Carolyn Durand

Omid Scobie

When news of the budding romance between a beloved English prince and an American actress broke, it captured the world's attention and sparked an international media frenzy. But while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have continued to make headlines--from their engagement, wedding, and birth of their son Archie to their unprecedented decision to step back from their royal lives--few know the true story of Harry and Meghan. For the very first time, Finding Freedom goes beyond the headlines to reveal unknown details of Harry and Meghan's life together, dispelling the many rumors and misconceptions that plague the couple on both sides of the pond. As members of the select group of reporters that cover the British Royal Family and their engagements, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand have witnessed the young couple's lives as few outsiders can. With unique access and written with the participation of those closest to the couple, Finding Freedom is an honest, up-close, and disarming portrait of a confident, influential, and forward-thinking couple who are unafraid to break with tradition, determined to create a new path away from the spotlight, and dedicated to building a humanitarian legacy that will make a profound difference in the world.

Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family

Finding Freedom

Emily Burns

This audiobook was so ridiculous and I loved every syrupy moment of it.

Elizabeth Moore

First and foremost, this book was riddled with typos and errors. The most significant of which is that it says it’s authored by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand when actually it’s written by Meghan Markle and her best friend Gretchen Wieners. This book. Was. DUMB. And so obviously co-written by Meghan that it makes me want to throw up in my mouth. If you are raising your eyebrow, go read Meghan’s guest editor introduction to British Vogue, then read basically the first half of the book, and get back to me. The (bad) writing is identical except the Vogue intro is written in first person narrative and this garbage pail of a book is written “and then, by the horizon of the African sunset, with lions roaring in the distance, MEGHAN STRUCK THE PERFECT WARRIOR POSE” person narrative.

A few shame on me caveats to keep in mind reading the book: 

1) I legit thought this was going to be all facts and then awesome spilt tea on the monarchy, and a factual Meghan-and-Harry POV look at all that went down. It’s not facts. It’s legit “I’m reading chapter books now!” fan fiction. I am so embarrassed for the author. I mean Meghan Markle. I mean Jessica Racism Mulroney. I mean I don’t even know anymore.

2) I also legit bought this because I really wanted to stop raising my eyebrows at Meghan and Harry and wondering if they really were, in fact, horrible. Like Meghan is so pretty and smiley and has cool clothes and loves being at charities. I was convinced she had to have gotten a bum deal here! Nope, this weird-ass book which is supposed to make people sympathize with Meghan and “poor Harry” makes you HATE THEM. Stop whining and stop talking about how down to earth you are and your healthy foods routine and how you’re so laid-back and love the wilderness when the only wilderness trips you take are £1,900 a night. They also apparently have zero mutual friends unless they are extremely well known and I have proof if you need it that you can be friends with cool and amazing folks who aren’t in People Magazine. It killed me that they left close, dear friends out of their private wedding ceremony yet of course George Clooney and Amal and Oprah and JAMES CORDEN (give me a break) made the cut.

3) I for real hated William and Kate before I read this book and thought they were so mean to Harry and Meghan and thought they sucked and after reading this all I can think is “man, you held it together way better than I would have dealing with this fools.”

4) I STILL think the way the media treated Meghan was gross, cruel, racist and awful. You can be a total awfulburger and you still not deserve to be treated poorly or so horribly. I fully agree that the coverage was wrong, mean spirited, and often horribly and grossly racist. Not ok and I don’t support it even if Meghan isn’t my cup of tea.

Other side notes include:

All the Meghan-is-amazing lines (which is basically the entire first half of the book) are GOLD and worth reading just for the laugh. They cover topics such as:
- Growing up everyone was jealous of Meghan because she was “too perfect”
- Meghan has better natural breakfast habits than you
- Meghan performs cinematic perfect yoga in the deltas of Botswana
- Meghan is so chill and earthy that she has no problem tinkling in the woods during a rugged and fully guided African Safari
- Oprah LOVES Meghan. So does Amal. And Beyoncé. And Michelle. And everybody else important and classy in the world.
- Megan loves name dropping her expensive champagne
- Meghan buys hand warmers off of Amazon (just a regular all-American gal Just Like Us over here, guys!) for the poor palace guards whom everyone else is mean to and spits on and throws their coffee at.
- Meghan LOVES animals except for the one rescue dog she left at home when she flew to London to be with her prince.

Ok gross I’m done now, but honestly I can’t believe I’m saying this I gave it 2 stars because I think you should read it because it’s just that awesomely bad. And I’m not ignoring Harry in this piece and just targeting Meghan because I hate her, it’s just that the entire book is basically about Meghan so it’s hard not to focus on her ridiculousness.

