New Biography Claims Meghan Markle's Charity Trip To Rwanda Didn't Have The Best Intentions
Around the time that Meghan Markle started dating Prince Harry, something curious happened. Her Wikipedia page was changed, and went from describing her as a TV actress, to emphasizing her humanitarian work, including a 2016 trip to Rwanda. While the visit was certainly no fabrication, according to a new account of the work the Duchess of Sussex did in Rwanda, the former "Suits" star didn't leave her Hollywood roots too far behind during the charity trip.
Tom Bower's tome, "Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors," is nothing if not sensational in that it aims to take down perhaps the most famous woman in the world — so it's worth taking the source of this version of events into account. Consider that the British journalist himself even admitted to his sinister plan in an interview with Piers Morgan, saying that he has no issue with his biography accelerating the downfall of Meghan and Harry.
As such, the book seems to paint a very unflattering portrait of the duchess, going so far as to contend that she refused a royal intervention of sorts that saw the Queen herself urging Meghan to reconcile with her estranged father.
Bower also writes that Meghan's Rwanda trip was not what it seemed.
Was Meghan Markle's video of her trip to Rwanda mostly theater?
Before she was the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle was a World Vision ambassador who visited Rwanda as part of a clean water initiative. A video of Meghan spending time with school kids and seeming to listen intently to their plight is featured on the organization's website.
The former actress is clearly moved by what she is seeing and experiencing, saying on the video that it's time to build wells and improve the situation for the people of Rwanda. We even see Meghan helping with the project, enthusing how great it feels to be "hands on" in the process. "It feels really nice," she says. At another point in the footage, Meghan also talks about how easy access to clean water is helping kids stay in school and be healthier. Finally, the Duchess of Sussex is seen dancing and laughing with the people in the village.
While the video is very emotional and seemingly highlights the good work Meghan did before the world was even really paying attention, author Tom Bower has called her motivation into question in his new book.
This is just one account of Meghan Markle's Rwanda trip
In Tom Bower's book, he writes that Meghan Markle's humanitarian efforts in Rwanda in 2016 were actually more focused on making her look good. According to the Daily Mail, in the tome, the journalist claims she toted "suitcases of clothes" with her on the journey and ultimately was looking to pull off an elaborate photo shoot with the community's kids as the backdrop.
Bower writes that in addition to bringing a full wardrobe of options, the "Suits" star made sure fashion photographer Gabor Jurina was by her side and spent an eyebrow-raising amount of time away from the well project in hair and makeup.
"For hours, Jurina photographed the perfectly coiffuered actress hugging, squeezing and smiling at village children," Bower says in his buzzy book, which also calls the timeline of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's early relationship into question.
The way the trip is portrayed in his biography is clearly meant to make Meghan look bad, just like the other stories Bower shares. It's worth noting that according to reports, the author's sources are all anonymous, and as such, the book may not be very damaging to the royal family after all.
And, in 2017, World Vision's chief marketing and development officer offered a very different take on the trip, saying in part about the royal, "I personally witnessed Meghan's passion to improve the lives of children" (via Evening Standard).