then people find out that
Kate wanted the exact same thing,

but Kate is not
being crucified for that.

However, Meghan is.

That just highlights again
that this toxicity against Meghan

is coming from
a very deep place of bias.

Finding Freedom might arguably
tell the story

from Harry and Meghan's side, but
it's not the only book about them

to hit the shelves this summer.

It's like hot cakes right now.

It's almost as though people think
that this is the next version

of The Crown from Netflix.

I think that there is a battle
at the moment amongst authors

to try and tell or answer
the unanswered questions

as to what led to the split.

Many well-covered tales
about the Sussexes

feature in books
by Lady Colin Campbell

and journalists Dylan Howard
and Andy Tillett.

But are these just examples

of yet more unfair criticism
that Meghan has faced?

Such as claims Meghan wanted
St George's Chapel

to smell a certain way
for her wedding -

a story she was ridiculed for
in the press,

despite Kate wanting the same thing
at her wedding in Westminster Abbey.

The whole story about Meghan
wanting, you know,

the chapel for her wedding
to smell a certain way,

and then people find out that
Kate wanted the exact same thing,

but Kate is not being crucified
for that.

However, Meghan is.

That just highlights again
that this toxicity against Meghan

is coming from
a very deep place of bias.

Westminster Abbey is not the same
thing as St George's Chapel.

I've actually been to events
at both, and, I have to tell you,

St George's Chapel
does not smell musty.

It smells of beeswax,

which is what the furniture
is waxed down with.

Maybe Meghan had never smelt beeswax
before in her life.

Lady Colin Campbell's book
addresses another infamous story -

the claim Meghan clashed
with the Queen

over her choice of tiara
for her wedding.

But Finding Freedom
says there was no clash.

Each story has been corroborated
by at least two sources

and they spoke to over 100 sources
for the book.

People don't want to believe that.

They want to think only Harry
and Meghan will say that,

and they are lying.

Instead, the book says
it was Harry who had reservations

that the Queen's dressmaker,
Angela Kelley,

was intentionally
delaying the process

of Meghan selecting
her wedding day tiara.

But it is quite one-sided.

Yes, Harry and Meghan died
don't escape criticism in the book,

that's certainly true.

But it is mainly
their side of the story

and everyone else is the bad guys.

Either way, what is sure

is that there have been
countless attacks on Meghan

over the past two years.

Allegedly, some even came
from palace insiders.

Seems to me that some of the stores

are stemming directly
from Buckingham Palace.

We're back to this narrative again
that strong,

independent women
are anathema in our society.

"Duchess Difficult",
"Hurricane Meghan" -

some of the headlines that started
coming out in the tabloid press.

Reports that, you know, she had
a habit of sending dawn e-mails

to staff and wanted a response
before lunchtime.

This appears to be true and seems
to be backed up in Finding Freedom.

But the author's
interpretation of this

is that this was an experienced,
successful American actress

who was used to having an
entourage of staff

and who was used
to having things done quickly.

Meghan has faced criticism for
pretty much every move she has made,

even down to the clothes she wears.

When Meghan came on the scene
and started wearing gowns

that were thousands of dollars
and living an extravagant lifestyle,

then it began to rub people
up the wrong way.

Someone's got to spend the most.

And Meghan's the one
that spends the most.

Again, it's just a non-issue.

It's a non-story.

She's probably spending
her own money.

What's the big deal?

And even a claim
that Kensington Palace staff

noted that Meghan's
charity cookbook,

raising funds for the victims
of the Grenfell tragedy,

didn't contain a single recipe
of British origin.

Everyone embraced this so deeply

because it's been a passion project
for all of us,

and for a very good reason.

For Meghan, much of the criticism

must have felt unwarranted
and unfair.

Why is Meghan a target
for criticism?

Hmm...

Very good question.

Right, I don't know.

Do you have a piece of paper?
Several pieces of paper?

But let's start with the fact that,
one, she's a progressive woman.

She's independent.

And let's talk about the fact
that she doesn't fit

your traditional idea
of, you know, "royalty".

Let's talk about the fact

that she's a woman
of bi-racial heritage, right?

