Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been accused of “looking inwards” with their “curious” £3million deal to acquire the rights to a book whose characters have ‘obvious parallels” with themselves, royal author Jennie Bond has said.
The Sussexes have splashed the cash on Meet Me At The Lake, penned by Carley Fortune, a love story set in Canada featuring a couple who met in their 30s and dealing with such themes as childhood trauma over the loss of a parent in a car crash, as well as struggles with mental health.
The agreement will see the book adapted for Netflix, with whom Meghan and Harry have a longstanding agreement worth a reported £80million.
Ms Bond, the BBC’s former royal correspondent, told OK magazine: “I can understand that Harry and Meghan have to come up with content to fulfil their Netflix contract, and I think everyone will be pleased that they are moving away from bashing the Royal Family.
“But this does seem rather a curious choice of book, with some obvious parallels with their own lives.
“Somehow, it seems they just can’t get away from looking inwards, and inviting comparisons with what they have gone through.”
She added: “I also wonder what qualifications they think they have to become film producers.
“It’s rather insulting to presume they have the skills that have taken others years to acquire.”
The couple was “obviously under pressure” after Spotify pulled the plug on Meghan’s podcast deal, Ms Bond suggested.
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