Book Review: Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan*

Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the making of a modern royal family is written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand. The authors are both journalists and were members of the small group of royal correspondents who work directly with the royal households on a daily basis. The book is published by HQ, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

An international media frenzy has enveloped the Duke and Duchess of Sussex since the world learned of their romance in 2016. From their engagement, wedding and the birth of their son (the book covers 2016 – 2020) to their unprecedented decision to step back as senior royals and move to North America, the pair have made headlines with their every move, but few know their true story.

Finding Freedom aims to be the definitive biography of a truly modern royal couple, with new information about their relationships with each other; their wider families and the institution of the monarchy. Scobie and Durand take on some of the untruths and conspiracies about Harry and Meghan and try to show the couples’ determination to shape their own roles and lives; to reduce the impact and influence of the tabloid press and to highlight and support the work of numerous charities and causes, to build a humanitarian legacy for the future.

What I thought of the book

Despite the range of opinions readers might hold on the topic of this book, I have tried to review Finding Freedom objectively. I haven’t particularly followed media coverage of the supposed controversy around Harry and Meghan and some of their decisions. However, I am interested in their personal stories, of a publicly bereaved child growing up and becoming independent; of an American actress moving into a very traditional institution within a largely unfamiliar culture; of a mixed-race couple in a modern relationship and of two individuals who want to use their empowered positions to speak out on important issues and create a better world for their – and all – children.

Covering the four years of Harry and Meghan’s lives between their first meeting and their move to America, Finding Freedom balances closely detailed descriptions of some of the key moments during this time with broad background of the couples’ lives before meeting and general information which is significant to them and their story. As a reader who didn’t have much knowledge of how the couple met, their friends & colleagues or the places they would visit to socialise or work, I found this balance quite useful – although occasionally some of the detail came across as name dropping on the part of the authors, or seemed irrelevant. This helped me to consider the everyday lives of the Sussexes within the wider context of their families, friends and their work.

There is some description in the book of life for Harry growing up as royalty, the humanitarian work of his mother, Princess Diana, and her attempts to encourage her sons to experience the freedoms of a ‘normal’ childhood. A general view is also given of Meghan’s upbringing, the values instilled in her by her parents and the support which her mother continues to offer. However, the book concentrates on the opportunities and challenges facing Harry and Megan as a couple within the Royal Family, rather than in terms of their individual backgrounds or adult life as a modern, famous, mixed-race couple. Although this is understandable within the context of the biography, I did feel it meant the book possibly missed some interesting and important insights and that it left large parts of the couples’ experiences unacknowledged.

As the authors gathered their material from spending time with Harry and Meghan and their closest circle, much of the detail comes from the couple’s perspective. This was positive, as it meant the book mentioned, but did not focus on, some of the stories that the tabloids have sensationalised – such as the behaviour of Meghan’s father around the time of the wedding or any supposed rift between Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Meghan – as the third parties involved would not have been able to reply. Instead, the biography sought to show the situations that the couple felt themselves to be faced with, and the actions they took to resolve these. This resulted in a realistic and honest tone. The authors seemed keen to show that, as with anyone, the couple could only make decisions based on their perspectives and the information that they had at any given time, and hope that the outcomes would be positive. I would say that the authors’ working proximity to the younger royals makes the book favourably biased about Harry and Meghan. This is not intended as a criticism, as Scobie and Durand do try to present balanced accounts throughout the biography, but anyone who is particularly interested in this story may like to read additional books alongside ‘Finding Freedom’ for a broader perspective.

Overall, Finding Freedom reads as the love story of two independent, principled, determined people who are keen to forge their own paths, rather than behaving purely as expectation and tradition dictates. The book does not sensationalise the resistance which Harry and Meghan faced from the Royal Family as an institution, individuals within the family and household or the media. The authors are keen to show the difficulties of making private, personal decisions for the well-being and protection of yourself and your family on a very public and international stage. By presenting this dilemma in a moderate manner, commending the couple on their strength rather than demonising the other parties, the biography shows that Harry and Meghan might possibly have started the making of a modern royal family.

How much is the book and how can you buy it?

Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the making of a modern royal family by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand is published by HQ, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

The hardback edition of the book costs £12.16 and the Kindle e-book costs £4.99. Do check Amazon for the latest pricing as it may change.

About the authors

Omid Scobie is a London-based writer, a royal editor for ‘Harper’s Bazaar’, ‘Good Morning America’ regular and an ABC News contributor who is also the host of ABC’s popular royal podcast ‘The HeirPod’. He has become an authoritative voice on the lives and philanthropic endeavours of the royal family’s younger members, with whom he has travelled extensively. He maintains strong access to the Sussexes’ working world. Scobie studied journalism at University of the Arts London.

Carolyn Durand is a producer and writer, who has spent nearly two decades working in London covering Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Clarence House and major international events. During that time, she produced multiple interviews with members of the Royal Family, including Prince Harry. She contributes to ‘O, The Oprah Magazine’; ‘Elle’ magazine and other American and British news outlets. Carolyn has an undergraduate degree from Colgate University and a graduate degree from Colombia University.

About the book

Title: Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the making of a modern royal family
Author: Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand
Publisher: HQ, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN: 978-0008424107
Trim Size: 240 x 159 x 37mm
Pages: 368 – including 16 pages of colour photographs

It is important to note that, as a rule, no member of the British royal family is officially allowed to authorise a biography. In this effort to create an intimate and accurate portrait of the royal couple,  Scobie and Durand have relied upon their own observations and interactions – whilst accompanying Harry and Meghan on hundreds of official engagements, trips and tours – and on unique access to, and the participation of, those closest to the couple. The book draws on hundreds of hours of conversations and interviews with multiple sources. Many of the sources have been granted anonymity and others have spoken “on-background”, meaning the information from conversations can be used as guidance but no quotes repeated. The authors followed a strict standard of fact-checking, all information has at least two sources and where sources have disagreed on versions of events, both have been put forward for the reader

Review by Sharon Corbally