Royals at War: The Untold Story of Harry and Meghan's Shocking Split with the House of Windsor

by Dylan Howard, Andy Tillett

Overview

Reveals Shocking Revelations about Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and the British Royal Family—and the Divisive Rifts Between Them

This explosive exposé, Royals at War, takes readers inside a riven Buckingham Palace to provide the definitive account of the unfolding abdication crisis of 2020—dubbed Megxit—during which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, became royal outcasts.

Through revealing interviews with royal family insiders, friends, aides, historians, royal watchers, and others with intimate knowledge of The House of Windsor, this tell-all book looks back at the events, motives and crises which led to Harry (sixth in line to the throne) dramatically abandoning his birthright—in a move not seen for nearly a century, when King Edward VIII also gave up the crown for the woman he loved as Europe teetered on the brink of fascism and war. Like Edward and Wallis Simpson, the catalyst for the scandal here is also an ambitious, controversial American woman.

Dylan Howard, bestselling author of Diana: Case Solved and Epstein: Dead Men Tell No Tales, charts how Meghan’s relationship with Harry was viewed as controversial from the start—and how her brief honeymoon with the British public began to sour shortly after she and Harry announced in November 2018 that they would be leaving Kensington Palace to move to Frogmore Cottage, an hour outside London. As senior royals expressed disapproval, the public at first seemed to enjoy the royal spat, with many still supporting Team Meghan—until it emerged that the bill to renovate Frogmore Cottage to Meghan’s lavish expectations would be $3 million . . . and be picked up by British taxpayers.

Finally, in a move nobody saw coming, Harry announced he was turning his back on the role he had been groomed for since birth—giving up his HRH title, repaying the renovation costs of Frogmore Cottage, abandoning his royal duties, and leaving Britain for good. Buckingham Palace reeled.

Howard’s unique access and insight into this constitutional crisis will not only address the tensions and tantrums behind closed palace doors, but seek to answer the questions many are still asking:

• Has Prince Harry ever really recovered from the death of his mother Diana—and the resentment he feels against the institution that tried to destroy her?
• Why did Meghan, once hailed as a breath of fresh air, rile up the monarchy?
• Why did she refuse to conform to royal conventions in the way that Catherine did before her?
• Did the public and media criticism of Meghan go too far? And just how valid are the accusations of racism?
• How did these modern royals treat the tabloids differently to tradition? And did it backfire?
• What next for Harry and Meghan? And how will they—and the institution they’ve turned their back on—react to their new lives outside the confines of the Palace and free from the strict codes and conventions that bind all members of the Royal Family?

Caught in a trap by virtue of a life entombed in a gilded cage, Royals at War answers these questions and more . . . and reveals how Harry’s infatuation with Meghan and desire to modernize the monarchy could yet end in disaster for the House of Windsor. Played out against the cataclysm of the British tabloid's laser focus on the duchess’ every movement—for good or ill—this is the true story of Harry and Meghan’s split from the Establishment . . . and perhaps just the beginning of a whole new Monarchy, redefined for the modern age.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781510761193
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	06/30/2020
Series:	Front Page Detectives
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	498,070
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

As a man with unprecedented access to the facts and a reporter who is one of the most feared journalists in Hollywood, investigative reporter Dylan Howard has cracked open scandals that have brought down the careers of Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen, Hulk Hogan, Paula Dean, and numerous others.

Howard’s sense for news saw him rise to become the undisputed most powerful gossip editor in the world, publishing dozens of salacious tabloid magazines each week, including Us Weekly, The National Enquirer, Star, In Touch, Life & Style, RadarOnline.com, and more.

Described by the New Yorker magazine’s Jeffrey Toobin as “a tabloid prodigy” and AdWeek as “the king of Hollywood scoops,” Dylan also brought to light: the hate-fueled audiotapes of Oscar-winning actor/director Gibson blasting former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva; the scandal-plagued death of screen darling Farrah Fawcett; the naming of the mother of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s love child; the demise of star-on-the-rise politician Anthony Weiner; and the Tiger Woods sex scandal. He also broke the story of the A-list high-stakes poker scam that was later made into the Oscar-nominated film Molly’s Game.

