Harry 'Was Freaking Out' When Meghan Threatened to 'Dump' Him Yet Chose to Protect Her, New Book Claims

• Prince Harry was "freaking out" about losing Meghan Markle after she gave him an ultimatum.

• The Queen summoned the prince to be "firmly put in his place" after the wedding controversy.

• The Duchess of Sussex was disappointed that she was not paid for the couple's 16-day trip.

• Prince Harry and Markle "felt cornered, misunderstood and deeply unhappy", as they failed to have a conversation with the monarch before they left the UK.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship has come to the fore following the release of a recent book about the royal couple. There were some conflicts behind the scenes since the pair started dating, and they have been brought to light.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's relationship hardships are only now coming to light, per The Times. Royal insiders revealed to the outlet that the prince has long had an obsession with the media and mistrust toward royal courtiers.

However, things escalated once Markle came into his life. The duo made their relationship public in October 2016, and the prince's fears of what was to come grew even more.

With journalists making it their mission to harass the American native, Prince Harry became determined to protect his then-girlfriend.

That was after the former actress gave the prince an ultimatum, to either announce that they were dating or she would break up with him, which made the royal panic, said one source:

"She was saying, 'If you don't put out a statement confirming I'm your girlfriend, I'm going to break up with you."

Another insider told the publication that Prince Harry was under pressure: "He was freaking out, saying, 'She's going to dump me.'"

As a way of taking action, the prince turned to Jason Knauf, an American recruit serving as the communications secretary for the formerly known Cambridges and Prince Harry.

He called Knauf, demanding that he release a statement revealing that Markle was his girlfriend and condemned some media houses' racist and sexist undertones. She reportedly wanted media validation in proving that what she had with the prince was serious.

The "Suits" alum had a preconceived notion that she would be all alone when experiencing media harassment and that the palace would not protect her from the wrath of British media.

Markle reportedly said to her boyfriend's staff that she was well aware that the institution always sidelines girlfriends of royal members:

"I know how the palace works. You don't care about the girlfriend."

That was how things seemed to be going onward to keep the couple happy – which became a challenge for royal staff. They knew Markle was cut from a different cloth than other royal girlfriends.

She was opinionated and was not afraid to express her points of view. In 2017, six months before she and Prince Harry were engaged, Markle told one of her lover's advisers that they knew she would be their boss in due time.

One of the other issues was security for Markle because upon arrival in London; there were no plans to provide her with full-time police protection.

At the time, the palace was trying to reduce the level of security provided to the Royal Family. It took two months for the Firm to make a final decision about her safety, which seemed like a long time for the couple.

It appeared like those in power did not want to afford Markle the privilege of having the security team she needed. Notably, she had a strained relationship with the Royal Family before she and her now-husband left for the US.

Per The Times, a new book collects a variety of testimonies from the very beginning of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's relationship till the present time.

There Was a Tiara Controversy behind Palace Walls

After the royal couple announced the news of their engagement in late 2017, fresh troubles arose. Behind palace walls, there were conflicts about scheduling, wedding announcements, the gospel choir, and the tiara the bride would wear on the big day.

Months before the royal wedding, Markle was informed that Queen Elizabeth II would lend her the tiara, just as she had done for Kate Middleton years ago.

Markle had an appointment to go and look at a shortlist of tiaras at Buckingham Palace. Accompanied by her then-fiance and the monarch's dresser, Angela Kelly, the bride-to-be opted for Queen Mary's diamond bandeau tiara.

It was important for Markle to have her hairdresser rehearse with the jewelry piece before the wedding day. Unfortunately, the day her hairdresser, Serge Normant, was in town, Kelly was nowhere to be found, making it impossible to access the tiara.

According to the prince, Kelly was downright trying to be complicated. Per the "Finding Freedom" book, the Queen's jewelry curator had intentionally ignored communication efforts from Kensington Palace to set up a date for the hair trial.

The book's authors revealed that Kelly's reluctance to cooperate made Prince Harry angry. The situation made him believe that palace staff would do anything to make life unbearable for his wife-to-be:

"Nothing could convince Harry that some of the old guards at the palace didn't like Meghan and would stop at nothing to make her life difficult."

However, there is reportedly another version of events. Markle and Prince Harry did not follow protocol by not setting up an appointment.

