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Prince William had a panic button connected to local police that was installed in Kate Middleton’s apartment during the early days of their relationship.
The claim was made by former Vanity Fair Tina Brown, who recently wrote a bombshell book about the royals titled "The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor – the Truth and the Turmoil." It explores "the scandals, love affairs, power plays and betrayals" that have rocked the royals during the last 20 years and features new revelations based on Brown’s access to palace insiders.
The bestselling author previously wrote a biography on the Princess of Wales titled "The Diana Chronicles," which was published in 2007. For her latest book, Brown said she spoke to more than 120 sources who were close to senior members of the royal family.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met in 2001 as students at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. William told The Telegraph they were friends for over a year before a relationship blossomed. While the tabloids reported that the couple called it quits in 2007, they had reportedly gotten back together later that year.
Kate Middleton became entitled to police protection when she married Prince William. (Samir Hussein - Pool/WireImage)
According to Brown, Middleton wasn’t entitled to official protection from the palace during their courtship.
"William reportedly arranged for a panic button to the local police station to be installed in her apartment to protect her from the constant threats of intrusion," Brown wrote.
She also shared that Middleton would sometimes receive assistance from Prince Charles’ former communications director, Paddy Harverson.
Working senior members of the royal family and their spouses are entitled to publicly-funded police protection. Middleton didn’t become entitled to police protection until she married the prince.
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Tina Brown has previously written a book about Prince William's mother, Princess Diana. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
William proposed to Middleton in 2010 during their vacation to Kenya. The couple tied the knot in 2011. They share three children.
William’s younger brother, Prince Harry, had a whirlwind romance with Meghan Markle, a former American actress. They met in 2016 on a blind date and the relationship was said to have gone from "0 to 60." In 2017, the prince proposed, and the couple said "I do" in 2018.
Brown alleged that Harry wanted to marry the former "Suits" star "as quickly as possible" because he wanted her to have police protection.
Brown told Page Six that unlike Markle, Middleton, 40, was better prepared to handle the pressures of royal life.
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Britain's Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, at Kensington Palace in London on April 28, 2021. (Chris Floyd/Camera Press/PA via AP)
"If for any reason, she thought like Meghan, ‘I’m out of here, I can do much better,’ it would be a disaster," Brown explained. "It would, I think, crumble at the moment without her because she’s the only modern, beautiful woman who’s well-educated, substantial in herself, who’s actually wanting to commit herself to the rigors of this institution. Not many young women could do that."
Brown clarified that the term "Megxit," which was created by the press to describe the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s departure from royal life, is incorrect. She argued that it was Harry, 37, not Markle, 40, who suggested they should make their exit.
"I do think it’s wrongly called Megxit," said Brown. "He wanted out and she enabled him to do what he wanted. She was strong enough to say, ‘You know what? You want out. I can make it happen.' He’s shown ever since that he absolutely hates that whole life, doesn’t like it."
"If not but for Meghan, he wouldn’t have found a way out because he basically was a man who had everything done for him all of his life," Brown continued. "He had never carved a life for himself. Meghan was very much a self-starter, a self-made successful woman. She knew who to call at Netflix. He wasn’t worldly like Meghan was worldly. They wanted to be global. If you want to be a global humanitarian superstar it’s going to take cash and that’s not going to be the same kind of money where you can live comfortably in Norfolk."
In 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were stepping back as senior members of the British royal family. (Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)
A palace spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment concerning Brown’s book. However, a spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital that the palace doesn’t generally comment "on such books." A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also didn’t immediately reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s departures from royal duties began in 2020 over what they described as the British media’s intrusions and racist attitudes toward Markle. The family now resides in the coastal city of Montecito, California, with their two children.
In the wake of quitting royal duties, they gave an explosive TV interview to Oprah Winfrey in which the couple described painful comments about how dark Archie’s skin might be before his birth. The duchess talked about the intense isolation she felt inside the royal family that led her to contemplate suicide.
Buckingham Palace said the allegations of racism made by the couple were "concerning" and would be addressed privately.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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