Let's talk about the fact that her
profession was that of an actress

and the fact that she's American.

There's just so many things
around and about her

that many people do not like.

I feel for the poor girl.

I mean, she came into this country,
parachuted in.

She's married into
a very difficult family,

that everybody finds difficult
to come into

because of the various pressures.

And she's someone who didn't
know an awful lot

about British history,
British culture.

And she's... As she said herself,

she's going to hit
the ground running.

And she hit the ground running,

but she found that she
came up against a brick wall.

But amongst
all of the petty criticism,

there have also been stories
that suggest

Meghan and the royal way of life
was a culture clash.

In my book, I go to great lengths

to explain
how the culture clash arose,

because Meghan has very
American attitudes and expectations.

She is all about confidence,
go-getting, hustling

and all of those Hollywood things

that she has been brought up
to regard as desirable.

Did Meghan really know
what she was letting herself in for

when she married
into the royal family?

Some stories show how she struggled
to get to grips with royal life,

like her first official engagement
with the Queen -

opening the Mersey Gateway Bridge
in June 2018.

There were certain elements
of royalty

that perhaps weren't for Meghan,

but she was widely
condemned regardless.

Like security.

SINGING

Dylan Howard's Royals At War
reminds us of an incident in Fiji

when Meghan visited a market.

Every royal is assigned
a level of protection

when making appearances in public,

and there could be no more
valuable commodity, if you like,

than a pregnant Meghan Markle
making appearances in public.

Under sweltering temperatures

and with an increasingly
large crowd,

the duchess was rushed out
and the visit ended early.

Turn round, turn round, turn round.

Inevitably, in these types
of scenarios,

the royals are briefed
about what is right

and what is wrong

and what is expected of them

in order to maintain their security
and their wellbeing.

The security officer in charge
quit her role not long after

amid claims at the time that Meghan
found security constraining,

although the palace denied
this was why she left.

Guys, out. Just stay to the side,
please.

Everyone, turn round.

Meghan was oblivious.

Despite being told how to behave,

she thumbed her nose
at the restrictions

or recommendations of
the royal protection officer.

And Lady Colin Campbell
recalls at an event

that, in her view, shows Meghan
unwilling to persist with royal duty

at her and Harry's first public
engagement as a married couple.

I was at a dinner party at a very,
very famous aristocrat's house

four nights after the wedding,

and this person has impeccable
court connections.

At a garden party to celebrate
Prince Charles's 70th birthday

and all of his charity
connections...

There had been this garden party
at Buckingham Palace

and Harry and Meghan were there.

Good afternoon, everybody.
APPLAUSE

And there was much excitement
about them being there

because, of course, at that time,

they were the most popular couple
in the country.

She was a revered figure.

People couldn't wait to meet her.

Well, 15 minutes
into the engagement,

Meghan is overheard telling Harry
she's bored and she wants to leave

because they've effectively
done their photo op.

And the person who overheard this
was completely gobsmacked.

Enjoy the rest of your day.

All of these stories and allegations
hint at teething problems

as Meghan grappled with royal life.

But rather than focusing on
arguably unfair criticisms,

should the public and press have
been more understanding

of Meghan's struggle?

...in orange...

After all, it's something
that is very different

to what she was used to.

...that's one of my favourite parts
of being there.

On the face of it, everybody was
very, very excited

when Meghan came on the scene.

She was hugely successful
in her own right.

She'd spoken on the world stage
on big issues like the UN,

human rights, girls education.

I think there was a awful lot
of interest and excitement

with her coming on the scene.

But she definitely wanted
to hit the ground running.

She'd said that herself.

I think that, in certain sections
of the palace,

that was quite difficult

because there are certain processes,
protocols that had to be followed.

And when these two worlds collided,

there was definitely a clash
that couldn't be avoided.

There was a culture clash.

American divorcee
bi-racial actress,

woman of substance,

21st century girl from Los Angeles

versus the pale, male, stale

and very white British monarchy.

Yes, we have a woman
as our head of state.

YES, we have 6 WOITIBH 6S OUF queen.

But it is still an old-fashioned
institution.

It's done in... Tradition is all.

