New Book Alleges Meghan Markle Accused Victoria Beckham of Leaking Stories to the Press

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last updated 23 July 2022

Tom Bower’s new book Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors is heavy on the (alleged) bombshells—with one in particular involving another of the world’s most famous couples: David and Victoria Beckham.

The Beckhams were just two of the celebrity guests at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s star-studded 2018 wedding, but apparently had a falling out after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex accused the Beckhams of leaking stories about them to the press, Bower alleges in his new book, released this week.

Bower claims that the Sussexes became “addicted” to reading about themselves in the media, and worried that their secrets were getting out to the British press through their famous friends, per Us—and obsessively tried to figure out who the mole might be amongst their inner circle.

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“Harry and Meghan were shackled,” Bower writes. “Every night they scoured the internet to read the newspaper reports and the trolls’ postings on social media. Irrationally, they grouped the two together and fed each other’s frenzy about the media. Convinced that as champions of goodness they were being persecuted by mendacity and racism, they felt victimized by the mildest criticism.”

Meghan allegedly “suspected Victoria Beckham of indiscretion,” Bower writes, the author also noting that “Harry’s instability fed Meghan’s fears that friends were leaking stories to the media,” The Mirror reports. Meghan’s reported accusation of Victoria led to a tense phone call between Harry and David, the book claims.

“Harry called David Beckham to repeat the accusation,” Bower writes. “Outraged, Beckham’s truthful denials damaged their relationship.”

While it’s unclear exactly when this tense phone call took place, The Sun reported in 2020 that David “quickly put Harry right, and the two men agreed to move on—but it certainly made things awkward for a while.” Awkwardness that apparently continues to the present day: The Mirror reports that the two men had an “awkward encounter” during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee last month.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.