- Not every member of Prince Harry's inner circle was excited about his relationship with Meghan Markle when the couple started dating.
- Tom "Skippy" Inskip has been one of Harry's friends since childhood, but the royal reportedly froze his longtime friend out when he cautioned Harry to take things slow with Meghan.
- The awkward fallout was detailed in the new book, Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle knew their love was eternal right away, but not everyone in their inner circles agreed. In the new book Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, royal journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand reveal that one of Harry's best friends, Tom "Skippy" Inskip, told Harry to take things slower with Meghan—and that advice didnot go over well.
Apparently, Tom told Harry that he and Meghan should live together for a while before "doing anything more serious."
Even though the authors insist that Tom's advice "came from a good place," they add that Harry "didn’t totally see it that way."
"It really hurt him that someone he was so close to would not trust his judgment," a source close to Harry explained for the book.
Back when Harry and Meghan tied the knot in 2018, reports circulated that Tom and his wife, Lara Hughes-Young, weren't invited to the Sussexes' evening reception at Frogmore House. Apparently, the snub was a result of that unwanted advice. Last summer, however, the friends made amends. Unfortunately, it took a tragedy—Tom's mother-in-law's death—to bring them back together.
"Skippy and Harry are back as tight friends. When Harry heard about Lara’s mother’s horrible passing, it really hit a nerve," a source told The Sun at the time.
We're just glad they made up.