Caroline Lewicki

Knowing very, very little about the royal family, I thought this book was interesting and journalistic. I learned a lot about Harry and Meghan's relationship and the innerworkings of the Royal Family. I was shocked by how toxic the media is toward her. It's easy to see how the decisions the couple make for themselves are heavily influenced by Princess Diana's untimely death and the circumstances surrounding it.

INSTANT INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER The first, epic and true story of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s life together, finally revealing why they chose to pursue a more independent path and the reasons behind their unprecedented decision to step away from their royal lives, from two top royal reporters who have been behind the scenes since the couple first met. Finding Freedom is complete with full color photographs from Harry and Meghan’s courtship, wedding, Archie’s milestones, and many more unforgettable moments. When news of the budding romance between a beloved English prince and an American actress broke, it captured the world’s attention and sparked an international media frenzy. But while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have continued to make headlines—from their engagement, wedding, and birth of their son Archie to their unprecedented decision to step back from their royal lives—few know the true story of Harry and Meghan. For the very first time, Finding Freedom goes beyond the headlines to reveal unknown details of Harry and Meghan’s life together, dispelling the many rumors and misconceptions that plague the couple on both sides of the pond. As members of the select group of reporters that cover the British Royal Family and their engagements, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand have witnessed the young couple’s lives as few outsiders can. With unique access and written with the participation of those closest to the couple, Finding Freedom is an honest, up-close, and disarming portrait of a confident, influential, and forward-thinking couple who are unafraid to break with tradition, determined to create a new path away from the spotlight, and dedicated to building a humanitarian legacy that will make a profound difference in the world.

Lauren Attaway

As someone who actually read this book (yikes reviewers) I found it mostly romance gossipy in the way I had been hoping. There isn't really anything here that should offend Harry or William, because there's no villainizing of either one. If you talk to this many of someone's friends/colleagues, of course it will seem favorable to them (we should all-bare minimum- hope not to be hated by the people we spend the most time with). If you dislike Harry and Meghan (which, examine your own prejudice on why you could be bothered to hate total strangers), I don't think anything in this book is going to change your mind. I came for the behind-the-scenes love story gossip and they delivered.

Carla Maxwell

** spoiler alert **
           So, having finished the book here are some of my thoughts. 

They have filed lawsuits against 3 British tabloids for invasion of privacy. I don’t understand why the newspapers aren’t allowed to print these stories (which are pretty much all in the book and most of them are now verified to be true) but they are allowed to be in the book? 

Meghan admits courting the press, she used to give paparazzi tip offs about where she would be before she was with Harry. She sent coded messages and cryptic clues using her Instagram and fashion choices before the palace told her to reign it in. They quite rightly told her, you can’t behave like this one minute and then demand privacy the next.

They have admitted to reading the comments section about themselves on the daily mail website - everyone knows not to read that, of course it will upset you! I would like to think that the royal family are above that nonsense. 

The American words and spellings in the book are very frustrating and words in quotation marks are incorrect - Prince Charles would not have talked about changing Harry’s “diapers”, they were not keen to watch a “soccer” game, we do not have a Mayhew Animal “center” or OXSRAD disability “center”, Prince Harry did not say that Archie had “gotten big”. 

It might not bother some people but I found it very annoying. Especially when quoting members of the royal family, I don’t think American spellings should have been used as that is not accurate. 

There is a strong sense that Harry and Meghan feel that they have done absolutely no wrong, they come across as very self important and will shut down any reports of anything other than positive. 

I do not believe the book’s version of events about what happened with Meghan’s dad at the beginning of their relationship and in the run up to the wedding.

Apparently they became frustrated with the “large, slow-moving machine that was the institution of the monarchy” they have years of experience, they know what they’re doing and they think before they speak. I’m sorry Meghan that as an ‘independent American woman’ this did not suit you - that’s just the way the monarchy works I’m afraid. 

I have no doubt that the constant scrutiny and interest in their lives is very difficult to deal with, however I don’t have sympathy with a privileged man that was born into an institution has no doubt enjoyed the many benefits this has given him. 

If the way that Meghan was ‘treated’ is true then I do feel a little bit sorry for her. However, I feel that lessons were learnt from the royal brides of the previous generation and a huge effort has been made to ensure mistakes of the past aren’t repeated. 

I’m sure that she would have been warned what she was letting herself in for (I just don’t believe that she had no idea and no support) it has been widely reported about all the support that Katherine received before marrying William and I don’t see Meghan being treated any differently by the Royal Household in regards to preparation for her new life.

I hope they find happiness within their new roles. but I don’t think anyone has come out of the release of this book looking good.

There is no way on earth that this book has been written without co-operation from Harry and Meghan. I would also be concerned about the ‘hundreds’ of sources that have spoken to the book’s authors. There are just far too many intimate details in this book for them to have not been involved.

Finding Freedom Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family

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