Harry and Meghan biography hits Amazon number one on pre-orders

Finding Freedom (HQ), the new book about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, has hit number one on Amazon based on pre-orders alone following a weekend of headlines about its contents.

The book, written by royal correspondents Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, generated acres of coverage in the press following its serialisation in the Times and Sunday Times.

By Monday morning (27th July), the hardback, which is not released until 11th August, was the number one book on Amazon.

The book claims the couple were hardly speaking to Harry's brother William and sister-in-law Kate (the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) in March of this year. The pair are also said to have called some Palace officials “vipers”.

Excerpts serialised by the papers include: "'There were just a handful of people working at the palace they could trust,' the authors write."; "A friend of the couple's referred to the old guard as 'the vipers'"; "Meanwhile, a frustrated palace staffer described the Sussexes' team as 'the squeaky third wheel' of the palace."

Meghan Markle is said to have been hurt by reports that breaking away from the royal family was her idea alone. One source told the authors: “The courtiers blame Meghan, and some family do.”

The Sussexes have denied being interviewed for the book, saying it is entirely based on the authors' reporting and experience as members of the royal press corps.

HQ revealed details of the biography in May, saying it would be a “definitive” account of the couple.

The publisher said: “With unique access and written with the participation of those closest to the couple, Finding Freedom is an honest, up-close and disarming portrait of a confident, influential and forward-thinking couple who are unafraid to break with tradition, determined to create a new path away from the spotlight, and dedicated to building a humanitarian legacy that will make a profound difference in the world.”