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Prince William Refused to Meet Harry Before Sandringham Summit Over Megxit Fury, New Book Claims

© AP Photo / Matt DunhamFrom left: Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge watch a Royal Air Force flypast from the balcony at Buckingham Palace in London, Tuesday, 10 July 2018.
From left: Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge watch a Royal Air Force flypast from the balcony at Buckingham Palace in London,  Tuesday, 10 July 2018. - Sputnik International
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‘Battle of Brothers’, an upcoming memoire by royal expert Robert Lacey, was defined as “an antidote” to the ‘Finding Freedom’ biography of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that revealed an alleged struggle earlier this year as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle strove for independence.

Prince William reportedly refused to meet his brother Prince Harry for lunch before a family gathering at Sandringham during which the Royal Family was set to decide the future of Sussexes in light of the Megxit announcement, Robert Lacey claims in his upcoming book that is currently being serialised by the Daily Mail.

“William maintained his distance for the Sandringham summit. The Queen had suggested the family should gather for lunch before their big pow-wow in the library that afternoon, but he refused his grandmother’s invitation,” the respected royal biographer alleged.

“He would obviously turn up at 2pm for the meeting, he said, but he only wanted to talk business.”

According to Lacey - who has worked as a consultant on Netflix’s series The Crown, and written a number of biographies of the Queen - the 38-year-old Duke of Cambridge did not directly confirm speculations raised by his friends that “he was so furious with his younger brother that he would not be able to endure the hypocrisy of smiling at him over lunch.”

© AP Photo / Richard PohleFrom left, Britain's Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex attend the Commonwealth Service with other members of the Royal family at Westminster Abbey in London, Monday, March 11, 2019
Prince William Refused to Meet Harry Before Sandringham Summit Over Megxit Fury, New Book Claims - Sputnik International
From left, Britain's Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex attend the Commonwealth Service with other members of the Royal family at Westminster Abbey in London, Monday, March 11, 2019

However, the author maintains, the Sussexes' decision to step down from their senior royal positions which they announced in January, reportedly without consulting the family, has put the relationship between two brothers under strain.

“It was a pity that William was now so angry that he was not speaking to [Harry] anymore. It was as if Harry had become un-brothered,” the writer claims.

He also argues that the Sussexes had been “non-personed” by the Queen, citing the fact that no photo of Prince Harry, Meghan Markle or their son Archie who was then six months old, could be seen on Her Majesty's Christmas desk during her televised Christmas address in December.

“The reasons for this very public signal of Her Majesty’s displeasure were, by December 2019, manifold,” the author suggests.

© AP Photo / Steve ParsonsIn this image released Tuesday Dec. 24, 2019, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II poses for a photo, while recording her annual Christmas Day message to the nation, at Windsor Castle, England
Prince William Refused to Meet Harry Before Sandringham Summit Over Megxit Fury, New Book Claims - Sputnik International
In this image released Tuesday Dec. 24, 2019, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II poses for a photo, while recording her annual Christmas Day message to the nation, at Windsor Castle, England

The displeasure allegedly arose when Harry and Meghan applied to “trademark” Sussex Royal products and services, such as personal therapy sessions, in June 2019 without the Queen’s approval, as well as their decision to launch lawsuits against British publishing giants last autumn.

 “Once again Harry had totally failed to consult the Queen about a major initiative affecting his royal work and image — and the image of the Crown as a whole,” Lacey believes.

Another Bombshell Memoire

The excerpts from this upcoming book ‘Battle of Brothers: William, Harry and the Inside Story of a Family in Tumult’ which digs into the relationship between the two Windsor brothers after the Megxit announcement comes shortly after another royal biography ‘Finding Freedom’, which tells the story of Harry and Meghan's relationship, their wedding and decision to leave the royal circle to live a “financially independent” life. It was published this August and co-authored by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand. 

It alleges that Prince William urged his younger brother back in April 2017 “to take as much time as you need to get to know [Meghan Markle]” before rushing into anything serious - the conversation which apparently alienated the two brothers.

Meghan Markle arrives at ELLE's 6th annual Women in Television celebration at the Sunset Tower Hotel on Wednesday, 20 January 2016, in Los Angeles.  - Sputnik International
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This book has not been corroborated by former senior royals, their press office previously said. However, they did not mind their friends and assistants being interviewed for the “slavishly flattering biography”, as defined by the Daily Mail.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are at present living in Los Angeles with their son Archie. According to reports, the couple have just signed a hundred-billion-dollar deal with Netflix to produce an array of documentaries, feature films and a number of shows for the streaming giant.

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