The Duchess of Sussex has appeared on the red carpet for the first time since extracts from a bombshell book detailing Prince Harry’s alienation from his family laid the ground for a new royal rumble.
Meghan Markle, 42, attended Variety’s The Power of Women in Los Angeles on Thursday evening alongside honorees, Carey Mulligan, Fantasia Barrino, Lily Gladstone and Billie Eilish.
Walking the red carpet, the former Suits star said she was “thrilled” to have returned to her on-screen roots where she and husband Harry hope to position themselves as Hollywood power producers.
She told Variety that she wants to create “things that make people feel” as well as create “a sense of community”.
Speaking about what she has in store for the future, the Duchess said: “We have so many exciting things on the slate. I can’t wait until we can announce them, but I’m just really proud of what we’re creating.
“My husband is loving it too, which is really fun,” she added.
Meghan’s Hollywood attendance comes just as the Royal family were hit with another claim about their alleged poor treatment of the Sussexes.
Scobie, Meghan and Harry’s former biographer has now released an extract from his book, Endgame – titled Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival.
Omid Scobie author of ‘Endgame’
(Web Summit/CC BY 2.0)
According to the book’s synopsis, it dives deep “into the current state of the British monarchy—an unpopular king, a power-hungry heir to the throne, a queen willing to go to dangerous lengths to preserve her image, and a prince forced to start a new life after being betrayed by his own family.”
The book claims “Queen Elizabeth II’s death ruptured the already-fractured foundations of the House of Windsor—and dismantled the protective shield around it.
“With an institution long plagued by antiquated ideas around race, class and money, the monarchy and those who prop it up are now exposed and at odds with a rapidly modernizing world.”
Mr Scobie’s Endgame further details the difficult sibling relationship between Prince William and Harry in the wake of Harry’s marriage to Meghan – something Mr Scobie claims was further cemented in the hours leading up to the Queen’s death in September 2022.
Endgame Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival by Omid Scobie
(Haper Collins Publishers/Screen grab )
Extracts that have been obtained by People Magazine, include the allegation that Harry found out his grandmother, the late Queen, had died after receiving a BBC News app alert announcing the news.
It’s claimed by Mr Scobie that, ahead of this, Harry was forced to travel alone to Balmoral after his father, King Charles, told him to leave Meghan at home.
But that’s not the end of it, as Mr Scobie’s book aims to pull “back the curtain on an institution in turmoil to show what the monarchy must change in order to survive.”
According to the HarperCollins website, Endgame Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival will be released on 28 November 2023.
Harry and Meghan stepped away from their royal duties in 2020. At the time Harry said there was “no other option” in a speech referring to the “powerful force” of the media.
The Duke of Sussex explained why he and his wife Meghan had made the decision.
“I want you to hear the truth from me, as much as I can share – not as a prince or a duke but as Harry, the same person that many of you have watched grow up over the last 35 years, but with a clearer perspective,” he said.
“The UK is my home and a place that I love. That will never change. I have grown up feeling support from so many of you, and I watched as you welcomed Meghan with open arms as you saw me find the love and happiness that I had hoped for all my life. Finally, the second son of Diana got hitched.
“Once Meghan and I were married, we were excited, we were hopeful, and we were here to serve,” he said. “For those reasons, it brings me great sadness that it has come to this.
“The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back is not one I made lightly. It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges and I know I haven’t always got it right, but as far as this goes there really was no other option.”
Since their departure, Harry released his book, Spare, revealing private details of his life in the royal family. The Sussexes also released a Netflix documentarycalled: Harry & Meghan, which explores “their courtship to their exit from royal life” as well as “their complex journey in their own words in this docuseries.”
Carol Dennis is an entertainment aficionado with an eye for all things pop culture. She dives into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry, from movie premieres to music festivals. Carol’s passion for storytelling extends beyond her reporting, as she’s an aspiring screenwriter in her free time.
