Prince Harry feared he would become irrelevant when cousin George turned 18 and left as Andrew ‘jobless in his 60s’

PRINCE Harry feared he would become irrelevant when his cousin, Prince George, turned 18 and left like Andrew “jobless in his sixties”.

In his new bookCourtiers: the hidden power behind the crown, says Valentine Low Duke of Sussex possessed a “long-held fear” that he would one day “become relevant”.

Harry feared he would become irrelevant when Cousin George turned 18

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Harry feared he would become irrelevant when Cousin George turned 18Credit: Splash

It was alleged that he compared himself to Prince Andrew who is left in his 60s without any job or direction.

The book says, “He had this thing that he had a shelf life. He was fixated [on] this one. He would compare himself to his uncle [Prince Andrew].

“He would say, ‘I have this time to make this impact. Because I can.’ He thought about it until George turned 18. “Then I’ll be the rider too.”

“He really saw it as, ‘I’ve got this platform for a limited time now. I want to move forward, move forward.’ ”

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Another excerpt from the book claims that Meghan moaned that she had to be paid for performing royal engagements with Harry.

The Duchess of Sussex, 41, allegedly nagged during a 2018 tour to… Australia.

It was also claimed Meghan threatened to dump Harry when they started dating unless he announced they were an item, the book claims.

The ultimatum scared the prince before the relationship was made public.

The times Royal correspondent Valentine Low says: “Harry became determined to protect his girlfriend.

Meghan, meanwhile, told him that if he didn’t do something about it, she would end the relationship.

A source said: ‘She said, ‘If you don’t make a statement confirming that I’m your girlfriend, I’m going to break up’. Harry panicked.

“Another source said, ‘He panicked and said, ‘She’s going to dump me’.”

Low wrote: “Meghan wanted public confirmation that this was a serious relationship.

“She was convinced that the palace did not want to protect her from media interference.

She said to Harry’s staff, ‘I know how the palace works. I know how this will end. You don’t care about the girlfriend.”

The relationship was made public in October 2016 and their engagement announced in November 2017.

The book also claims that Meghan moaned that she should be paid for performing assignments during the couple’s 2018 tour of Australia.

Author Low describes how she was “hailed as an inspiring role model” in October.

But he writes: “Behind the scenes it was a different story. Although she enjoyed the attention, Meghan didn’t understand the point of all those walkabouts, shaking hands with countless strangers.

“According to several employees, she was heard saying at least once, ‘I can’t believe I’m not getting paid for this’.”

The book, due out next month, addresses allegations that the Duchess bullied the royal staff before she and Harry left royal service for Canada and the US in 2020.

Claiming more than six months before the engagement, Meghan told one of Harry’s advisors: “I think we both know I’ll be one of your bosses soon.”

In late 2017, after the engagement was announced, a senior aide spoke to the couple about staff unrest over their treatment.

The book claims that Meghan replied, “It’s not my job to coddle people.”

The Duchess is also accused in the book of “speaking particularly loudly to a young woman”.

The book adds: “After Meghan shredded a plan she had set up, the woman told Meghan how difficult it would be to execute a new plan. “Don’t worry,” Meghan told her. “If there was literally someone else I could ask this to, I’d ask them instead of you.”

When William heard the treatment and reassured the employee that she was doing a good job, she was said to burst into tears.

The book states that an aggrieved Meghan called a different staff member every five minutes on a Friday when she was going out to dinner.

The calls were restarted the next morning and continued for “days”, it is alleged. Meghan’s lawyers have always denied that she bullied anyone.

The palace began investigating the claims 18 months ago but said this summer the report will never be released.

The Duchess also allegedly collided with her PA Melissa Toubatic about Meghan’s desire to keep free clothes. Toubati retired six months after the 2018 royal wedding.

Low’s book claims: “The clashes centered on the free gifts some companies would send Meghan. Deliveries were constantly arriving at Kensington Palace. ‘Clothes, jewelry, candles… It was non-stop,’ says a source.

“Touabti was apparently punctual in following the household rule that members of the royal family cannot accept free gifts from commercial organizations.

“Her approach did not go down well with Meghan.”

‘outrageous bullies’

The book claims that many of Meghan’s junior and senior assistants were seen as victims of bullying – even her experienced private secretary Samantha Cohen. It quotes an employee who wanted to quit because Meghan and Harry were ‘outrageous bullies’”.

The staff were also treated “horribly” during the tour of Australia, it is alleged.

One month after the Sussexes Press Secretary Jason Knauf sent his bullying file at Palace chiefs he resigned and was picked up by William and Kate.

He eventually became their chief executive of the Royal Foundation.

Meghan assured her and Harry of a new team, but in August 2019, the pair saw no future as working royals, the book says.

They had already signed a deal to be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey, which took place 16 months later.

As part of the deal with Oprah, they appeared on screen separately when they spoke to ITV’s Tom Bradby for Harry & Meghan: an African Journey in October 2019.

Harry stunned Prince William when he said he and his brother didn’t see each other and were on “different paths”.

In a heartbreaking excerpt, it is claimed that William sent a WhatsApp to Harry asking if he could come visit him.

When Wills explained that he would have to erase his diary and inform his private secretary, Harry pulled the plug for fear that William’s team would leak it to the press, it is alleged.

Harry and Meghan left for Canada weeks later, where they devised their Megxit escape plan which was implemented in early 2020 and the brothers have barely spoken since.

The book also says Harry was frustrated that he would “become relevant” when Prince George turned 18, comparing himself to Prince Andrew left in his 60s without any job or direction. A source said: “He had this thing that he had an expiration date. He was fixated on this.

“He would compare himself to his uncle Prince Andrew.

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“He would say, ‘I have this time to make this impact. Because I can do it’. Until George turned 18, the way he thought about it was ‘Then I’m the rider too’.

“He honestly thought about it, ‘I have this platform now for a limited time. I want to move forward, forward.'”