A brand new book which claims to reveal shocking insights about the Queen and the royal family is to hit shelves next week. Tina Brown's The Palace Papers has been two years in the making and features interviews and information from more than 120 insiders and sources.
The book covers everything from Prince Charles's unusual bathroom demands and requests that his shoelaces are ironed, to insights into the Duchess of Cambridge's difficult relationship with her sister-in-law, Meghan Markle. Ahead of its publication on May 3, extracts of the book have been published in The Daily Mail.
The Mirror's royal experts Zoe Forsey and Rebecca Fussell have explained some of the most shocking claims so far, and - in their words - "it's fair to say Brown doesn't hold back". They even go so far as to say that "it won't be pleasant reading for members of The Firm."
Also read: 'Sadness' as popular indoor play centre to shut
Here are eight of the claims made in Brown's new book.
Kate's 'secret life'
According to Brown, Kate ensures she keeps up with her own interests and passions away from the royal spotlight and makes secret visits to galleries and museums to "nourish her inner life". She was once spotted sneaking into a Hockney exhibition at the Royal Academy at 8am, and took a seat in front of one of the beautiful pieces of art.
She told the man she was sitting next to: "I miss my history of art. It’s what I do to get my fix." The Duchess of Cambridge gained a 2:1 degree in History of Art when she graduated from St Andrews University in 2005.
Charles 'too needy' for Queen
Brown claims that Charles is "desperate" for his mum's approval, but notes that they are very different people. A source told her that he's the "wrong sort of person" for her, believing him to be too needy, emotional and vulnerable.
They continued: “Arts, charitable causes that aren’t wrapped in a rigid sense of duty - it’s all anathema to her.” The insider also claims that Philip also had concerns about his son becoming King, reportedly saying that he didn't think Charles was “King material”.
Kate and William's 'expressionless irritation' after Meghan speech
There was a huge amount of excitement when Meghan, Kate, William and Harry carried out their first joint engagement, and it didn't take long for them to be dubbed the 'Fab Four'. However Brown claims that while things looked great to outsiders, those behind the scenes saw a different story.
Kate, Harry and William set up mental health organisation Heads Together, but when Meghan joined the project her excellent public speaking abilities meant she was able to get the message across clearly.
"Harry looked on with awe and his brother and Kate stood by with expressionless irritation,’ Brown writes. "When it was Kate’s moment to speak, she was strikingly less articulate, as well as brief."
Meghan's message to publicist
Brown claims that Meghan loved a freebie, using her pre-royal celebrity status to get gifts from designer brands. This isn't unusual in the celeb world, however Brown claims she sent a message to PRs after she married into The Firm.
The author wrote that Meghan "won a reputation among the marketers of luxury brands of being warmly interested in receiving bags of designer swag."
Adding that after her wedding in 2018, a member of Meghan's new team wrote to a publicist to say: "Make sure [the publicist] knows that she can still send me anything. "She’s always been one of the good ones."
Wedding 'raging'
According to Brown, the rumoured row with the Queen's most trusted aide and dear friend Angela Kelly came because Meghan didn't "perceive the difference between the Queen’s personal aide and a contract stylist at NBC Universal".
There have been countless reports of a row over Meghan's wedding day tiara, with Harry reportedly saying "what Meghan wants, Meghan gets" after she was refused permission to wear her first choice.
A source told Brown there was "lots of raging" in the lead up to their 2018 wedding and that Meghan would shout in front of staff. An insider told her that Meghan and Harry share a mutual addiction to drama, which fuelled such fallouts.
Charles' unbelievable travel demands
The Prince of Wales' exacting standards and taste for the finer things in life have already been heavily reported but Brown makes new astounding claims in her book. She details how Prince Charles allegedly sends a van of his possessions to his friends’ country houses the day before he's due to stay to unload his “bed, furniture and even pictures”.
This includes his orthopaedic bed, lavatory seat and Kleenex Velvet lavatory paper. She also claims Charles brings his own landscapes of the Scottish Highlands to decorate his room.
Harry 'sent back' 30th birthday present from Charles
The author writes that Prince Harry's relationship with Prince Charles had been strained for some time with them mainly communicating through their private offices.
The details of their awkward contact are best summed up over a conversation for Harry's 30th birthday present. "Would you like another dinner jacket?" Charles supposedly asked, with Harry replying: "Okay."
Brown said: "So the man from Savile Row came to measure him and when the suit arrived . . . one arm was shorter than the other and one leg shorter than the other, so it was . . . returned in a box, which seemed kind of analogous to their whole relationship."
Harry's 'resent' for step-mother Camilla over bedroom change
Much has been made of Prince Harry's reportedly strained relationship with The Duchess of Cornwall in the past and further claims in Brown's book appear to confirm this. It is said Harry "resents" Camilla and found it particularly difficult when she changed his old bedroom at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire into her dressing room.
The author goes back to when Princes William and Harry finally relented and met Camilla and reveals that Harry "unnerved her with long silences and smouldering resentful stares." She goes on that Prince William remained "guarded", whereas his brother was "outright sullen".
Get the best stories about the things you love most curated by us and delivered to your inbox every day. Choose what you love here
