Couple set up the charity in 2020. Photo: File
A spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has criticised claims made in a new book by royal author Tom Bower after excerpts were published ahead of its release.
The book, Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the Royal Family, includes allegations about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s marriage, finances and relationship with the royal family. Extracts from the book were published by The Times on March 13.
In response, a spokesperson for the couple issued a statement rejecting the author’s claims and criticising his commentary about the Sussexes.
“Mr Bower’s commentary has long crossed the line from criticism into fixation,” the spokesperson said in a statement to PEOPLE. “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.”
The statement continued: “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.”
Bower’s book revisits tensions between the Sussexes and the royal family and includes several controversial claims. One passage alleges that Queen Camilla told a friend that Meghan had “brainwashed” Harry.
The book also suggests Meghan’s influence distanced Harry from long-time friends and relatives and questions aspects of the couple’s media ventures and finances following the end of major streaming deals.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment when approached, noting that it does not respond to biographies.
Another section of the book focuses on the Invictus Games, the international sporting competition for wounded, injured and sick service personnel founded by Prince Harry in 2014. The excerpt suggests the 2025 Games in Canada were overshadowed by attention on the couple.
A spokesperson for the Invictus Games Foundation also responded to the claims.
“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 spokesperson said.
The foundation added that the Games focus on “the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans from around the world,” and said attempts to question competitors’ injuries or minimise conditions such as PTSD were “deeply disrespectful to the men and women the Games were created for.”
Harry was educated at Wetherby School, Ludgrove School, and Eton College, before completing officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He was commissioned as a cornet in the Blues and Royals and served briefly alongside his elder brother, William, Prince of Wales. He was deployed twice on active service in Afghanistan: for ten weeks in Helmand Province during 20072008, and for twenty weeks with the Army Air Corps in 20122013. Inspired by the Warrior Games in the United States, Harry founded the Invictus Games in 2014 and remains actively involved as its patron. In 2016, together with his brother William and sister-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales, he co-founded the mental health awareness initiative Heads Together.
In 2018, Harry was created Duke of Sussex ahead of his wedding to American actress Meghan Markle. The couple have two children, Archie and Lilibet. In January 2020, Harry and Meghan stepped back from their roles as working members of the royal family and relocated to Southern California. They subsequently established Archewell Inc., a Beverly Hillsbased organisation encompassing both commercial and charitable ventures.
In March 2021, Harry and Meghan gave a widely publicised interview to Oprah Winfrey on Oprah with Meghan and Harry. In December 2022, they appeared in the Netflix documentary series Harry & Meghan. In 2023, Harry published his memoir, Spare.
