What a difference a week makes. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were all smiles at the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf not so very long ago – the perfect loved-up power couple making touching speeches, mingling with competitors and packing on the PDAs. But a potential new project that Meghan’s working on threatens to overturn their rekindled popularity.
Rumours are growing that the 42-year-old is secretly writing her own explosive memoir, in the same vein as Harry’s Spare. And the controversial book could well be a “career breaker” for the former actress, according to a bigwig in the entertainment industry. So much so that she needs to think very carefully about her next move.
Entertainment commentator Mark Boardman told us, “Meghan’s facing a dilemma over her future. This is going to be the most challenging 12 months for her as she works out where she sits in the entertainment world. There are big challenges ahead and everyone’s looking to see what she does next.”
Mark claims a tell-all book from Meghan would undoubtedly be a “massive seller worldwide”. But he believes she could also receive the same backlash Harry, 39, did following the publication of his autobiography.
“I think she’ll have learned and taken all the feedback from Spare and will definitely know the direction her memoir will go in,” Mark said. “But the publishers will want juicy gossip to make it an interesting read.
“No publisher wants to reprint information that’s already out in the public domain. They’ll demand all the juicy stuff, like, ‘What does Charles really have for breakfast?’
"And there will be a lot of tough questions for Meghan to answer, too, as the publishers ask her, ‘What’s Charles really like?’ Once that information is out there in print, there will be absolutely no coming back from it. This could literally be a career breaker.”
Mark continued, “One major concern is that Meghan’s memoir could potentially ignite a new wave of controversy.
"Her risky plan would have dire consequences if it reveals more scandalous information about her time within the royal family, or if it takes a confrontational approach towards specific family members, increasing the rift between herself and the royals. She needs to come back with something that shows her in the best light.”
Mark went on to say that “anything that’s going to evoke tension or animosity or bring up old arguments” will not only widen the chasm between Harry and his family, but also go down badly with the public. He claimed, “It’s going to turn the public against her and that ‘off’ switch will then remain off. There is no way she could reignite any of her fanbase.”
According to Mark, one of the reasons a book may seem so appealing to Meghan – who’s mum to Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two – is that the current writers’ strike in Hollywood means she “has no way to communicate with the world”.
He said, “Meghan owns a production company, Archewell Productions, and because of the Hollywood strike they can’t work with writers, producers or directors. So she’s at that point where any opportunities coming in for her right now are all on hold.
“She’s so restricted as to what she can and can’t do. From her perspective, the only thing that she can do right now is write. She’s still got a lot of ambition in her but she doesn’t have a platform.”
But Mark warned, “I think others need to better understand her before they judge her. She’s gone through a lot of turmoil in her life and she’s had a lot of issues with a lot of people. Despite having had a privileged life, she’s had so many knock-backs it’s unbelievable. The deal with Netflix is the only thing she’s really holding on to right now.”
According to Duncan Larcombe, author of Prince Harry: The Inside Story, the Invictus Games have been a runaway hit – and one that the couple should build on.
He said, “I thought the Invictus Games were a success. They got a lot of publicity this month and it’s growing year on year. People recognise Invictus as an essential and very worthy cause and they have a lot of enthusiasm for it.”
And he adds that the event has a very special place in Meghan’s heart, given that the Games played a significant role in her early relationship with Harry.
“The 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto are where she and Harry were first seen stepping out as a couple,” he recalls. “They held hands and smiled for the cameras. Right from the start, Meghan has been on board with the Invictus message.”
But like Mark, Duncan thinks a memoir from Meghan would be a huge risk. He said, “Any kind of book that reveals or goes into any added detail about the relationship between the Waleses and the Sussexes and their rift is like picking a scab.
"If Harry and Meghan want to heal their relationship with the royals – which they may or may not want to do – that’s certainly the wrong way of going about it.
“It’s fair to say a book from Meghan could put the Sussexes right back at square one in terms of trying to make amends and rebuild their relationship with the royal family.”
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