The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have sharply rejected allegations made in a forthcoming book by veteran royal author Tom Bower, with their spokesperson accusing him of crossing “the line from criticism into fixation.”
Bower’s latest work, Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the Royal Family, contains a series of contentious claims regarding the couple’s marriage, financial dealings, and their fractured relationship with the monarchy. Extracts from the book were first published by The Times on March 13.
In a forceful response to PEOPLE, a representative for Prince Harry and Meghan dismissed the author’s work as the product of an unhealthy obsession. “Mr Bower’s commentary has long crossed the line from criticism into fixation,” the statement read. “This is someone who has publicly stated, ‘the monarchy in fact depends on actually obliterating the Sussexes from our state of life,’ language that speaks for itself.”
The statement went further, criticizing the author’s credibility and motives. “He has made a career out of constructing ever more elaborate theories about people he does not know and has never met. Those interested in facts will look elsewhere; those seeking deranged conspiracy and melodrama know exactly where to find him.”
Bower’s book revisits the well-documented tensions between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family. Among its more provocative claims is an allegation that Queen Camilla told a friend Meghan had “brainwashed” her husband. The book also suggests Meghan’s influence led to Harry’s estrangement from longtime friends and family, while casting doubt on the success of their post-royal media ventures following the expiration of major streaming deals.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the biography when approached.
The controversy also drew a rebuke from the Invictus Games Foundation, the organization behind the international sporting event for wounded service personnel that Harry founded in 2014. An excerpt from the book reportedly suggested that the 2025 Games in Canada were overshadowed by the focus on the couple.
A foundation spokesperson expressed disappointment at the platform given to such commentary, which they felt showed a lack of genuine understanding of the Games’ mission. They stated that attempts to question competitors’ injuries or minimize conditions like PTSD were “deeply disrespectful to the men and women the Games were created for.”
Prince Harry, who was educated at Wetherby, Ludgrove, and Eton before training at Sandhurst, served two tours in Afghanistan with the British Army. Inspired by his military service, he launched the Invictus Games in 2014 and remains its patron. He was created Duke of Sussex in 2018 upon his marriage to Meghan Markle, an American actress. The couple, who have two children, Archie and Lilibet, stepped back as senior working royals in 2020 and now reside in Southern California, where they run their commercial and charitable organization, Archewell Inc. Their departure from royal life has been chronicled in a Netflix documentary series and Harry’s memoir, Spare.
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