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By Jack Royston
Chief Royal Correspondent
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's spokesperson took a major swipe at an upcoming book over a series of sensational claims about the couple and their relationship with the royals.
Tom Bower’s Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the Royal Family was serialized in the British newspaper The Times, prompting a clapback from the couple.
A spokesperson said in a statement to Newsweek: "Mr Bower’s commentary has long crossed the line from criticism into fixation.
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"This is someone who has publicly stated, 'the monarchy in fact depends on actually obliterating the Sussexes from our state of life,' language that speaks for itself. He has made a career out of constructing ever more elaborate theories about people he does not know and has never met.
"Those interested in facts will look elsewhere; those seeking deranged conspiracy and melodrama know exactly where to find him."
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Queen Camilla Thought Meghan 'Brainwashed Harry'
The book says that during the Sussexes time as working royals, Camilla told a friend, “Meghan’s brainwashed Harry,” and added that Prince William and Princess Kate believed Meghan was "not reconciled to what was deemed her destiny in London."
Bower says Meghan "lamented Harry’s unlikely chances of one day being king, just as she regretted the possibility that she would never be the queen. With Meghan’s encouragement, Harry started to move beyond the Palace’s control."
The book argues that Meghan became divisive while Harry ignored his old friends and "even changed his telephone number without telling his family."
"The jovial lad about town became possessed by seeking revenge," Bower wrote. "Increasingly, his character mirrored Meghan’s. Emotionally, he veered towards extremes. Simple dislikes became passionate hatred."
Prince Harry Was 'Stunned' by Andrew's Banishment
Bower states that more recently, Meghan has "separated herself from Harry except seemingly when a joint appearance would enrich her publicity."
Harry, according to the book, is "isolated from Britain, his charitable activities have become threadbare and his desperation noticeable to many.
"Permanently alienated from William and Kate, Harry was reportedly stunned by his brother’s ferocious reaction to revelations about the man now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his relationship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
"The unpredicted and unimagined humiliation of Andrew shocked Harry. Rightly, Harry fears that the future King William could remove all the Sussexes’ titles and effectively banish him from Britain.
"Whether Meghan understands the potential consequences of any deliberate aggravation of the Prince and Princess of Wales remains to be seen."
Prince Harry's Invictus Games
Bower wrote that two unnamed former executives behind the 2025 Invictus Games, in British Columbia, Canada, became concerned by the organization's strategy and felt that too much of the media's attention was falling on Meghan and not enough on the soldiers competing in the Olympics-style tournament for wounded veterans.
"In the opinion of the departed Canadian executives," the book reads, "Meghan was a distraction from the injured veterans. 'She’s bling, not rehabilitation,' protested one of the men. 'Harry can’t decide whether Invictus should be styled on the Olympics or a more intimate warrior games embracing the military family.'
"Caught halfway, they warned, the competition would once again be ignored by the media after the star-studded opening pop concert at the BC Place stadium. 'We need bigger ambitions to bring in the audience,' they said."
Perhaps the most inflammatory of the claims, however, was Bower's assertion that many of the competitors in the wheelchair basketball were not actually wheelchair bound in their day-to-day lives but rather had post-traumatic stress disorder.
One team "wheeled themselves off the court into a secluded area and effortlessly they all got up and walked away. None of them appeared to be physically injured," Bower wrote.
A spokesperson for the Invictus Games Foundation said: “It is disappointing to see The Times give prominence to commentary that appears driven by a long-established agenda rather than a genuine understanding of the Invictus Games and the community it supports.
"The Foundation exists to support the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans from around the world.
"Attempts to question the legitimacy of competitors or diminish the experiences of those living with both physical injuries and invisible wounds such as PTSD are deeply disrespectful to the men and women the Games were created for. The focus should remain where it belongs—on the courage, recovery and camaraderie of those who have served."
Prince Harry's Spanner in the Works With King Charles
Bower writes that Harry was hoping to build his reconciliation with King Charles III around his decision to host the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham, Britain's second-largest city.
The prince's ambition has, the book said, been derailed, unexpectedly, by Israel, or rather the fact that Israel Defense Forces soldiers compete in the Games.
This has raised the prospect that there could be protests from pro-Palestinian residents of Birmingham, which is the same city where police sparked headlines by banning Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a Europa League match against Birmingham-based Aston Villa. There was a major political dispute over whether the motive for the ban had been hooliganism by Maccabi fans or the anticipation of protests against Israel over its war in Gaza.
"The Sussexes aimed for nothing less than to be reinstated in London by the King as trusted members of the royal family," Bower wrote. "The vehicle for their triumphant return would be the Invictus Games to be held in July 2027 in Birmingham. From the outset, Harry had plotted for the King to open the games as the backdrop for Meghan, accompanied by their children, to dominate the media.
"But in choosing Birmingham, Harry had unwittingly exposed himself to unexpected controversy: the toxic reality of a city in turmoil, mired in threats of protest."
Meghan Markle's Speech About Herself
Bower also took a swipe at a speech Meghan gave at the One Young World conference in Manchester in 2022, in which he quoted Ella Robertson, the daughter of co-founder Kate Robertson, expressing frustration with the duchess's self-references.
"In the countdown to the big moment, Ella Robertson read Meghan Markle’s proposed speech on the Autocue. 'She’s f***** it' groaned Robertson.
"Instead of speaking as agreed about the charity One Young World, Meghan’s speech was focused on herself. Nearly fifty times in just ten minutes, she intended to say 'I'."
The author said "Meghan had abandoned the billed theme," which was ethical leadership, with a focus on the need for transparency, honesty and integrity among the leaders of tomorrow.
"To Ella Robertson’s anger," Bower wrote, "her [Meghan's] speech praised One Young World, who 'saw in me what I wanted to see fully in myself.' And over the next ten minutes, she spoke exclusively about herself and her rise to fame. At the end, the audience clapped politely."
Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the Royal Family by Tom Bower is due to be published in the United Kingdom by Blink Publishing on March 26.
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