The first excerpts from Finding Freedom, a book by royal reporter Omid Scobie and ELLE.com royal contributor Carolyn Durand, were published tonight in The Times (opens in new tab). The book is the most detailed account to date of how hard the Duchess of Sussex tried to fit into the royal family until she and Prince Harry finally made the decision (opens in new tab) to step down from their senior positions. Harry, not Meghan, was the driving force behind this decision, which came after months of frustration and friction with members of the royal family and staff.

According to Scobie and Durand, Meghan and Harry struggled to understand "why so few people in the palace looked out for their interests" because they were so popular. They both respected the hierarchy of the palace, but it was difficult when they wanted to focus on a project and were told that they had to wait because there were initiatives and tours being presented at the same time by more senior royals, such as Prince William and Prince Charles."[3

The reporters added that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could only trust "a handful" of people working at the palace and that "no information was safe" outside of the core team.

Over time, according to the reporter's source, the couple began to feel disrespected by some family members and staff. Their complaints did not change anything, and the announcement of their departure "was a direct result of their growing impatience," Scobie and Duran wrote. Had the other members of the family and those in charge of the household taken their demands more seriously, they would not have gotten that far."

Sources close to the Sussexes admit that the manner in which they were forced to go ahead with the announcement, keeping the family and even their own team in the dark about their website (opens in new tab), "created a lot of ill will within the family and especially the family." Even the Queen and Prince Philip were "devastated." Members of the court and even some family members condemned Meghan's divorce and the resulting rift.

However, the separation was a joint decision, and Harry had long wanted to distance himself from the public eye. Fundamentally, Harry wanted out," a source close to the couple told reporters. 'Deep down, he was always struggling in that world. She [Meghan] opened that door for him."

In fact, the duchess was disappointed that her efforts to integrate into the royal role had not worked. In March, she tearfully told a friend, "I was not going to let the Duchess of Meghan go. I was going to do whatever it took. But this is what happened. I'm very sad."

In addition, Harry was stripped of his honorary military title (open in new tab)." This is what made Harry so emotional."

Meghan and Harry held their final series of royal events in March. At the last event (opens in new tab), a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, the two found themselves removed from the senior royals' procession (opens in new tab), even though they had attended in previous years. In it, Kate Middleton barely acknowledged Meghan (opens in new tab).

The duchess took the first flight back to her son in Canada after the service (opens in new tab)." Meg just wanted to go home," the friend said. "At that point, she couldn't imagine ever wanting to step foot in anything royal again."