It's official: An apparently authorized tell-all about the royal family will be released in August, and it is reportedly sourced from close friends of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and perhaps even themselves. The book, Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan, and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, will be available on August 11, 2020.
The book is already available for preorder on Amazon. The summary reads:
“When news of the budding romance between a beloved English prince and an American actress broke, it captured the world’s attention and sparked an international media frenzy. But while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have continued to make headlines — from their engagement, wedding, and birth of their son Archie to their unprecedented decision to step back from their royal lives — few know the true story of Harry and Meghan.
"For the very first time, Finding Freedom goes beyond the headlines to reveal unknown details of Harry and Meghan’s life together, dispelling the many rumors and misconceptions that plague the couple on both sides of the pond. As members of the select group of reporters that cover the British Royal Family and their engagements, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand have witnessed the young couple’s lives as few outsiders can."
The summary concludes:
“With unique access and written with the participation of those closest to the couple, Finding Freedom is an honest, up-close, and disarming portrait of a confident, influential, and forward-thinking couple who are unafraid to break with tradition, determined to create a new path away from the spotlight, and dedicated to building a humanitarian legacy that will make a profound difference in the world.”
This news is pretty huge for royal circles. While rumors of the book's existence had been floated last week, it wasn't yet confirmed that the pair had cooperated with journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand. The language used in the summary all but assures that this is a very authorized book.
Any time a member of the royal family authorizes a book, it can spell trouble for the venerated establishment. Obviously, the release of Andrew Morton's Diana: Her True Story — In Her Own Words made huge waves around the world (and some could argue that the book continues to impact the family and people who follow them).
The language used in the book's summary is particularly telling:
"With unique access and written with the participation of those closest to the couple" definitely implies that close friends of both Meghan and Harry have participated in the book's content, and could even mean that Harry and Meghan themselves have. Those friends could include a wide group of people, including Jessica Mulroney, Misha Nonoo, and Serena Williams.
The journalists who wrote the book, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, have not released the names of anyone who may or may not have contributed to the interviews. Both Omid and Carolyn have spent years of their lives covering the royal family, and they have extensive knowledge of the events and relationships that existed before Meghan and Harry started dating and long after.
Omid Scobie confirmed the news on Twitter, writing that readers will be able to "go beyond the headlines and discover the true story of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex."
Omid also added that more news will be forthcoming.
"I’m looking forward to sharing much more about #FindingFreedom when our world is in a better place (and it will be). For now, we just wanted to make news of this special book official as the listings begin to hit online retailers (and stop a few silly rumours in their tracks)."
He also commended people who had somehow found out that the book was coming out later this year and already ordered it:
"And to those of you found the links at the weekend and already ordered. Firstly, go and apply for jobs at the CIA because those are next level detective skills, but more importantly: THANK YOU for the early support. It’s thanks to you guys that the book is already doing so well."
The book has also reportedly shot up to the top of several bestseller lists. So far, the royal family has not issued a statement about the book, and it's not known if they will address the matter at all. For the Queen and the rest of the family, it may be easier to adopt an "out of sight, out of mind" mentality toward the book and its publication for as long as they can.
