Finding Freedom book news – live: Meghan underwent mock kidnapping training before wedding and felt ‘devastated’ over father Thomas Markle

The beginning of the ‘Fab Four’

As we enter the 11th chapter of the unofficial biography, a more detailed insight is provided into the relationship – or lack thereof – between Meghan and Kate. According to the authors, Meghan “had fully expected Kate to reach out and give her the lay of the land”. However, she was allegedly left “disappointed that she and Kate hadn’t bonded over the unique position they shared”, say the authors.

Nonetheless, the chapter is named ‘The Fab Four’, as Harry, Meghan, William and Kate came to be known. When Meghan and Harry became engaged, they and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were perceived as a four-strong force, using their influence as the younger members of the royal family to inspire positive change. One of the most famous photographs of the group was taken in December, when they were captured walking side by side, smiling away in Sandringham as they walked to church for the Christmas service.

Security training

Becoming a member of the royal family isn’t just a case of learning how to curtsy, which did form part of Meghan’s training. The former Suits actor also had to learn what to do in the event of being kidnapped, being “taught to develop a relationship with the enemy” and being “instructed on how to drive a car while in pursuit”, the book claims.

According to a source who spoke to the authors, the training was an “extremely intense and scary” experience for Meghan, but she felt “grateful” to have undergone it.

While Kate underwent her security training after her wedding to William, Meghan had hers before her nuptials, as she and Harry “had received an unusually high number of threats”, the authors note. 

Stories being “sold” to the tabloids

‘A Problem Like Samantha’, reads the title of the 12th chapter of Finding Freedom. No need for guesses as which Samantha this tongue-in-cheek phrase is referring to.

Samantha Markle is Meghan’s older half sister, the eldest child of her father, Thomas Markle. Samantha, who is 17 years older than Meghan, told the tabloids how it was her younger sister’s “ambition” to become a princess, the authors state, with Samantha telling a newspaper that marrying a royal was “something she dreamed of as a girl when we watched the royals on TV”.

Meghan allegedly asked her father “more than once” to do something to “stop” Samantha “selling stories to the media”. Thomas Markel tried to do this on one occasion, say the authors.

A threatening message

A few months before their wedding, while travelling to Scotland, members of the Kensington Palace security team reportedly “intercepted a letter” addressed to Meghan and Harry, which contained an “unidentified white powder” and “racist musings”. The powder “turned out to be harmless”, the authors state, but the threat caused significant levels of worry, with Meghan allegedly unable to sleep that night. 

Family frictions

In the lead-up to her wedding to Prince Harry, Meghan had reportedly arranged for a car to pick up her father from his home in Mexico, which would drive him to Los Angeles, where he would then fly to London. Prior to this there had been controversy around whether Thomas Markle staged paparazzi photographs of himself. He assured his daughter this was not the case. But in the end, the now-estranged Thomas Markle did not attend the couple’s wedding.

Going to the chapel

On 19 May 2018, Meghan and Harry were married in a lavish ceremony in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, an occasion peppered with glitz, glam, a star-studded guestlist and luxury galore. Behind the scenes, while preparing for the big day from the early hours of the morning, Meghan was reportedly in good spirits as she had her hair and make-up done, with her make-up artist Daniel Martin saying “it was just like old friends catching up”.

As Meghan entered the chapel, wearing a Givenchy gown designed by Clare Waight Keller that had been shrouded in secrecy, she walked down the aisle towards the groom, assisted a part of the way by her father-in-law, Prince Charles. As she reached Harry, he reportedly said, “You look amazing. I missed you,” to which the bride replied, “Thank you.”

A royal feast

Tying the knot under the glaring eye of the world would certainly have helped Meghan and Harry build up an appetite. On the menu at the wedding’s royal banquet included grilled English asparagus wrapped in Cumbrian ham, garden pea panna cotta with quail eggs and lemon verbena, a slow-roasted Windsor pork belly with apple compote and crackling and a free-range chicken with morel mushrooms and young leeks, the authors of Finding Freedom state.

Prince Charles reportedly called the groom “my darling old Harry” as he spoke at the reception, while it was Prince William who formally “introduced the new husband and wife” at the event, which was officially hosted by the Queen.

In “a first for a royal bride”, Meghan later delivered her own heartfelt speech, speaking fondly of her husband, the authors write. “That’s our Meg,” a friendly reportedly said. “She just connects.”

A heavy heart

As Thomas Markle continued to speak to the media about his relationship with his daughter, Meghan reportedly urged her father to stop.

In response, Thomas Markle reportedly suggested that he, Meghan and Harry “stage a photo op for the press” where they “are together and happy”. 

According to Finding Freedom, Meghan was “devastated”. 

A bundle of joy

Not long after the wedding, Meghan and Harry had another cause for celebration: they were expecting their first child together. The authors say the couple were “thrilled” as “they had wanted to start a family right away”, the authors say.

The announcement of Meghan’s pregnancy took place a day before she and Harry were due to jet off to Australia for a royal tour. As the Duchess of Sussex was “already showing”, they decided to reveal their news as “the rumours would have dominated the coverage”, a Palace aide reportedly said.

While the world found out Meghan's pregnancy the day before the tour, the book says members of the royal family found out at Princess Eugenie's wedding, a few days prior.

Duchess Different

We’ve yet again reached a difficult time for Meghan and her relationship with the media - for example, Meghan being described as a bad boss after an aide left a job, or the speculation when the couple moved to Frogmore Cottage, rather than next door to the Cambridges. She was even criticised by the press for deciding to wear black nail polish to a fashion awards. 

But the authors imply all of this was made worse due to radio silence from the royal family to defend Harry and Meghan.

Especially when, the authors claim, lots of the speculation (including that Meghan had made Kate cry at a bridesmaid fitting) was false. The authors say: “There were no tears from anyone...Kate and Meghan were both a little stressed but professionals in the room.”

“In this case, the duchesses were not best of friends. But they were also not at war with each other either,” say the authors.

The chapter is summed up in the concluding line: “Nothing could convince Harry that some of the old guard at the Palace simply didn’t like Meghan and would stop at nothing to make her life difficult.”

A glamorous side note, we learn in this chapter that Meghan apparently had Baies-scented air diffusers from Diptyque in St George’s Chapel on her wedding day.