Over the weekend, Sussex biographer Omid Scobie tweeted: “Any ‘insider’ claiming to know what’s in the book is simply throwing guesses out there.” I briefly wondered what that was about, and then I saw this story in the Sun – the Sun’s sources claim that Omid and Carolyn Durand’s book will “shatter the notion” that the Duchess of Sussex was the driving force behind the Sussexes’ exit from royal life. So let me get this straight: the unhinged, racist, misogynistic British tabloids smeared Meghan for two years and tried to bully her out of the country. When Harry made it clear that he will always “choose” his wife over those petty racists, those same tabloids created a narrative where Evil Meghan “forced” Harry to leave his country. And now those same tabloids are saying “wait, Harry wanted to leave.” This whole “Megexit” term was just something made up by racist lunatics and then adopted by the worst press outlets and now they’re treating Harry’s ability to make up his own mind as some brand-new information. Ridiculous.

That’s not all from this weekend’s shenanigans. As I’ve been covering for weeks now, Katie Nicholl has been giving some very curious interviews to American and Australian outlets, trying to shill some “exclusives” about the Sussexes. It’s interesting because she really doesn’t have an inside track on Harry and Meghan at all, but she genuinely has an inside track on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. So why is Vanity Fair’s senior royal reporter giving away “exclusives” to other outlets, and why is she writing an exclusive report for the Sunday Times?

This long piece in The Sunday Times on Meghan and Harry’s new life in America by Vanity Fair’s Katie Nicholl claims the couple planned their North American escape when they returned from Africa at the end of last year, a trip during which Meghan famously told ITV that it was “not enough to just survive something.” Among the article’s other striking claims: Harry wanted to live in Africa but Meghan wasn’t keen, fearing political instability; they dropped the notion of living in Canada after the queen nixed their half-in, half-out vision of royal life; and the longed-for reconciliation between William and Harry may yet happen.

The piece also contains an alarming description of Meghan’s life in the U.K.: Meghan Markle believed there was a “conspiracy” hatched against her by royals once she moved into Kensington Palace during her courtship with Prince Harry. Markle, 38, began to fear the palace’s courtiers were out to harm her reputation due to her American style of management once the couple moved into Frogmore Cottage.

“She was convinced there was a conspiracy against her and so she basically put herself in self isolation when they moved to Frogmore,” a friend told The Sunday Times. “I think she felt like an outsider from the start. This wasn’t the life she was used to and she wanted out.”

She also began to feel isolated and missed her mom and friends in LA. One friend told The Sunday Times that Meghan’s financial independence was a driving force behind her and Harry’s decision to leave the royals and flee the UK for sunny California.

“One of the things Meghan struggled with was not earning an income,” said a friend. “She has always worked and I think she felt unfulfilled. Having financial freedom was a big part of them wanting to leave.

Despite reports that Harry, 35, was struggling in LA , the couple developed a friendship with Adele, and the Duke of Sussex has befriended the Silicon Valley crowd and even Leonardo DiCaprio, who he met at last year’s Google Camp, reports The Sunday Times. “I am sure their social life will consist of dinner parties with people they can trust and connect with,” Melanie Bromley, head of news operations for NBC’s E! channel told The Sunday Times. “They are going to be very wary about opening up their social circle too much, as fraternizing with the wrong people has the potential to be hugely damaging to their image and plans.”

[From The Sunday Times & Page Six]

I mean… what is Nicholl doing here? Is she trying to paint Meghan as paranoid and crazy? Because I think Meghan probably did feel isolated and like there was a conspiracy against her, and she had good reason to feel that way: there was legitimately a conspiracy against her. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the palace courtiers, even Prince Charles and his people, they were all working against Meghan at various times for various reasons.

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