Prince Harry’s Friend ‘Punished’ Over Advice On Meghan Markle Romance, Book Reveals

One of Prince Harry's friends, like older brother Prince William, had advised him not to rush into his relationship with Meghan Markle, but the Duke of Sussex did not take it well, a new book revealed.

Excerpts from the royal biography “Finding Freedom,” obtained by The Telegraph, revealed that Prince Harry's best friend, Tom “Skippy” Inskip, had reservations about the former “Suits” star during the early days of their relationship.

Book authors and royal correspondents Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand learned from a source claiming to be close to the Sussexes that Inskip had advised his royal pal to live with Markle first before “doing anything more serious.”

The insider said that though Inskip’s advice “came from a good place,” Prince Harry had taken offense to his friend doubting his judgment.

“It really hurt him that someone he was so close to would not trust his judgment,” revealed the source, who was said to have been given permission by the Sussexes to talk to the authors, according to The Telegraph.

Inskip's advice led to him and wife Lara Hughes-Young being “punished,” the book said. The couple had been shunned from Prince Harry and Markle's wedding party at Frogmore Cottage in May 2018.

Their supposed rift ended last year when Inskip’s mother-in-law died.

Since crossing paths at Eton, Prince Harry and Inskip have been friends for decades. The latter had organized the controversial 2012 Las Vegas party where Prince Harry was spotted playing billiards without any clothes on with showgirls, Page Six reported.

They were also together when the Duke of Sussex was inhaling laughing gas in another bash. In 2017, Prince Harry attended Inskip’s wedding to Hughes-Young in Jamaica with Markle.

Meanwhile, Prince William had the same suggestion as Inskip for his younger brother, telling him, “Don’t feel you need to rush this. Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl.” But this advice also led to the brothers' relationship becoming strained.

“Back when Meghan and Harry were dating, William, having met Meghan only a handful of times, wanted to make sure the American actress had the right intentions,” read an extract from the book released by The Times.

“Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of A Modern Family” is set to be released on Tuesday.