Prince William reportedly handed down an edict to his staff ordering them to never speak to the press about royal family members, a so-called “senior royal source” told a prominent British tabloid. This alleged royal leak was in response to allegations from Finding Freedom author Omid Scobie that the most damaging rumors about the Sussexes came from “other royal households.”
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Prince William, Harry’s Complicated Relationship With The Press
The alleged bad blood between royal brothers Prince William and Prince Harry has seemingly heated up after a biographer close to the Sussex camp mentioned rumors that many of the negative stories about Harry and Meghan Markle came from other royal households.
Omid Scobie, one of the co-authors of 2020’s Finding Freedom, recently appeared in the second part of The Princes And The Press, a documentary exploring the relationship between the royal family and the press. The documentary already stirred up controversy once again over “Tiaragate,” the rumor claiming Markle was upset she wasn’t allowed to wear a certain tiara for her wedding, which subsequently drove Harry to shout at a staffer that “whatever Meghan wants, Meghan gets.”
Was “Tiaragate” Even Real?
The alleged event ended with Queen Elizabeth telling someone off, but the rumors are split on whether she laid into Harry or Meghan for their “bad” behavior. There’s no telling if this actually happened, however. Regardless, it does drive the question of just who would leak stories this damaging about members of the royal family.
Scobie explained, “There has been a lot of rumors for some time that a lot of the most damaging and negative stories about Harry and Meghan, that have ended up in the pages of the Press, have come from the other royal households or from other royal aides or courtiers. From my own experience that is true.” Essentially, the call is coming from inside the house.
A former royal correspondent for BBC responded to Scobie’s claims, explaining, “That did not happen the chunk of the time I was doing the royal family. You have to assume that they would have only done it if they had the approval of their principle (royal family member).”
Where Prince William Allegedly Stands On Leaks
An alleged senior royal source spoke with The Sun and insisted that sort of behavior wouldn’t fly among Prince William’s royal aides. “William was clear from the start we were never to brief and never to say anything about anyone in the other households.”
William had apparently learned this lesson after watching his parents’ messy divorce play out in such a public way it was termed the “War of the Walses.” The source continued, “He’d lived through that in the ’90s … and doesn’t ever want it happening again. He’s in a much better place [with the Press] than his brother.”
Considering all the ugliness that happened between Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana during that time, as well as the frankly villainous role the press played in exploiting it, it’s not impossible that William would avoid disparaging his family in public. We’re always hesitant to fully trust any sort of unnamed “royal” source, senior or otherwise, so take this tale with a grain of salt