Per The Mail on Sunday, an insider disclosed: "Meghan demanded access to the tiara" and avoided setting up an appointment with Kelly.

Instead, the Duchess told her they were at Buckingham Palace, and she wanted to have the tiara. In response, Kelly informed her that was not how things were carried out in the palace.

Kelly reportedly told Markle that there was a process to access the jewels, which were safeguarded under a secure "lock and key", adding it was unacceptable for her to make such demands.

In coming to his then-fiancée's rescue, Prince Harry called others to persuade Kelly to bend the rules and reportedly used vulgarity in putting his point across. It remains unclear whether the royal swore at his grandmother's aide or about her.

According to one source, Kelly was offended by his behavior and reported him to the Queen, who summoned her grandson to a private meeting and scolded him.

Markle Questioned Some of Her Royal Duties

Per the Daily Mail, extracts from the book "Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown" by Valentine Low alleged that Markle failed to understand the need to shake people's hands during their Australian tour.

In addition, sources claim the Duchess bullied her staff, who were "terrified", "broken", and "destroyed" by how she treated them. There are also details about a particular meeting where Markle supposedly criticized a young member in front of colleagues.

According to The Times, in 2018, Markle and Prince Harry embarked on their first official overseas trip to Australia, among other countries. However, Knauf did not join the couple because he had suffered an injury.

He had been informed that the Duke and Duchess had been ill-treating royal staff and became overly concerned about growing reports about the pair.

The issue first got raised upon the departure of Markle's PA, Melissa Touabti, just six months after joining the palace. She was the second personal assistant to leave after the Duchess' arrival.

Following the exit of the French native, an insider bid her farewell while praising her hard work. After that, the Sunday Mirror reported that Markle had made her cry.

A source told the outlet that Touabti was pressured at work, and it became too much to bear. She reportedly endured toxicity at the palace, having the Duchess making a lot of "demands", which made her break down in tears.

The insider stressed that while Touabti was good at her job and a professional, things became unbearable, and it came to the final decision to part ways with the royal couple.

Despite things going downhill within the palace walls, Markle and Prince Harry impressed Aussie natives during their royal tour. Huge crowds gathered to see the duo, and the Duchess's informal approach to royal visits won the Australian public.

While visiting a farming family's home, she brought some banana bread she baked herself. When she and her spouse went to a school to see the work of a program to improve the educational outcomes of young Aboriginals, she was dubbed an inspirational model.

Still, behind the scenes, Markle did not get the gist of walkabouts and shaking hands with numerous strangers. Several members of royal staff revealed she said on one occasion:

"I can't believe I'm not getting paid for this."

The Sussex's 'Unhappy' Departure from the Royal Family

In the third excerpt from Low's book, he revealed before Markle, and Prince Harry returned from their Canada trip in January 2020, where they spent Christmas with their baby son, Archie, the prince sent his father an email expressing the couple's unhappiness.

The Duke noted that he and his wife were uncomfortable with the firm's operations. Therefore they wanted to uproot to live in North America. He believed the move would not need thorough discussions with the Royal Family before they got to London on January 6, 2020.

However, the formerly known Prince Charles, now King Charles III, informed his son that the decision to relocate would require a sit-down conversation with the family.

The Duke and Duchess were told the only available date to have the said conversation with the Royal Family would occur on January 29, 2020. That did not end well with the Sussexes, who believed the Firm was not taking them seriously.

The prince tried his best to speed up the process but failed because courtiers stood in his way. He attempted to meet with the Queen unannounced privately before the family meeting but changed his mind.

The couple had already angered the Royal Family by pushing their Megxit announcement on January 8, 2022, with short notice when they all had discussed issuing a joint statement. This move left the Duke and Duchess at their wit's end. Low wrote:

"Harry and Meghan felt cornered, misunderstood, and deeply unhappy."

He shared the two wanted to find a compromise in that they could live part of the year abroad while still carrying royal duties at home. But that idea became futile, leading them to lose everything that made them part of the Royal Family.

Prince Harry and Markle had planned to announce their departure from the Royal Family on January 8, 2020, and should have met with the rest of the family five days later, on January 13, 2020, to discuss it all. That means the family diary was more flexible than it initially appeared.