Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s names “do not crop up very often in court circles” and according to a new book released today they are instead referred to indirectly using a brutal four-worded nickname.
Author Craig Brown has released a new book today titled ‘A Voyage Around The Queen’, about the late Queen Elizabeth II’s life away from the public eye, which also discusses the decision of Harry and Meghan to move overseas to Los Angeles after stepping down as working royals in 2020.
In the book, referencing Harry and Meghan’s new nickname, the broadcaster, Gyles Brandreth, reportedly said in 2022, that the couple are referred to as “persons who live overseas”.
He expanded: “These days, the names of Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, do not crop up very often in court circles… When they do, courtiers flinch almost imperceptibly and change the subject – or, if that’s not possible, refer to them obliquely as ‘persons who live overseas’.”
The broadcaster added: “Mention the Sussexes to other members of the Royal Family… and they simply smile briefly and say, ‘We wish them all the best’ – and nothing else.”
The Montecito-based duo have only returned to the UK on a handful of occasions since quitting royal duties, including the funerals of Harry’s grandparents and the King’s Coronation, which Prince Harry attended alone.
Harry did return briefly after King Charles announced his cancer diagnosis publicly, during which Harry flew to the UK for a brief meeting with his father at Clarence House, before swiftly returning home to America.
Elsewhere in the book, the author quotes the Earl of Snowdon talking about the duo’s departure, as he writes the Lord once observed: “The Royal Family is quite good at blanking out anything unpleasant or uncomfortable.”
Meanwhile, readers are set to see Prince Harry’s own memoir, Spare, on the shelves as it becomes available in a paperback edition this autumn. The hardback edition was released in January 2023.
On August 27, publisher Penguin Random House announced that the Duke of Sussex’s book will be published in America on October 22 and in the UK on October 24.
While it is common for paperback editions of books to feature new chapters or additional information the contents of the paperback are to remain “unchanged”.
However, Prince Harry has made a major decision surrounding the publicity of the memoir, and the Daily Mail’s diary editor, Richard Eden, understands the Duke “is not planning to give any interviews to publicise the paperback edition”.
A source told the Daily Mail: “Harry doesn’t plan to give any interviews to promote the paperback edition. The paperback was a part of the book deal he signed, but he is not contractually obliged to promote this edition. The reason it has taken longer than usual for the paperback to be published is that the more expensive hardback was still selling well.”