Duty is all.

And that's not very woke
or 21st century.

Coming up, did Meghan feel
she lost her ability to speak out

when she became a royal?

That age-old mantra,

which has stood the royals
in very good stead -

never complain, never explain -

I think most people would say

that she absolutely
didn't understand that.

And now that she and Harry
have left,

is she getting her voice back?

It's been very empowering
and inspiring to see and to hear

what they've had to say.

Many observers believe that
a key factor

behind the Sussexes leaving
the royal institution

was what some saw
as the muzzling of Meghan Markle.

Before her marriage to Prince Harry,

she'd used her media profile
to highlight social issues

close to her heart.

Women don't need to find a voice.

They have a voice.

They need to feel empowered
to use it,

and people need to be encouraged
to listen.

More people were encouraged
to listen

when her relationship
with Harry became public.

But being Harry's girlfriend
was one thing,

being his wife was quite another.

If she was not part
of the royal, family

the way she would have come
out to speak on issues

and to lend support
on different things,

she had to curtail all of that.

You can speak your mind
as a celebrity.

You can align yourself
with different politicians

as a celebrity.

You can't do any of that as being
a member of the royal family.

You blogs and all that stuff,

that's just been silenced 100%
to fit this role.

Maybe one of the reasons
for them wanting to leave

is so that she can go back
to doing that.

And following her move
to Los Angeles,

despite the lockdown,

Meghan Markle is out there
speaking her mind once again.

All of you were out there
campaigning,

fighting the right fight,

being on the right side of history

and ensuring that
we can get closer

to seeing
this truly as our past

and not something that we have to
revisit again and again and again.

Meghan and Harry have given,
you know, recent zoom virtual talks

to many from the younger generation.

They definitely have been able to
speak about matters

that are at the heart of them, and
matters that are important to them

like Black Lives Matter.

The only wrong thing to say
is to say nothing...

...because...

...George Floyd's life mattered,

and Breonna Taylor's life mattered,

and Philando Castile's
life mattered,

and Tamir Rice's life mattered.

And so did so many other people
whose names we know

and whose names we do not know.

It's been very empowering and
inspiring to see and to hear

what they've had to say.

But did Harry and Meghan

really need to leave
the royal institution

to speak out
on subjects like racism

and women's rights?

I went back to the palaces,

various people in palaces,
and said,

"Would Meghan have been allowed
to make those kind of speeches

"if she was still working for
the royals?"

Now, you can take
what I'm about to say as,

"Well, that would say that,
wouldn't they?"

but literally, to a man and a woman,

the people that I spoke
to said, "Yeah, why not?"

More problematic for the royals,
perhaps,

was a concern that Meghan's
progressive agenda

might encroach into politics.

You're going to use your voice
in a stronger way

than you've ever been able to.

Because most of you are 18,
or you're going to turn 18,

so you're going to vote.

Someone said to me, "That might be,"
and I was like, hang on a sec,

she's just telling everyone to vote.
That's not political.

And they were like, "No, but
she's made it very clear in the past

"where her political
allegiances lie."

You know, she's been very outspoken
about Trump.

The royal family has historically
stayed out of politics.

There is an inherent conflict

between a member of
the British royal family

involved in American politics.

It just can't work.

Before Meghan became pregnant
with Archie,

they had intended to go
to America on tour,

but she made it very clear that
she wasn't going to see Trump.

I'm afraid it doesn't work
like that.

Clearly, she is a woman
with very strong political opinions.

I think we will probably
see and hear more of these

now that she is detached
from the royal family.

As well as freeing her
to speak her mind,

leaving has allowed Meghan
to regain control of her own agenda

and to hit out directly
at her detractors.

Through her Instagram,
very popular lnstagram account,

and her blog, The Tig,

she was used to being able
to control the message.

Believe in what makes you unique,

and don't be afraid to do
what you know is right,

even when it's not popular.

Even when it's never been done
before.

Well, Meghan's choice of language,
of "even when it's not popular,

"even if it's not been done before,"

was definitely a pointed reference

to their decision
to leave the royal family.

Even if it scares people,

and even if it scares you
a little.

