Prince Harry and Meghan’s upcoming tour of Australia is under threat as sources reveal the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are “in crisis mode”, fighting off a host of scandals brought on by a book that hasn’t even been released yet!
UNDER SIEGE
Tom Bower’s explosive new book Betrayal, which is out March 31 in Australia, has been serialised in The Times in the past fortnight, forcing Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44, to hit back with a fierce denial.
The author claims Queen Camilla told a friend Meghan had brainwashed Harry while painting their life in California as a financial and emotional mess, and claims also that since Andrew’s downfall, Harry is fearful that “the future king, William, could remove all the Sussexes’ titles and effectively banish him from Britain.”
The Sussexes hit back with an unusually sharp statement, calling the claims a “deranged conspiracy” and “melodrama” and blasting the author’s “fixation” with them.
Insiders say they have no choice but to go on the attack, with one adding, “They’re under siege as a result of this. They have lawyers on standby as these new crises pile up and, yes, they’re actively exploring legal options because it feels like a personal vendetta.
“It’s certainly decimated their image reboot just weeks ahead of an Australian tour they were hoping would prove their worth to his dad and brother back home, and Harry’s already in hot water with William over last week’s hearing!”
Harry’s long-running privacy court case against Associated Newspapers dragged in sensitive family details when a reporter mentioned concealing Princess Catherine’s first pregnancy during testimony.
“William’s furious, to say the least,” says a Wales’ insider.
“After [Harry’s memoir] Spare, Kate’s gone through enough at Harry’s hands. He’s sick of his wife being dragged through the mud by his brother’s ridiculous situation. It’s certainly not helping the King’s hopes of letting Harry and Meghan back into the fold. William and Kate just don’t need the drama.”
It’s not been a great year so far for the Sussexes, after Netflix’s abrupt exit left their production company in limbo, forcing them to quickly rebrand.
However, pressure is mounting from every side, with unsubstantiated rumours their long-time PR firm, Sunshine Sachs, could be getting “way out of their price range”.
Adding to their headaches, last week a Variety expose claimed that their deal with Netflix was hardly the fairytale they’d made out.
Six well-placed sources spilled on how the couple’s “bedside manner ruffled feathers in meetings” and that, coupled with the lacklustre ratings of With Love, Meghan – which resulted in $10 million worth of surplus As Ever products, including tea and baking mixes, being handed out to staff for free – all left a “we’re done” feeling in the building.
BAD TO WORSE
“Harry and Meghan are at breaking point,” adds the insider.
“And this Aussie trip is only going to make things worse. Harry’s not an actor like Meghan. It’s not sustainable for them to play perfect couples with everything that’s going on. They’re going to crack.”
Already the tour is showing fault lines, after Gemma O’Neill, who booked Meghan for the high-profile Besties retreat in Sydney, went into liquidation last November and is reportedly being pursued for hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.
“It’s all a bit B-list, isn’t it?” says the insider.
“Australians have never forgotten what Meghan said about hating the intensity of touring, and how draining that all was for her.
“So if they think they’re escaping from their problems, think again. They’re not going to be able to ‘curate’ their entire visit and hide from unfriendly press – not when there’s a growing anti-royal push in Australia. Even Charles was badly heckled in 2024.
“This tour will either make or break them – and not many are betting on the former.”
