Revenge

I rarely read gossipy books about celebrities. A dislike for the Harkles, however, made me want to buy this book. Author Tom Bower shows in great detail the reasons for the war between Prince Harry, Meghan and the crown. This is the first book of Bower's that I have read. I was not even familiar with his name before and was surprised to discover that he has 25 titles to his credit. His typical subjects are the British royal family along with British celebrities and politicians. 

The publisher's summary:

The British Royal Family believed that the dizzy success of the Sussex wedding, watched and celebrated around the world, was the beginning of a new era for the Windsors. Yet, within one tumultuous year, the dream became a nightmare. In the aftermath of the infamous Megxit split and the Oprah Winfrey interview, the Royal Family's fate seems persistently threatened. 

The public remains puzzled. Meghan's success has alternatively won praise, bewildered and outraged. Confused by the Sussexes' slick publicity, few understand the real Meghan Markle. What lies ahead for Meghan? And what has happened to the family she married into? Can the Windsors restore their reputation? 

With extensive research, expert sourcing and interviews from insiders who have never spoken before, Tom Bower, Britain's leading investigative biographer, unpicks the tangled web of courtroom drama, courtier politics and thwarted childhood dreams to uncover an astonishing story of love, betrayal, secrets and revenge.

It was apparent from the first pages that Meghan Markle's current behavior is not anything new. She behaved the same way both before meeting Harry as well as during their courtship. I was surprised to read that her behavior is not due to any racism that she experienced or the royal family disliking her, which is the storyline that she has been putting out in the media. I was also surprised that Harry has always been just like her. They are the perfect couple. 

Bowers presents a ton of information about both their backgrounds and has shown many examples of their erratic behavior throughout their lives. In fact, the last 100 pages of the book are a list of references from where he obtained his information. Another surprise, yes a spoiler, is that Meghan's father Thomas Markle had quite a few conversations with Harry before the wedding. The Harkle's narrative is that Harry never met nor spoke with Thomas but that is not true. Bowers presents every text, email and phone call between them. Also, Harry was quite cruel to Thomas after his heart attack. The level of cruelty was yet another surprise. 

As I said above, Harry and Meghan are two of a kind. When destructive people get together it never ends well. I hate to see how their marriage turns out.

5 out of 5 stars.