Why Harry and Meghan’s new deal is their last roll of the dice

“So much of how my husband and I see things is through our love story,” said Meghan. “I think that’s what people around the world connected to, especially with our wedding. People love love. I’m not excluded in that sentiment.

“For scripted Meghan's recent birthday was ignored by all the official royal social … for the Duchess when she won her court battle against the Mail on Sunday …, we want to think about how we can evolve from that same space and do something fun. It doesn’t always have to be so serious. Like a good romcom. Don’t we miss them? I miss them so much.”

Described as “a breathtaking love story about two strangers who come together when they need each other most,” it is uncanny how much Meet Me at the Lake, which was published in May, fits the bill. Yet will Fortune’s book be enough to reverse the Sussexes’ fortunes?

Having left a rainy UK full of optimism under their umbrella in March 2020, few could have predicted the dramatic highs and lows experienced by the couple since they spilled the beans to Winfrey a year later.

The revelation that an unnamed royal discussed Archie’s skin tone before he was born (a conversation Harry clarified later in the interview had taken place before they were even married) sent shockwaves around the world and gained sympathy for the couple after Meghan claimed the monarchy had almost driven her to suicide.

They managed to survive criticism of the timing of the tell-all primetime chat, which was filmed as Prince Philip, then 99, was still recovering in hospital from an unspecified illness, and Harry appeared on relatively good terms with his nearest and dearest when he attended his grandfather’s funeral the following month.