Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Rebecca Russell

Diana's brother 'warned Harry three times to reconsider marrying Meghan', claims author

Tom Bower's explosive new book 'Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War between the Windsors' has seen him unpick the truth behind the couple by speaking to 80 people who know Harry and Meghan personally.

Countless earth-shattering claims have been made by the author, from how Meghan failed to get on with Harry's friends to the changes the palace forced the writers of Suits to make after the couple's relationship became public knowledge.

Another very interesting story from Bower's book suggests that Diana, Princess of Wales's brother, Earl Spencer, was asked to speak to his nephew about his closeness with Meghan.

The author claims that not only did Earl Spencer and Diana's two sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Baroness Jane Fellowes, fail to see the similarities between Meghan and Harry's late mother - as the prince reportedly hoped - but they thought that she would struggle to fit in with the Royal Family.

Prince Harry was warned by his uncle (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Bower writes: "In early September 2017, Kate revealed that she was expecting her third child. Prone to sickness in pregnancy, she curtailed her public appearances.

"Since the Vanity Fair article had increased the Cambridges’ suspicion of Meghan, the actress discovered that her neighbour in Kensington Palace had even less time for her.

"By then, Harry had introduced Meghan to Diana’s two sisters, Jane and Sarah, and her best friend Julia Samuel. Harry assumed that Diana’s family and friends would see a similarity between Diana and his fiancée.

"Both, he said, shared the same problems. He was disappointed. No one agreed that his vulnerable mother had anything in common with his girlfriend. More discomforting for him, they thought Meghan would not fit in with the Royal Family."

Diana, Princess of Wales with her younger brother (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Earl Spencer reportedly tried to warn his nephew off marrying Meghan (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Charles Sabine)

Love the royals? Sign up for the Mirror's daily newsletter to get all the latest news on the Queen, Charles, Kate, Wills, Meghan, Harry and the rest of The Firm. Click here to sign up .

The author continued: "Their unease was voiced by Charles Spencer, Diana’s brother. At William’s request, Spencer weighed in.

"Three times married, Spencer cautioned his nephew to reconsider his haste towards marriage. His advice provoked a bitter reaction. ‘This was going to be really hard,’ Harry would later reflect on establishing Meghan’s place in the family.

"One of his recurring concerns was insufficient money if they married. Although Harry annually received about £1.5 million from Charles, Meghan had been advised to continue acting to supplement their income.

"By that point, Meghan knew from her agent Nick Collins that her acting prospects were limited. Omid Scobie, her official biographer, would accurately summarise her exit from Hollywood. ‘She wanted a more meaningful career,’ he wrote. ‘She could be doing so much more with her platform.’ Her frustration remained. She was tantalisingly close to sealing her future, but nothing was official."

Tom Bower claims Earl Spencer tried to warn Prince Harry (PA)
Earl Spencer as a boy with Diana (PA)

However, Bower claims that it wasn't just Earl Spencer who openly expressed his concern over Harry and Meghan's budding relationship.

He wrote that Meghan's former talent agent, Gina Nelthorpe-Cowne, told the actress that she "wouldn't be able to make any more movies" with her priority set to become royal life instead.

But Meghan wasn't impressed, claims Bower, writing: "Gina, save it,’ Meghan snapped. Nelthorpe-Cowne was taken aback by the steel in Meghan’s voice.

"Holding up her hand, Meghan continued: ‘Stop. Be quiet. I don’t want to hear any negativity. This is a happy time for us.’ Stopped in her tracks, Nelthorpe-Cowne looked at the hard fury in Meghan’s eyes."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.