According to the explosive biography Finding Freedom, news of Harry and Meghan’s top secret relationship came out thanks to a member of staff working for Princess Eugenie and Prince Andrew.
The couple had been flying across the Atlantic to visit one another for private dates – whilst Harry was based in London, Meghan was filming Suits in Toronto. But by October 31, 2016, the secret was out.
“The Sunday Express was going to run with the story of their relationship – and the tabloid was rumoured to have been tipped off by an employee of none other than Eugenie and her father, Prince Andrew,” authors Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie revealed.
Royal cousins Harry and Eugenie reportedly have “one of the most natural connections” of the Queen’s grandchildren and share similar qualities of being “loyal, honest and great fun.”
Eugenie was also responsible for introducing Harry to his ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas and was one of the first people Harry told about Meghan.
“Like Harry, Eugenie also struggled to carve out her own identity growing up,” the book reads.
“Harry had always confided in his cousin when it came to the women in his life. Not only did he trust her implicitly, but friends say that she gives great advice and has always been “beyond wise” for her years.”
Finding Freedom also revealed that Harry and Meghan shared news that they were expecting their first child at Princess Eugenie’s wedding in October 2018.
The pregnancy was officially announced three days later when the couple were on their royal tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga but the pregnancy news was reportedly not well received by Harry’s cousin.
“It did not go down particularly well with Eugenie, who, a source said, told friends she felt the couple should have waited to share the news,” the authors wrote.
Authors Dylan Howard and Andy Tillett also claimed Meghan “embarrassed” Harry with the pregnancy revelation in their book, Royals at War.
“Meghan put her foot in it when she decided that it would be the ideal moment to announce that she and Harry were expecting their first child,” they wrote.
“This was a huge social gaffe, even if you were not a royal – stealing the limelight from Eugenie, who was furious, as was her mother, Sarah.”
Meanwhile Prince Andrew has stepped down as a senior royal after he was widely criticised for failing to show remorse for his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
According to the British Telegraph, Meghan was reportedly left “aghast” by his car crash interview with the BBC.
The Duchess of Sussex was said to have been horrified by the manner in which the Duke of York dismissed allegations that he had sex with a teenager and took particular offence to Andrew’s quote that he would remember a sexual encounter because sex for a man was a “positive act”.