A royal author's book about Meghan Markle is facing criticism after people quoted in it say he lied about the duchess

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A royal author's book about Meghan Markle is facing criticism after people quoted in it say he lied about the duchess
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, on day two of the Invictus Games 2020 in Netherlands in 2022.Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images
  • A new book about Meghan Markle — "Revenge" by Tom Bower — was released on July 21.
  • Bower has faced criticism from some of the people featured in the book.
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Tom Bower's new book, "Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between Windsors," is facing criticism after some of the people mentioned in it have accused the author of making inaccurate claims.

The book, released on July 21, shares details of Markle's life before and after joining the royal family in 2018. Several details have been disputed by some of those featured in the book, including journalist Sam Kashner, who denied Bower's claim that Kashner felt manipulated by Markle when he interviewed her for Vanity Fair's cover story in 2017.

Bower wrote that Kashner felt "played" by the duchess and that Markle told him: "You're not like a typical journalist."

Kashner, however, disputes this. Writing in the letters section of The Times of London on July 19, Kashner said Bower's book didn't convey his "admiration and respect" for Markle and that Bower falsely wrote that the duchess liked him because of his stutter, which he said he does not have.

"I may hem and haw a bit but a stammer is not a stutter, and as far as I know, Ms Markle never said she liked me because of it," Kashner wrote.

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A royal author's book about Meghan Markle is facing criticism after people quoted in it say he lied about the duchess
The author Tom Bower photographed in July 2022.Reuters

Then on July 22, the royal commentator Kristen Meinzer wrote on Twitter that she was wrongly cited in the book as a friend to the duchess and that she was never interviewed by Bower.

Meinzer previously told Insider that Bower recycled her quotes used in the book from an interview with a news outlet without giving credit to the publication.

"'No one,' agreed Kristen Meinzer, a friend and a writer, 'could have been prepared for the level of racism and misogyny and vitriol that she's faced,'" Bower wrote.

"He/she, as Meinzer describes herself, blamed the 'inbred, messed-up, dysfunctional family' who were up against a 'highly educated self-made millionaire who knew how to do the PR game... A lot of people think you were so lucky to get her, and you blew it,'" the book added.

Meinzer told Insider that Bower got her pronouns wrong. Meinzer said her pronouns, "She/her," are in her Twitter bio, and before that, they were included in her Twitter profile name as: "Kristen Meinzer, she/her."

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Tom Bower did not respond to Insider's request for comment about the criticism his book has faced.

The book also appears to contradict accounts from Markle's former coworkers

Bower wrote that Markle had become difficult to work with on the set of "Suits" after meeting Prince Harry, which appears to contradict what her coworkers have said about her in the past.

"Some actors and staff discovered that Meghan's attitude occasionally shifted. Sometimes she arrived late and her empathy morphed into near-arrogance," Bower writes, adding that coworkers thought Markle's tone had become sharper and more aggressive during the sixth season of the show.

A royal author's book about Meghan Markle is facing criticism after people quoted in it say he lied about the duchess
Mike Ross played by Patrick J Adams and Rachel Zane played by Meghan Markle on "Suits."Shane Mahood/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

But Markle's "Suits" coworkers came to her defense in March 2021 after the palace announced it would investigate claims made in a Times of London report that the duchess bullied two senior staff members during her time with the royal family. Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex denied these allegations and, in June 2022, the palace said the results of its investigation would not be published to protect those involved.

At the time, Derek Ursacki, an assistant director on the show, wrote on Instagram: "She was always a pleasure to work with and was always kind with a huge heart, easy going, humble even after the fame of the show and her popularity skyrocketed, so full of life, so giving, supportive and funny."

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A post shared by Derek Ursacki (@derekursacki)

Patrick J. Adams, who played Mike on "Suits," also defended the duchess on Twitter: "Meghan Markle and I spent the better part of a decade working together on Suits. From day one she was an enthusiastic, kind, cooperative, giving, joyful and supportive member of our television family. She remained that person and colleague as fame, prestige and power accrued."

Derek Ursacki and Patrick J. Adams did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

It's worth noting that several members of the "Suits" cast were in attendance at the duke and duchess' wedding in May 2018, including Adams, Gabriel Macht, Rick Hoffman, Sarah Rafferty, and Gina Torres.

A royal author's book about Meghan Markle is facing criticism after people quoted in it say he lied about the duchess
Actor Patrick J. Adams and wife Troian Bellisario arrive at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle before the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle.Ian West - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Bower wrote in the book's endnotes that he interviewed more than 80 people, many of who opted to stay anonymous.

He also said he makes "no apology" for citing the many different public sources and journalists who have written about the duchess in the past. The sources he said he used most frequently included British tabloids such as the Daily Mail, as well as several books that had already been published, including the duchess' estranged sister Samantha Markle's "The Princess Pushy's Sister."

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Harry and Markle's press team cut off all contact with the British tabloids after they departed from royal duties in April 2020 (the royal household continues to work with these publications). Markle also previously told Oprah Winfrey that she has no relationship with Samantha and that she grew up as an "only child."

Bower has said the Sussexes 'pose a real threat to the royal family'

Speaking on "Piers Morgan Uncensored" on July 18 ahead of the book's release, Bower told the TV personality — who is known for being critical of the Sussexes — he believes the book could damage the Sussex brand.

"This book may hasten the downward trend, to which I wouldn't be sad at all because they pose a real threat to the royal family," Bower said.

"This woman is really doing something quite dreadful to Britain and Harry has fallen in love with her in a ludicrous way and has gone along as her accomplice," he added.

Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

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