- Sally Bedell Smith says Meghan Markle changed William and Harry’s ‘dynamic’
Meghan Markle shares the same ‘narcissistic and controlling’ qualities as Wallis Simpson while the Duke of Sussex is as weak as King Edward VIII, a Royal biographer has claimed.
Sally Bedell Smith, who is one of the Royal Family’s ‘authorised’ biographers, has claimed that the Duchess of Sussex is ‘domineering’ and has ‘changed the dynamic’ between William and Harry.
Speaking on the topic while promoting her latest book, which looks at how King George VI ‘saved the monarchy’ following the abdication of his older brother Edward in 1936, Bedell Smith said their were parallels between the two sets of relationships.
The American author said she felt Prince William would have felt a similar sense of ‘betrayal’ towards Harry as their great grandfather felt towards the Duke of Windsor after he stepped down from the throne.
It comes as a rift between the brothers, which has grown in recent years, appears to be no closer to healing, with the pair appearing separately at the Diana Legacy Awards in London last week.
Speaking at the Oxford Literary Festival, Bedell Smith said the relationship between William and Harry mirrored that of King Edward VIII – who was later known as the Duke of Windsor – and King George VI nearly 90 years before.
Edward abdicated just months into his reign so he could marry divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson, forcing George to take the throne until his death in 1952.
Bedell Smith, 75, said in that situation, as with the modern day brothers, ‘an American woman came into the picture and changed the dynamic of the whole thing’.
The Telegraph reported her as saying: ‘It is different. Harry was never going to be King. But I think there are similar feelings of betrayal that have resulted in William in particular being furious with his brother – with good reason.
‘In some respects, Meghan and the Duchess of Windsor have similar qualities: very narcissistic, very controlling, very dominating.
‘And if you read [the Duke of Windsor’s] letters, you can see how weak he was and how much he needed a domineering woman, and it feels as if Harry is somewhat the same way.’
She added that despite the turmoil caused by his ‘obsession’ with Simpson and the subsequent abdication, Edward actually ‘delivered Britain from an irresponsible King’.
Her new book ‘George VI and Elizabeth: the Marriage That Saved the Monarchy’ chronicles how Edward ended up being replaced with someone more suited to the job in the shape of his younger brother.
Speaking about Edward VIII and George VI, Bedell Smith told the audience after a ‘difficult childhood’ the pair had grown ‘very close’.
However, Edward’s abdication and his behaviour afterwards – he had well known associations with fascists and Nazis – drove a wedge between the brothers.
The Times quoted Bedell Smith as saying: ‘The Duke of Windsor did a lot of harmful things [after his abdication].
‘He lied to his brother about how much money he had. For example, he was in the process of selling a huge amount of land at Sandringham just so he could pocket the money. It was those kinds of deceptions, as well as his behaviour in general.’
MailOnline has contacted representatives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment.
It comes days after William and Harry made a rare joint appearance at the Diana Legacy Awards at the Science Museum in London on March 14.
But neither were in the room at the same time, even virtually, in what was the event’s 25th anniversary.
By the time Harry – located 5,000 miles away in California – appeared via videolink, William was long gone, having left the event at 8.15pm.
It follows claims by a royal expert that Princess Diana would have insisted the brothers set their feud aside to present the award in her name.
The legacy award was introduced by The Diana Award in 2017 to celebrate the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, on the 20th anniversary of her death.
William gave a speech in person to mark the charity’s 25th anniversary and present awards to 20 recipients. The Prince of Wales appeared at the awards event alone as his wife Kate is still recovering from abdominal surgery.
Harry, who lives in California, was due to join a video call with the winners, according to reports. However, his involvement only took place after his brother left the ceremony.
For most of their lives, the royal brothers have been close, united by the shared trauma of losing their mother who died aged 36 in a 1997 Paris car crash when William was 15 and Harry was 12.
But since Harry’s 2018 wedding to his wife Meghan Markle, relations between them have soured.
An explosive interview that the couple gave chat show host Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 marked a new low, while anecdotes about their relationship in Harry’s bombshell memoir, Spare, which was released last year, also saw them grow further apart.
The feud between the estranged brothers has cast a shadow over the whole family, which saw Harry and Meghan leave the UK.
There was hope for a reunion when Harry flew back to Britain after the news of King Charles’ cancer diagnosis was announced.
But the King only saw Harry for half an hour – and William made no plans to see his brother.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