That age-old mantra,

which has stood the royals
in very good stead -

never complain, never explain -

I think most people would say

that she absolutely didn't
understand that.

One of the things she felt
very stifled by

was not being able to answer back.

Meghan couldn't grasp the reason why
she wasn't able to respond to these.

Well, there was so much more
at stake than just Meghan Markle.

The whole House of Windsor needed
to be considered

in whether or not she was
to respond to an allegation

that was levelled against her.

And that narrow-mindedness goes
a long way to explaining

why her and Harry would
ultimately leave the family.

And I think this book
is largely being written

to put to her side
of the story across.

And regardless of their personal
influence on the book,

it hasn't been the only outlet
for the couple's grievances.

The letter related to
Thomas Markle's

various dealings
with the media

following his non-appearances
at the couple's wedding in May 2018.

And within the court documents,

some of Meghan's complaints
about her treatment

within the House of Windsor
have been laid bare.

She has used the courts as a forum

to get her version of events out
into the public.

Meghan's detractors say

she's attempting to manipulate
the media

and claim the revelations
in her court evidence

and writing the letter
to her father in the first place

are evidence of this.

If Meghan expects me or anybody else
that I know who has a brain

to think that she wrote that letter

for anything except damaging
her father's reputation

and boosting her own,

and excusing her,

she better think again.

The central point of the case

is whether Meghan wrote this letter

with the intention
of it being public

and one of the authors
behind this book

has actually gone on record

to say that Meghan wrote it
with the public in mind.

That was a comment made by author
Omid Scobie earlier in the year,

but not repeated in the book.

Meghan emphatically states
that she didn't expect

the contents to become public,

but Associated Newspapers,

publishers of
the Mail on Sunday,

are contesting that.

Before being published,

the letter had been referred to
in People magazine.

She may have given her friends

permission to speak
to People magazine.

Friends have been spoken to
at some point,

but I genuinely think that

that was a letter
between herself and her father

and I don't think she wanted it
to be in any of the papers.

It will be up to the courts
to decide

of whether... This was the issue,
of whether she did know or didn't.

I think it must be very sad
and exhausting for Harry and Meghan

to have had to undertake
this court action.

You're forced to go through this
vicious cycle of seeing more lies

and the same lies come up,
and people buy into it

and people dig into it.

It has to be exhausting for them.

But I have to say,
it is the right thing to do.

Since beginning
the court proceedings,

both Harry and Meghan
have been accused of hypocrisy

in their dealings with the media.

Whether or not she wanted
the letter leaked

is really unknown at this point.

But what I can say with certainty

is that she does want
certain stories leaked.

In the book Fighting Freedom,

it says that she worked
with the paparazzi.

She tipped them off and
she tipped off localjournalists

because she was trying
to further her own profile.

And you do kind of come away
from the book thinking

Harry and Meghan are perfectly happy
to invade their own privacy

as long as it's a positive
outcome for them.

I've never seen a member
of the royal family

who has polarised opinion
quite as strongly as Meghan,

and then Harry and Meghan.

It's almost as if people took
positions very, very early on.

You're either for them
or you're against them.

CHEERING

But unlike many such debates,

there will eventually be winners
and losers

on at least some
of the big questions over Meghan.

Is she an attention-seeking
hypocrite

who was a disruptive influence
on the royal family,

or is she a well-meaning and
wholly innocent victim of racism,

sexism and the machinery and
machinations of the monarchy?

It seems that the English
courts will play a part

in answering that question.

If they are to win,

they will have won
at the expense

of dragging the royal family
through the mud.

So, win or lose,
in my view, it's a loss.

Released from
the House of Windsor,

have Harry and Meghan
really found their freedom?

If it was not for Covid-19,

we would have seen and heard
a lot more from this couple.

They are holed up in
a rented £80 million mansion.

Meghan and Harry have begun
their new journey in Los Angeles,

and, released from the shackles
of the British monarchy,

their new life is laid bare

in a revelatory new book,
Finding Freedom.

But are they?

I think moving to LA,
to California,

they have found a lot of freedom,

at least a lot compared to
what they were having

over here in the UK.