Most recently, Howard made a name for himself with a stunning exposé of Sheen that revealed Hollywood’s most unapologetic hedonist was HIV positive. It also was a story of extraordinary corruption, violence, lies, intimidation, death threats, and millions of dollars paid out in hush money—a story that he chronicled in a first-person essay for The Hollywood Reporter that AdWeek called “jaw dropping.”

He also develops and executive produces premium unscripted television shows and podcasts, including last year's blockbuster podcast series Fatal Voyage: The Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood, which garnered over 10 million downloads and 50 million media impressions worldwide. The series was named to Apple Podcasts' Most Downloaded New Shows of 2018 and was named a 2019 Webby Best Series honoree by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.

In 2011, Howard was named Entertainment Journalist of the Year at the National Entertainment Journalism Awards, where the judges labelled him the "go-to guy for authoritative showbiz news and analysis on cable and over-the air television." Howard is also the author of Diana: Case Solved. He currently resides in New York City.

Table of Contents

Author's Note

Part 1

The Divisive Duchess 1

A Commoner Princess Like None Before 6

Forced to Flee 10

"A Bit of Tension" 15

"Deeply Held Differences" 18

Unhappy Birthday 25

The $500,000 Woman 38

God Bless the Child 43

Zooming Around the World 48

Going Rogue 53

A Costly Withdrawal 68

Part 2

The Making of Meghan 77

A Tale of Two Commoners 84

Carole Meets Her Captain 88

Poor Little Chap 91

"I Pushed Her Down the Stairs" 95

Charles and the Sweet-Charactered Girl 97

Wasting Away 102

The Furious Bride 106

The Heir and the Spare 112

Royal Affairs 114

Miserably Ever After 123

"You'll Be King, I Won't!" 132

The Death of Diana 138

"A Tidal Wave of Grief" 142

Case Closed 147

Part 3

Royal Welcome for the Other Woman 157

William Weathers the Storm 160

The Reign Down in Africa 163

"Wow, Kate's Hot!" 165

Better Stand Back 174

There's Something About Kate 178

Waity Katie 184

Learning to Fly 190

The Split and the Reunion 199

Will and Kate Get Hitched 208

The Diamond Jubilee 215

Another Pair of Heirs 219

The Prince's Partners in Crime 223

Out Back of the Public Eye 226

Dirty Harry 228

Part 4

A Star Is Born 239

Meghan: Steppin' Out 245

Intelligent Hot Messes 248

Southern Sojourn, Hustle to Hollywood 253

One-Woman Pity Party 256

"This Is the One" 260

The Ring Returned to Sender 262

Part 5

When Harry Met Meghan 273

This is Not a Game 282

"What Meghan Wants, Meghan Gets" 302

Tears and Tiaras 307

The Wedding Walk That Wasn't 310

The Power of Love 314

Windsors & Losers 320

Epilogue 327

Editorial Reviews

"Dylan Howard is the rare combination of cutting-edge journalist, true crime commentator, and relentless investigator. Howard passionately brings comprehensive and groundbreaking analysis to the most compelling mysteries of our time."
— Dr. Phil McGraw, host of TV's #1 daytime talk show, Dr. Phil

“The king of Hollywood scoops.”
— AdWeek 

“Dylan Howard is one of the finest journalists writing today. His depth and breadth of experience are second to none; he follows every intricate angle of a story and exposes the truth. As a former detective, I know firsthand the skills that make an exceptional investigator and Dylan has them in spades.”
—Bo Dietl, former NYPD homicide detective who made over made over 1,400 felony arrests   

“The go-to guy for authoritative showbiz news and analysis on cable and over-the air television.”
— Los Angeles Press Club 
 

From the Publisher