I’ve always been interested in the lives of Britain’s royal family. It’s a long-lasting monarchy, and its history is fascinating. Even in the US, most people know about William and Kate or Harry and Meghan. We’ve fallen in love with Kate’s fashion and hair (at least I have). We’ve adored sweet George, Charlotte, and Louis. And we watched Harry fall in love with Meghan Markle, marry, and then subsequently step down from his role as a royal official. There has been so much discussion, criticism, praise, and speculation about the circumstances surrounding Harry and Meghan’s decision. People love drama, and that was definitely a dramatic affair.
Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of A Modern Family by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand breaks down the series of events leading to the Sussexes’ decision to step away from royal life and duties. It walks the reader through their entire relationship, from first date to the birth of their son to their move to California. The authors give us background on Meghan’s upbringing as well as insight on how different circumstances shaped Harry, including his mother Diana’s death and his being “the spare” to William (their words, not mine).
Honestly, I don’t have much praise for this book. Its primary purpose was obviously to counter the negative media directed at the Sussexes, and it tried way too hard to do that. In this book, Meghan and Harry could do no wrong. They had a fairytale love the world was against. The way their relationship was portrayed was suffocatingly sweet.
A huge part of the book is pushing back at the firestorm of negative media that occurred at the start of Harry and Meghan’s relationship and continues to this day. I don’t think anyone should be subjected to that kind of scrutiny, harassed by tabloids, or personal details and photos sold for money. If all that Scobie and Durand described was true, it is a shame that Harry and Meghan experienced that.
However, the authors focus on this so much they seemingly blew the issues with the paparazzi way out of proportion. The way these problems were framed often made Meghan and Harry look petty and unreasonable, not like victims (example: Meghan wore a necklace that had “H&M” on it and then complained about the paparazzi taking photos of her in it. She was advised not to wear it publicly by royal aides and was still upset at the situation). After reading, I’m not sure what I believe. Their account did not sway me to Meghan and Harry’s side, as much as it tried.
Additionally, the entire book read like a newspaper article. And 350 pages is a long article. There were no high points or climaxes to the story (I know this is a nonfiction account, but there are often still peaks in the story that grip one’s attention). The wedding and birth of their son read in the same sappy tone that described Meghan’s turmoil with her dad or her work on the TV show Suits. There was no variation, and the authors repeated the same things over and over again.
While I think a small effort was taken to show both sides of the story, the authors simply listed a few of the concerns the royal family may have had and painted them in a negative light, especially William and Kate. Kate is made out to be unfriendly and distant, and William comes across as though all he cares about is his future as king.
All in all, this was a poor account. It tried so hard to promote Harry and Meghan as untouchable, perfect, and the victims of horrible circumstances that it really just came across fake and unrelatable.
I’m not typically this harsh with reviews, but it wasn’t a good book, and it was clearly biased. On the bright side, it did walk the reader through the beginning of their relationship to current circumstances very clearly and in an organized manner. I would not recommend this book if you’re looking for a reasonable, fair account of Harry and Meghan’s relationship.
Side note: There is discussion as to whether or not Harry and Meghan contributed to this biography. They’re not credited in the book, but there is a wide variety of extremely personal details that makes one wonder. You can read opinions about this from both sides. I personally am not sure what I believe, but I see the validity of either viewpoint.
Jessica
Copyright Omid Scobie & Carolyn Durand and Dey Street Books. Image from Amazon.com.