An explosive new book about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has lifted the lid on life behind palace walls.
Prince Harry's fear of becoming "irrelevant" and an attempt at bridge building by William that was turned down are two of a number of bombshell claims to come from a new book about the royals.
Meghan and Harry stepped away from royal life in 2020 and moved to the United States where they have been critical of their life with The Firm.
The rift between the Sussexes and other members of the Royal Family rocked the monarchy and it was only a coincidence that Harry was in the UK when the Queen died as he was here for charity work.
And now Valentine Low in his new book ‘Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind The Crown’ claims that tensions were building long before the couple left the UK
The book alleges that Harry had a fear of becoming "irrelevant" and also claims Meghan threatened to break up with Harry if he didn't go public with their relationship.
Other explosive details involve Meghan's unhappiness at having to do walkabouts during a royal trip to Australia and the occasion when Harry was told off by the Queen for being "rude".
Here are six of the bombshell claims detailed in the new book.
Prince Harry feared becoming 'irrelevant'
Prince Harry feared he would become "irrelevant" when Prince George turns 18, says a source, quoted in the new book.
The Duke of Sussex believed he had only a limited time to make a difference until his nephew, who is now second-in-line to the throne, became older.
"He had this thing that he had a shelf life. He was fixated [on] this," the source claims.
"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.’ ”
An extract reads: "They (royal staff) told him, 'You can still have an impact in your forties, fifties, even longer. So long as you set the right foundations now.' But he never saw that."
Harry 'refused to meet William over crisis'
Prince Harry refused to meet with William to discuss the Sussexes’ poor relationship with the other royals because he was “concerned” that the attempt at bridge building would be leaked to the press, it is claimed by Mr Low.
The new Prince of Wales allegedly realised the level of Meghan and Harry’s unhappiness when he saw the comments they made in the ITV documentary ‘Harry & Meghan: An African Journey', which was broadcast in October, 2019.
It was then that he tried to arrange a meeting, it claimed in the book ‘Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind The Crown’.
But Harry is believed to have finally turned down the approach after considering it, and then a few months later the Sussexes moved abroad, citing a lack of support from the Royal Family.
Harry asked who would know about it, to which William said his private secretary in order to clear the time in his diary, it is alleged.
“At that point, Harry said don’t come. He was so concerned that William’s team would leak the visit to the press that he would rather they did not come than risk it getting into the papers,” says the book.
Meghan ‘threatened to dump Harry if he didn’t go public about their relationship’
Meghan Markle threatened to break-up with Prince Harry if he didn’t announce publicly that she was his girlfriend, it is claimed in Courtiers: the Hidden Power Behind the Crown.
The book contains many reports of Meghan and Harry's early days together before the relationship was officially confirmed in November 2016, just a few months after they met in July.
The book reads: "Faced with hordes of journalists intent on trawling through every aspect of Meghan’s life, 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.'"
Harry summoned by Queen to be 'firmly put in his place' after wedding tiara row
Prince Harry was reportedly summoned by the Queen after a furious row ahead of his wedding to Meghan, the new book claims.
Organising the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was "particularly stressful" with rows about scheduling, announcements, the gospel choir and the tiara, Mr Low wrote.
An argument broke out about arrangements to try on the Queen’s tiara, which led to Harry being summoned to see the monarch.
A source claims Harry had been "downright rude" and was "firmly put in his place" by Her Majesty, according to the book.
Meghan Markle: ‘I can’t believe I’m not being paid for this’
The Duchess of Sussex was not happy she was not being paid for walkabouts during a 16-day royal trip to Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand, in 2018, it is alleged by Mr Low.
The couple was popular during the tour, with huge crowds turning out to see them as they visited the countries and attended an impressive 76 engagements.
The book claims that Meghan, who married Harry in May 2018, "enjoyed the attention" she received but did not understand the point of royal walkabouts.
It is alleged that Meghan was liked for “refreshingly informal” approach but behind the scenes "it was a different story".
The book reads: "Although she enjoyed the attention, Meghan failed to understand the point of all those walkabouts, shaking hands with countless strangers."
Quoting unnamed members of staff, the book claims that Meghan was heard saying: "I can't believe I'm not getting paid for this."
Prince Harry's 'attack of nerves before Queen showdown'
Prince Harry reportedly had an “attack of the nerves” ahead of a bombshell phone call with the Queen over his wife’s plans to attack the media.
In 2019 Meghan Markle was set to sue Associated Newspapers Limited over the publication of personal letters between her and her father, Thomas Markle.
An extract from the new book reads: “Harry often has an attack of the nerves before he has to speak to the Queen.
“So when he joined his team for a drink in the bar that Sunday evening, he sat there, so strung out and nervous that his private secretary, Sam Cohen, told him, ‘You need to have a beer.’
“Harry will also publish a statement of his own, in which he will condemn the media and accuse the tabloids of waging a “ruthless campaign” against Meghan, vilifying her on an almost daily basis…but first, he has to make that phone call.”
