Royal author Valentine Low has a new book due out this fall, four years after exposing a bombshell email accusing of bullying palace staff.

Power and the Palace, according to publicity material, “lifts the lid on the mysterious power dynamic at the heart of the British state,” and comes out in September 2025.

The former royal correspondent at London’s The Times said: “This book explores the little-understood relationship between the monarchy and those who actually run the country—between those who reign and those who rule.”

Why It Matters

In 2021, Low broke the story that Meghan had been accused of bullying two PAs out of Kensington Palace by then press secretary Jason Knauf in an article for The Times, where he was royal correspondent.

His follow up book, Courtiers, sparked global headlines after giving further detail on the saga, with accounts of Meghan reducing staff members to tears.

What to Know

Meghan and had already filmed their interview when Low’s exclusive story broke in The Times, revealing Meghan had been accused of forcing out the two PAs and targeting a third staff member in an October 2018 email.

Knauf wrote: “I am very concerned that the duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year. The treatment of X [name removed] was totally unacceptable.”

“The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights,” the email continued. “She is bullying Y [name removed] and seeking to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behavior towards Y [name removed].”

Harry addressed his story directly two months later in an interview for his TV mental health docu-series The Me You Can’t See, saying: “Before the Oprah interview had aired, because of [the media’s] headlines, and that combined effort of the firm and the media to smear her, I was woken up in the middle of the night to her crying in her pillow because she doesn’t want to wake me up because I’m already carrying too much.”

Low’s book Courtiers expanded further, with specific stories of harsh treatment, including one in the run up to Meghan and Harry’s wedding.

“Meghan spoke particularly harshly at a meeting to a young female member of the team in front of her colleagues,” he wrote. “After Meghan had pulled to shreds a plan she had drawn up, the woman told Meghan how hard it would be to implement a new one.”

“‘Don’t worry,’ Meghan told her, ‘if there was literally anyone else I could ask to do this, I
would be asking them instead of you.’

“Later, , who had heard of some of the treatment that she had been
subjected to, came to find the woman. ‘I hope you’re OK,’ he told her. ‘You’re doing a really good job.’ She promptly burst into tears.”

What People Are Saying

Valentine Low said in a press release marketing the book: “Just as Courtiers showed the inner workings of the palace, this book explores the little-understood relationship between the monarchy and those who actually run the country—between those who reign and those who rule.

“It is a subtle, constantly changing dynamic which can leave one asking: who is actually in charge here? And it is as relevant today as it has ever been, as was highlighted in Washington recently when Keir Starmer tried to use the power of the monarchy to win over .”

Publisher Martin Redfern said in the press release: “Courtiers caused a sensation when published in October 2022.

“Power and the Palace is written in the same highly informative yet deliciously irreverent style, and will have Bagehot turning in his grave again as Valentine lets yet more daylight in upon the magic of royalty.

“This is the real story of the relationship between the sovereign and the prime minister that lies behind the fictional portrayal in The Crown.“

What Happens Next

The book will be published in September, when readers can likely expect to see extracts published by news outlets and interviews with the author.

Williams Brown is chief royal correspondent for Regalrumination.com, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly , at and read his stories on Regalrumination.com’s .

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