"Meghan: A Hollywood Princess" by Andrew Morton (2018)

[Osipi]

One thing you'll find out here is that when it comes to the British royals, there is not a hair out of place or a button askew or a word printed that escapes our eagle eyes when it come to our royal watching and Meghan is no different. We've been on top of all things Meghan since the news first broke that she and Harry were dating. We knew it right away when Morton was going to write that book and we *know* what he did with Diana, Princess of Wales. We even know that he didn't interview Samantha Markle for the book because "her price was too high".

I haven't bought and read the Morton book myself but I'm not going to say that when I can get it for dirt cheap from my supplier, I wouldn't take a gander at it just because.

 

[burbankstorylady]

One thing you'll find out here is that when it comes to the British royals, there is not a hair out of place or a button askew or a word printed that escapes our eagle eyes when it come to our royal watching and Meghan is no different. We've been on top of all things Meghan since the news first broke that she and Harry were dating. We knew it right away when Morton was going to write that book and we *know* what he did with Diana, Princess of Wales. We even know that he didn't interview Samantha Markle for the book because "her price was too high".

I haven't bought and read the Morton book myself but I'm not going to say that when I can get it for dirt cheap from my supplier, I wouldn't take a gander at it just because.

I mean, with Diana he truly had inside info, and I suppose he tangentially had "inside info" with Meghan too. Tangentially, I say, meaning from the mouths of people who once knew her and maybe even were once close to her. But it was different with the Diana book because all the people he spoke to were people still in Diana's life. And they had been given the nod OK from Diana herself!

There is something so brazen and audacious in the whole operation! Morton took a gamble, knowing there would be those who could not resist, and he's laughing all the way to the bank!

 

[Osipi]

From everything I've heard about Morton's book on Meghan, it was put together piecemeal in a short amount of time and most of the information he had was already in the public domain. I'm inclined to believe that he wanted it out there and wanted it out there fast as the wedding fever was building up.

He's an author looking for a cash cow rather than doing an in depth actual biography.

 

[MaiaMia_53]

I agree that Morton is an opportunist who has made a career out of Diana PofW having selected him to pen the ill-fated book about her unhappy marriage. Morton is the type of writer who profits from celebrity-driven bios. So yes, his book is rushed and it relies heavily on Internet fodder and speculation.

However, it is apparent that he did as much research as the scant 'cash-cow-driven' lead time allowed. He stated in his book that his wife is from California and she was able to help put him in touch with people who provided some sideline insights or leads to people peripherally associated with the Raglands and the Markles. For instance, Morton spoke to neighbors and former friends of Doria and Tom Sr. Plus, he spoke to some of Meghan's former teachers and school friends. He may have spoke to Priddy, if her price was right. We know that Sam backed out of speaking to Morton, but he got a lot of information and cooperation from Tom Markle, Jr.

Even though it is largely superficial, cheesy, speculative and rushed, there is some realistic, fairly reliable information in the book which I found interesting that I didn't know about previously. There is a ton of piecing scenarios together, and surely many inaccuracies and chronological gaps as well. But there are quotes from real people, and I especially loved the many photos of Meghan in Junior High and High School, in school productions and with her friends at various proms, and as homecoming queen, etc. There is a picture of Meghan with her very handsome Italian boyfriend in high school. She also had a Hispanic boyfriend who I'd heard about before. But I hadn't heard anything about the handsome Italian boyfriend with dimples. She's shown dancing with him at a school event. As did most of her female contemporaries, Meghan dated boys from local all-boy Catholic schools in the Los Angeles area.

Hopefully, some years down the road, we can look forward to a more substantial, authoritative biography of the Duchess of Sussex.