18 August 2021

Harry and Meghan thriving ahead of ‘era of visibility’, says author

18 August 2021

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are in the “thrive” chapter of their lives and entering a new “era of visibility”, the co-author of Finding Freedom has said.

Harry and Meghan have been on parenting leave since the birth of their daughter Lili in June, but are “really excited” for the next steps in their public life, Omid Scobie told People magazine.

Scobie’s book, written with fellow reporter Carolyn Durand, about Harry and Meghan is being republished in paperback on August 31 with a new epilogue.

Harry and Meghan in South Africa in 2019 (Dominic Lipinski/PA) (PA Archive)

Scobie told People magazine: “Meghan famously spoke about that it was not enough to survive – we are now in the thrive chapter.”

He described the couple as being in a healthier place as they enter “the era of visibility” and prepare to develop their in-person work with their Archewell Foundation this autumn.

The Queen’s grandson Harry and former Suits actress Meghan released a lengthy statement through the Archewell website on Tuesday, expressing their heartbreak over the state of the “exceptionally fragile” world and saying they had been left speechless by the crisis in Afghanistan.

The couple, who quit royal duties for a life in the US, urged global leaders to speed up humanitarian talks and asked people to support charities trying to help those in need.

During the Sussexes’ official tour to Africa in 2019, Meghan told television documentary makers about the pressures of royal life.

“It’s not enough to just survive something, that’s not the point of life. You have got to thrive,” she said.

The Sussexes on their final official public royal engagement before stepping down from royal duties in 2020 (Dominic Lipinski/PA) (PA Archive)

Three months later, the Sussexes issued a bombshell statement, declaring they intended to step down as senior royals.

Since then the couple have shocked the monarchy with their Oprah interview, accusing an unnamed royal of racism, the institution of failing to support a suicidal Meghan, and touching on troubled relationships with the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge.

Harry and Meghan have signed lucrative deals – thought to be worth well over £100 million – with Spotify and Netflix to fund their new life in the celebrity enclave of Montecito in California.

The duke is set to publish his memoirs in 2022 – the year of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – with the royal family braced for the fallout.

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