A review by leighannsherwin
Meghan and Harry: The Real Story by Lady Colin Campbell

4.0

I'd say a solid 3 1/2 stars. I was waiting for this book since it came out. Lady C is usually fair if a bit scathing in her biographies of royalty and this book is no exception. Despite what the critics say I think she let Meghan off lightly in this book. Considering these two managed to piss off the population of two countries, and a large portion of a third by mooching off tax payers and whining about how tough it is to live rent free in castles and travel private jets all the while preaching to us peasants about how we need to stop flying commercial once a year on a vacation we had to save all year for. Not to mention going to a country with very high poverty and crime rates and crying about how tough your life is. When Meghan and Harry first announced their engagement like everyone I was happy that at long last Harry found himself a well suited partner. I even over looked the fact she only invited her mother to the wedding. For the most part I didn't take much notice of them. After Archie was born though more and more things made me question them. There was all the secrecy of his birth, the belly clutching during pregnancy. I do believe she was pregnant and Archie is a real baby (There are plenty who think he's a doll or rent a baby which is weird since Archie resembles his father) but frankly find it stupid that the covered so much up during the pregnancy and after. Then there was the private jet flights hilarious because his brother the future King not only flies commercial with his family, but is known to fly budget airlines as well, but Harry feels their safety is higher risk. Then there is the even more laughable racism and unconscious bias talk, from a man who thought it was funny to dress as a Nazi and who used slurs to refer to fellow soldiers. Also if someone (or in this case a lot of people) doesn't like you it's probably because you are not a good person not because of your race, religion or nationality since apparently we all hate Meghan because she'sAmerican. The more I read the more I believed Meghan is basically a left wing version Trump. Both have very high opinions of themselves, both have incredibly thin skin and love law suits, both ghost old friends who fall out of favour claiming they weren't that close to them and both want to control the media and the way they are portrayed. Both also have a group of rabid followers who will not hear a bad word spoken of their hero, and detractors who despise them and everything they say or do and neither side is willing to meet in the middle to see there is good and bad in both of them as there is in most people. They are also both extremely polarizing figures. There were a few things that I didn't agree with. Comparing Meghan and Diana to Josef Goebbels was a bit extreme. Also saying Meghan and Diana were exactly the same also not true. Diana was and still is a beloved figure in England, known and remembered by many for her compassion and her death was mourned by everyone despite her faults. Meghan blew in like a hurricane upset everyone and everything in her wake and I don't think anyone in England or even Canada was terribly sad to see the back of her especially when we got the tax bill for their security. Harry once a beloved figure is now mocked and subject to ridicule whenever he opens his mouth. I was rooting for them and fine with them leaving, but her treatment of her father has left a bad taste in my mouth. As someone who lost a parent during bypass surgery the way she treated her father after two heart attacks filled me with rage. As for the book itself it was mostly enjoyable. There are always questionable things in Lady Colin Campbell's works, but for the most part she seems credible. But like with her Diana book it doesn't really follow a chronological order, bounces around in a confusing way, the last hundred pages were hard to read as they were dry and repetitive and there were many spelling, grammar and typing errors that made this book seem like it was self published. So overall a decent book, much like the politics going on south of the border it won't really change anyone's mind. If you love the Sussexes you'll hate the book, if you hate the Sussexes you'll enjoy the book but probably think it let them off too easy. If you are like me you just want to read another book on the royal family that sounded interesting. I might read Finding Freedom some day to get their side, but for now I need a break from these two.