Meghan Markle shares the same “narcissistic and controlling” qualities as Wallis Simpson while the Duke of Sussex is as weak as King Edward VIII, a royal biographer has claimed.
Sally Bedell Smith, who is one of the royal family’s “authoritative” biographers, claimed that the Duchess of Sussex was “domineering” and had “changed the dynamic” between William and Harry.
Speaking on the subject while promoting his latest book, which examines how King George VI “saved the monarchy” after the abdication of his older brother Edward in 1936, Bedell Smith said there were parallels between the two types of relationships.
The American author said she believed Prince William would have felt a similar sense of “betrayal” as his great-grandfather towards the Duke of Windsor after he resigned the throne.
It comes as the rift between the brothers, which has widened in recent years, appears to be no closer to healing, with both men appearing separately at the Diana Legacy Awards in London last week.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appear on stage at Global Citizen Live: New York in September 2021
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor photographed in England in 1939, three years after abdicating the throne
Speaking at the Oxford Literary Festival, Bedell Smith said William and Harry’s relationship mirrored that of King Edward VIII – who was later known as the Duke of Windsor – and King George VI almost 90 years ago.
Edward abdicated just months into his reign so he could marry divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson, forcing George to the throne until his death in 1952.
Bedell Smith, 75, said that in this situation, as with modern-day brothers, “an American woman came on the scene and changed the dynamic of it all.”
The Telegraph reported that she said: “It’s different. Harry would never be king. But I think there are similar feelings of betrayal that led William in particular to be furious with his brother – and for good reason.
“In some ways, Meghan and the Duchess of Windsor have similar qualities: very narcissistic, very controlling, very dominant.
“And if you read (the Duke of Windsor’s) letters, you can see how weak he was and how much he needed a dominating woman, and it’s like Harry was kind of the same way .”
She added that despite the turmoil caused by his “obsession” with Simpson and subsequent abdication, Edward had in effect “delivered Britain from an irresponsible king”.
His new book “George VI and Elizabeth: The Marriage That Saved the Monarchy” tells the story of how Edward was eventually replaced by someone more suited to the job, his younger brother.
Sally Bedell Smith told an audience at the Oxford Literary Festival that Meghan Markle shared a number of traits with Wallis Simpson.
The Duke of Sussex waves to the crowd as he arrives to toss the puck during a ceremonial faceoff at an NHL ice hockey game in Vancouver last year.
Prince William, Prince of Wales, attends the Diana Legacy Awards ceremony at the Science Museum on March 14.
Speaking about Edward VIII and George VI, Bedell Smith told the audience that after a “difficult childhood” the pair had become “very close”.
However, Edward’s abdication and his subsequent behavior – he had well-known associations with fascists and Nazis – drove a wedge between the brothers.
The temperature Bedell Smith quoted: “The Duke of Windsor did many harmful things (after his abdication).
“He lied to his brother about the amount of money he had. For example, he was selling off a huge amount of land in Sandringham just so he could pocket some money. It was that kind of deception, as well as his behavior in general.
MailOnline has contacted representatives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment.
It comes days after William and Harry made a rare joint appearance at the Diana Legacy Awards at the Science Museum in London on March 14.
But neither were present in the room at the same time, even virtually, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the event.
By the time Harry – located 5,000 miles away in California – appeared via video link, William was long gone, having left the event at 8.15pm.
It follows claims by a royal expert that Princess Diana insisted the brothers put their feud aside to present the award on her behalf.
The Legacy Award was introduced by the Diana Award in 2017 to celebrate the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, on the 20th anniversary of her death.
William gave a speech in person to mark the charity’s 25th anniversary and present awards to 20 recipients. The Prince of Wales appeared alone at the awards ceremony while his wife Kate is still recovering from abdominal surgery.
Prince William, Prince of Wales, speaks to Tom Walker, Cel Spellman and Dr Tessy Oho CBE as he attends the Diana Legacy Awards on March 14.
A royal expert had claimed that Princess Diana (pictured in 1983) insisted that the brothers put their feud aside to present the award on her behalf.
Harry, who lives in California, was due to take part in a video call with the winners, according to reports. However, his involvement only happened after his brother left the ceremony.
For most of their lives, the royal brothers were close, united by the shared trauma of losing their mother, who died aged 36 in a car crash in Paris in 1997, when William was 15 years old and Harry 12 years old.
But since Harry’s 2018 marriage to his wife Meghan Markle, relations between them have deteriorated.
An explosive interview the couple gave to chat show host Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 marked a new low, while anecdotes about their relationship in Harry’s explosive memoir Spare, published last year , also saw them grow apart further.
The feud between the estranged brothers has cast a shadow over the entire family, which has seen Harry and Meghan leave the UK.
There was hope of a reunion when Harry returned to Britain following the news of King Charles’ cancer diagnosis.
But the king only saw Harry for half an hour – and William hadn’t planned to see his brother.