I find it hard to believe that H or M actually proof-read the book at all.

[StarInTheHeavens]

How could you not fully, personally, proof read a book you're hoping will be a world-wide best seller? The flip side of this is that Harry & Megs did read every word and thought 'Yep this is great'. Either of these choices shows poor judgement. I credit Megs with more intelligence than to go 'yeah ok' without reading it. I read the deal is 20Mil$ for 4 books. The furore this has caused, that money isn't enough for one book, never mind 4.

But isn't Harry doing the audio book?

😯😬Yeah 😬😬😬

Well, the book deal is Harry’s so while it’s likely Meghan read it she wouldn’t get formal input. Contractually he’ll likely have been sent each draft of the manuscript, the copy edit, the proofread (an actual proofread; the author reading it is just… a read), the typeset pages, and an advance copy. I find it highly unlikely that with that many opportunities to review, neither of them did: this is the text as he signed off on it.

I find it hard to believe they didn't.

Harold reportedly wanted it toned down after Granny's demise.

Gauche doesn't come close.

I agree, so weird that they must have read it thoroughly before it was approved for printing and both thought "Yep, this'll show them" .........

Harold reportedly wanted it toned down after Granny's demise.

Really? So he planned a more sensational version when she was still alive and could have read it? 😳

So he planned a more sensational version when she was still alive and could have read it?

Eh? No.

This one's the one that was always in the frame.

he wanted to revise it but the editors wouldn't allow it. Realised his daddy was king, and therefore had the ultimate power. Too late harry boy

That's my understanding - that after the Jubilee he wanted to make changes but couldn't because publication was too far advanced. So if she had survived - and most people reckoned she was going to make her century - she'd have been dealing with this; his unvarnished opinion of his family.

I think they are so self absorbed in this whole faux drama that they have lost sight of how some of this looks to outsiders. This is probably being fuelled by advisors who are not acting their best interests but in the interests of the profit.

I’ve started to feel a bit sorry for them now. He is making them a complete laughing stock with no idea how pathetic it all sounds.

It’s hugely disrespectful of the Queen and everything she stood for. It can’t have an ounce of love for his granny to put he beloved family through this so soon after her death. Harry’s father lost his father and mother in such quick succession, he has lost his son and grandchildren and is having to contend with becoming King. It does not bear thinking about how deeply wounded and hurt Charles must be, the sheer betrayal on a global scale is utterly unforgivable.

I feel very sorry for all of them.

Completely agree - I really think they did think “yeah that’ll teach them”. He’d have known exactly what was in it as it all came from him and they’ll have talked about little else surely.

I’m also astounded how little consideration there is for anyone else who’s mentioned in the book and how it might affect them… Caroline Flack for example, families of 9/11… for all of whom people have come out and said that they object to him exploiting their names or their stories to sell his book.

Considering his primary complaint over the RF is that they leaked stories to the press, selling them (and everyone else in his life) out to make millions seems the height of hypocrisy.

Sorry, totally misread your post.

Just wondering why people refer to him as Harold? His real name is Henry isn’t it?

He refer to himself as Harold in the book apparently. It's a family thing.

They have written a 25 page rebuttal of her being a bully.

The amount of time they put into all of this - how much time do they end up having/playing/being with their children?

I’ve written books and the truth is after a certain stage you lose all ability to see the text objectively. The words dance on the page and start to sound meaningless, while your mood swings wildly between “I’m a genius this will win awards” and “This is unpublishable drivel that belongs on a bonfire.”

This is why writers need editors so very very badly. Unfortunately Harry’s editor would have been out to make the maximum amount of cash for the publisher over the next year, the editor would not have given much energy to Harry’s image / mental health / relationship with his family.

This is a great point. I also write (but more around current affairs and no I’m not a journo!!) and yes you can easily get lost in the words can’t you, especially when it’s that long.

what astounds me too is the detail in some of the reports that have been released. It honestly feels like they must have been keeping detailed diaries of everything the whole way through knowing one day this was their plan. Either that or its all utterly embellished. Or both.

I wonder if at any point when he was reading the audiobook he thought ‘fuck me, why did I write that?’

He's very lucky that "older woman" did the decent thing and kept quiet instead of selling her own story.