Prince Harry claims William assaulted him in the book. The Guardian has seen a copy of the Duke of Sussex’s memoir, Spare, and reports that Prince Harry makes the allegation that his brother William assaulted him physically.
According to the article, Prince Harry and Prince William get into an argument in the book about Harry’s wife, Meghan.
According to Harry, as reported by the Guardian, “he grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor.”
Both Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace have issued statements declining to comment.
The palaces (representing Prince William and the King, respectively) take the tack that any controversial claims will die out more quickly without a response.
But in a sneak peek at an upcoming interview, Prince Harry flat-out declines to say whether or not he will be present at the King’s coronation in May.
Read more: Marilee Fiebig, ex-wife of T.J. Holmes, addresses Amy Robach’s affair.
The “ball is in [the Royal Family’s] court,” he says, because “a lot can happen between now and then.”
The Guardian reported on Monday that it had obtained a copy of the autobiography despite the “strict pre-launch security” surrounding the release of Prince Harry’s book, which is not scheduled to be released until the following Tuesday.
BBC News has yet to see a copy of Spare.
The Spanish edition of the book, titled “In the shadow,” was released five days ahead of schedule.
The UK’s bookstores have claimed they are under a strict embargo to prevent the autobiography’s premature release.
The book states that comments Prince William made to Prince Harry in 2019 at his London residence sparked the ensuing feud, as reported by the Guardian.
According to the report, Prince Harry writes that his brother was “critical” of his marriage to Meghan Markle and that Prince William described her as “difficult,” “rude,” and “abrasive.”
Reportedly, the Duke of Sussex writes that his brother was “parrot[ing] the press narrative” as tensions rose.
Prince Harry can describe the events that followed, including a physical confrontation.
“He sat down his water, called me another name, and charged at me. Everything moved so quickly. This speed is incredible.
“He snatched me up by the collar, ripped my necklace, and threw me to the ground.
“When I fell, the dog’s bowl cracked under my back, and its sharp shards scratched me. Dazed for a few seconds, I got to my feet and told him to leave.”
According to Harry, William left but returned “looking regretful and apologized.” This is according to the Guardian.
After William’s second departure, Harry reportedly claimed in a letter that “he whirled around and yelled, “Don’t bother telling Meg about this.”
“So you attacked me,” he asked.
When asked if he had attacked Harold, he replied, “I didn’t.” It has been reported that Prince William replied.
Harry is not a shortened form of Harold; his full name is Henry Charles Albert David.
Images from as recently as September 2019 show Harry wearing a dark necklace at events like the Invictus Games and on international tours with Meghan.
The news paints a bleak picture of a feud at the very heart of the monarchy that shows no signs of being resolved.
This is still more like the ground of a nasty divorce than the beginning of peace talks.
According to the New York Post, Prince William “howled with laughter” when he saw his brother dressed as a Nazi before a fancy dress party in 2005, as detailed in the memoir.
By the time a picture of Harry in the outfit made its way into UK publications, he was already 20.
According to the New York Post, Harry allegedly asked William and Catherine, his future wife, which costume would get more laughs: the Nazi uniform or a pilot’s uniform.
Martin Pengelly, the US-based journalist who wrote the Guardian’s report on Harry’s book, denied contacting Prince William’s communications team for comment.
A report on Harry’s book that he’s written; it’s Harry’s account, the journalist explained.
Since Harry claims he didn’t fight back, Mr. Pengelly said on BBC Radio 5 Live, “we carefully, obviously in reporting it, didn’t call it a fight.”
Prince Harry has recently spoken about his strained relationship with his brother, but Penguin Random House has not confirmed whether the leaked excerpts from the book are authentic.
In addition, as revealed in an interview with Good Morning America, the duke refers to William as his “beloved brother and arch-nemesis” in his memoir.
According to Harry’s comments in the interview cited above, the “heir/spare” dynamic that inspired the book’s title stems partly from “always been this competition” between the two.
The concept of an “heir and a spare” has been around for centuries in royal circles, and it refers to the continuation of the royal bloodline: the first son and heir is the one who inherits the throne, and the second son is a spare in case anything should happen to the first-born.
In the documentary Harry and Meghan Take the Crown, available on Netflix, the prince describes a meeting he attended with his brother, father (the now King), and grandmother (the late Queen).
When asked to describe the early 2020 conference, he said, “It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at my father and me say things that simply weren’t true, and my grandmother quietly sit there and sort of take it all in.”
According to The Guardian, Prince Harry describes a conversation he had with Prince Charles and Prince William following the funeral of Prince Phillip in April 2021.
If the information in this leak is accurate, the most heartbreaking scene is likely King Charles pleading with his feuding sons not to make his life a “misery.”
Memoirist JR Moehringer’s ghostwritten book Spare, part of a multi-million dollar book deal, was previously thought to be shrouded in secrecy, with only the barest of details known about its contents.
In an October press release, Penguin Random House proclaimed, “For Harry, this is his story at last.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s business, Archewell, has remained silent in response to reports of the book.
Prince Harry said, “I would like to get my father back; I would like to have my brother back,” in a preview for an upcoming interview airing on January 8th, just before the book’s release.
Harry said to Tom Bradby of ITV, “They’ve shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile,” though it was unclear who he was referring to.