It's just different over there.

It's more laid back.
It's easier.

It's a slower pace of life.

And I think that's gonna be good
for the both of them.

They really need to try and take
a bit of time out

and maybe realise what they want,
what their future looks like.

They're not in the public eye
as much as they were over here.

So I think they've got a real
opportunity to slow down,

to figure it out,
and to find happiness.

But if finding freedom
is their goal,

2020 hasn't been the easiest year
in which to achieve it.

Have they actually found freedom?

Not really.

No-one could have predicted
this pandemic.

But the reality is that
they are holed up

in a rented £80 million mansion
in Beverly Hills,

taking on the paparazzi
because they believe

they have invaded their privacy
by taking pictures of them.

The idea that they are almost
prisoners in their own home

doesn't suggest that
they have found freedom.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex
launched another legal action,

this time in the US,

after drones were allegedly used

to take pictures
of their infant son, Archie.

These reports of the drone
that's flying over their LA home

and they're trying to find
that person

and then they will sue
that person

goes to show you
that they will not put up with

the invasion of their privacy
at all.

Some believe that for
a couple seeking freedom

and wary of the paparazzi,

moving to Los Angeles
was a strange choice.

That remains the great paradox
of a decision

to move out of the royal family
to avoid the limelight

and move to a place
where the limelight shines brighter

than anywhere else in the world.

They've gone to the pap capital
of the world.

In LA, freedom of expression
is paramount.

I think that we're seeing
how they're trying to achieve

the privacy that they want,
by suing publications.

And they probably won't stop
until they stop being pursued.

So I think this will definitely
put caution in a lot ofjournalists

and a lot of photographers

and being very, very careful
about what they print.

The Sussexes battle
is far from over

when it comes
to protecting their privacy.

But what does the future hold

when it comes to
their financial freedom?

I think we're going to see
a lot more

of Meghan and Harry
making speeches.

I've been told the Obamas'
business model

is something that
they're very much aspiring to,

which could earn them
a very lucrative income indeed.

I mean, public speaking engagements
alone

could earn the couple hundreds
of thousands of dollars.

There's much speculation about
the path that Meghan will take,

but what about Prince Harry?

The break from the royal family

meant giving up
all his military titles

and which took up
an awful lot of his time.

I think he probably took that
quite hard,

and I think that was a bit harsh,

but I'm hoping that he can
continue to work with veterans

in some form, perhaps in America,

and continue that line of work

because he was genuinely
passionate about it.

If, as seems likely, Harry
has more difficulty than Meghan

in acclimatising to this new life,

might some kind of return
to the royal fold be possible?

The queen gave them this option
of the trial period.

You know, see how you fare
after 12 months

and see if it's working for you.

Partly through coronavirus

and partly through the way
they have handled things,

what they hoped to achieve

is clearly turning out to be
more of an uphill struggle

than they would have envisaged
initially.

Who knows?

I don't think they know
what they're going to be doing

between now and next week,
much less next year.

There were headlines in some
of the tabloid press

after the serialisation

that, you know, there was
no way back after this,

after the revelations,

after airing their
dirty laundry in public.

That, you know, this was it
for the Sussexes.

I'm not so sure.

While I don't think they will go
back to a royal role as such,

Harry remains, in spite of what's
been said and what's happened,

deeply loved by his family.

Whatever the future might hold
for the former royal couple,

it seems that, for now,
a return to the House of Windsor

is very far from their minds.

I think that they will
get it right over there.

You know, I hope that they will do

exciting and amazing things
together,

become financially independent

and live a peaceful life,

which I suspect is
what they both want.

I applaud Harry and Meghan

for standing up
for what they believe

and wanting to carve out
a life for themselves

that makes them happy.

That should ultimately be
what we all want for them.

In 2018, William, Harry,
Kate and Meghan

were being hailed as
the golden generation

who'd build a new
21st century monarchy.

In just two years,
that dream has shattered.

How? Finding Freedom certainly
doesn't have all the answers,

but it does reveal the open wounds

currently blighting
the royal family,

and some say rub salt into them.

There are two sides
to every story.

Which one to believe -

that's up to you.

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