I’m a royal expert – Harry & Meghan’s plot-hole filled show exposes actress’s secret masterplan… Charles must act now
'IRRITATING and intensely boring' - royal expert Tom Bower doesn't hold back in his summary of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell new docuseries.
The author of Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors insists the first three parts of the Netflix show - dubbed ‘The Only Way Is Sussex’ – were “full of contradictions”.
It features candid photos and videos of the privacy-loving couple during their "love story", opening with a clip of Harry filming himself at Heathrow Airport after finishing his last royal engagements in March 2020.
It's followed by a make-up free Meghan with a towel on her head videoing herself at home in Vancouver, where she talks about "wanting to get to the other side of all of this".
Speaking to The Sun, Tom says he believes the series demonstrates Meghan's 'masterplan' was always to ditch the UK and move back to the US.
"I think that they planned the return to California, or she planned to return soon after the wedding - maybe even before the wedding," he says.
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I think that they planned the return to California, or she planned to return soon after the wedding - maybe even before the wedding
Tom Bower
"I don't think they intended to stay, and she and advisors thought about how to return and break from London."
He adds that their controversial sit-down chat with Oprah Winfrey and their multi-million pound deals with Netflix and Spotify were "all part of the plan from early on".
"They keep complaining about media intrusion, and yet keep opening themselves up to it," Tom points out.
"They always blame the media, but the media they are blaming is the same media they went and seduced with the likes of Oprah and magazines, and now Netflix.
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"I think it’s for money. The whole point is they think they should be paid by the media for reporting on them. They want money for interviews and for appearances.
"Meghan wants to profit from being a celebrity, like how she was brought up. She could never understand how royal 'celebs' were not paid.
"They feel they should be profiting from their royal celebrity status. Previously, they were not paid."
The couple said they were “persecuted” during the early days of their relationship, but Tom doesn't believe that was the case.
He says: “While in London, they went to the theatre, walked through Kensington, went shopping and had meals in restaurants. No one harassed them.
“They talk about being persecuted by prying, dangerous cameras - but no one interfered with them.
“Meghan claimed their relationship was about to be exposed by a tabloid - and yet she went to Soho House with the intention to let people know they were dating because they planned to get engaged.”
Hypocrites
In the documentary the Sussexes claim being unable to protect their children's privacy contributed to their decision to leave Britain.
Tom says: "They complain about not wanting their children in the media yet there are endless photos of Archie that they have released and even more in this documentary series.”
Tom also criticises Meghan's claim that she was unsure of how to act while representing the Royal Family, accusing her of being contradictory.
“In the third episode she speaks about the way she was expected to behave and says she didn’t know any of the taboos,” he observes.
“She claims she didn’t know what they could and couldn’t do, yet a minute later she says she knew there was a protocol. It’s either one or the other!
“In another part, Meghan says she had no idea what a walkabout was and that she found it difficult to learn how to shake hands.
"Personally, I find this ridiculous. How do you not know how to shake someone's hand when you're over 30 and an actress?”
Shocking
Another shocking moment in the documentary is when Meghan brands her and Harry's "rehearsed" post-engagement interview an "orchestrated reality show".
Tom believes Meghan tried to distort what happened during the chat with the BBC’s Mishal Husain in 2017.
“She called it an ‘orchestrated reality show’, which isn’t fair. It was a straight-forward interview, what did she expect?
“Meghan moaned about being told how to show her hand so that they could film her ring perfectly.
You would think she would understand about getting the right angles, being an actress."
Tom is sceptical about Meghan's struggles to deal with attention from the press, claiming it was her childhood dream to be an actress in the spotlight.
"She is portrayed as some sort of victim," he says. "While she was subject to huge media interest, that’s what she always wanted.
She is portrayed as some sort of victim. While she was subject to huge media interest, that’s what she always wanted
Tom Bower
"From the age of four she dreamed of being a celebrity and an actress, to be photographed and to travel the world.
“They roped in her friends too, to say how terrified, horrified and scared Meghan was, but they never present any form of evidence.
“They claim to be persecuted by the press and the paparazzi, but there’s never one example of when that actually happened.”
The series trailer sparked a fakery storm when it was revealed the imagery of photographers clamouring at the couple at public events was taken at a Harry Potter film premiere and of Katie Price arriving at court.
Tom predicts the couple's “most scathing attacks” aimed at the Royal Family are yet to come in the final three episodes.
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He brands Harry's actions “unforgivable” and says King Charles should take drastic action.
"Harry should be ashamed of himself," Tom says. "He should be stripped of all titles and privileges."
