Prince Harry ‘feared he would become irrelevant when nephew George turned 18 & left like Andrew with no job in his 60s’
PRINCE Harry feared he would become irrelevant when his nephew, Prince George, turned 18 and left like Andrew with no job in his 60s, according to a bombshell new book.
In his new book, Courtiers: the Hidden Power Behind the Crown, Valentine Low says the Duke of Sussex possessed a “long-held fear” that he would one day “become irrelevant”.
It was claimed he compared himself to Prince Andrew who is left in his 60s without any job or “direction”.
The book states: “He had this thing that he had a shelf life. He was fixated [on] this. He would compare himself with his uncle [Prince Andrew].
“He would say, ‘I have this time to make this impact. Because I can.’ Until George turns 18, was the way he was thinking about it. ‘Then I will be the also-ran.’
“He was genuinely thinking of it as, ‘I have this platform now, for a limited amount of time. I want to move forward, move forward.’”
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Another bombshell snippet from the book claims Meghan moaned that she should get paid for carrying out royal engagements with Harry.
The Duchess of Sussex, 41, was said to have whined on a 2018 tour to Australia.
It was also claimed Meghan threatened to dump Harry when they started dating unless he announced they were an item, the book claims.
The ultimatum “freaked out” the Prince before the relationship was made public.
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The Times royal correspondent Valentine Low says: “Harry became determined to protect his girlfriend.
“Meghan, meanwhile, told him that if he did not do something about it, she would break off the relationship.
“A source said, ‘She was saying, ‘If you don’t put out a statement confirming I’m your girlfriend, I’m going to break up with you’. Harry was in a panic.
“Another source said, ‘He was freaking out, saying, ‘She’s going to dump me’.”
Low wrote: “Meghan wanted public validation that this was a serious relationship.
“She was convinced the Palace was unwilling to protect her from media intrusion.
“She told Harry’s staff, ‘I know how the Palace works. I know how this is going to play out. You don’t care about the girlfriend’.”
The relationship was made public in October 2016 and their engagement announced in November 2017.
The book also claims Meghan moaned she should be getting paid for carrying out engagements on the couple’s 2018 tour of Australia.
Author Low describes how she was “fêted as an inspirational role model” that October.
But he writes: “Behind the scenes it was a different story. Although she enjoyed the attention, Meghan failed to understand the point of all those walkabouts, shaking hands with countless strangers.
“According to several members of staff, she was heard to say on at least one occasion, ‘I can’t believe I’m not getting paid for this’.”
The book, released next month, delves into allegations the Duchess bullied royal staff before she and Harry left royal duty for Canada and the US in 2020.
It claims more than six months before the engagement, Meghan told one of Harry’s advisers: “I think we both know I’m going to be one of your bosses soon.”
In late 2017, after the engagement was announced, a senior aide spoke to the couple about disquiet among staff at their treatment.
The book claims Meghan replied: “It’s not my job to coddle people.”
The Duchess is also accused in the book of “speaking particularly harshly to a young female”.
The book adds: “After Meghan had pulled to shreds a plan she had drawn up, the woman told Meghan how hard it would be to implement a new one. ‘Don’t worry,’ Meghan told her. ‘If there was literally anyone else I could ask to do this, I would be asking them instead of you’.”
Then when William heard the treatment and reassured the staff member she was doing a great job, she burst into tears, it is claimed.
The book says an aggrieved Meghan rang another staff member every five minutes on a Friday when she was out having dinner.
The calls renewed the next morning and continued “for days”, it is alleged. Meghan’s lawyers have always denied she bullied anyone.
The Palace began probing the claims 18 months ago, but this summer said its report will never be released.
The Duchess is also said to have clashed with her PA Melissa Toubati over Meghan’s desire to keep freebie clothes. Toubati quit six months after the 2018 royal wedding.
Low’s book claims: “Clashes centred on the free gifts that some companies would send Meghan. Deliveries were constantly arriving at Kensington Palace. ‘Clothes, jewellery, candles… It was non-stop,’ said a source.
“Touabti was apparently punctilious in following the household rule that members of the Royal Family cannot accept freebies from commercial organisations.
“Her approach did not go down well with Meghan.”
‘Outrageous bullies’
The book alleges many of Meghan’s junior and senior aides were perceived to have been victims of bullying — even her experienced private secretary Samantha Cohen. It quotes a staffer who wanted to quit because Meghan and Harry were “outrageous bullies”.
Staff were also treated “horribly” on the Australia tour, it is claimed.
A month after the Sussexes’ press chief Jason Knauf sent his bullying dossier to Palace chiefs he resigned and was snapped up by William and Kate.
He eventually became their chief executive of the Royal Foundation.
Meghan secured her and Harry a new team but by August 2019, the couple did not see a future as working royals, the book says.
They had already signed a deal to be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey which took place 16 months later.
As part of the deal with Oprah they appeared on screen separately when they spoke to ITV’s Tom Bradby for Harry & Meghan: an African Journey, in October 2019.
Harry stunned Prince William when he said he and his brother did not see each other and were on “different paths”.
In a heartbreaking extract, it is claimed William sent a WhatsApp to Harry asking if he could come and see him.
When Wills explained he would have to clear his diary and tell his private secretary, Harry pulled the plug fearing William’s team would leak it to the press, it is claimed.
Harry and Meghan left for Canada weeks later where they came up with their Megxit get-out plan implemented in early 2020 and the brothers have barely spoken since.
The book also says Harry was frustrated he would “become irrelevant” when Prince George turned 18, and compared himself to Prince Andrew who is left in his 60s without any job or direction. A source said: “He had this thing that he had a shelf life. He was fixated on this.
“He would compare himself with his uncle Prince Andrew.
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“He would say, ‘I have this time to make this impact. Because I can’. Until George turns 18, was the way he was thinking about it. ‘Then I will be the also-ran’.
“He was genuinely thinking of it as, ‘I have this platform now, for a limited amount of time. I want to move forward, move forward’.”