LONDON – Allies of the British royal family pushed back against claims made by Prince Harry on Saturday his new memoirs, portraying the monarchy as a cold and callous institution that failed to nurture or support him.
Buckingham Palace has not officially commented on the book. But British newspapers and websites were full of quotes from unnamed “royal insiders” refuting Harry’s allegations. One said his public attacks on the royal family were taking a “bite” on the health of Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September.
Veteran journalist Jonathan Dimbleby, a biographer and friend of King Charles III, said Harry’s revelations were the kind “you’d expect from some sort of B-list celebrity” and that the king would be distressed and frustrated by it.
“His concern … is to act as the head of state for a nation that we all know is in a rather difficult state,” Dimbleby told the BBC. “I think he’ll think that’s in the way.”
Harry’s book, Spare, is the latest in a series of very public statements from the prince and his wife Meghan Enough with the royal life and moved to California in 2020, citing the media’s racist treatment of the biracial Meghan and a lack of support from the palace. Following is an interview with Oprah Winfrey and a six-part Netflix documentary released last month.
Harry isn’t the first British royal to reveal family secrets – both his parents took to the media when their marriage fell apart. Charles collaborated on Dimbleby’s 1994 book and accompanying television documentary, which revealed that the then heir to the throne had an affair during his marriage to Princess Diana.
Diana gave her side of the story in a BBC interview the following year, famously quipping “There were three of us in this marriage” in reference to Charles’ relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles.
But “Spare” goes into private conversations and personal grievances in far more detail than any previous royal reveal.
In the ghostwriter memoir, Harry opens up about his grief at the death of his mother in 1997 and his long-simmering resentment at the role of royal “spare” being overshadowed by the “heir” – older brother Prince William. He recounts altercations and a physical altercation with William, reveals how he lost his virginity (in a field), and describes cocaine and cannabis use.
He says he too 25 Taliban fighters killed while serving as an Apache helicopter pilot in Afghanistan – a claim that has drawn criticism from both the Taliban and British military veterans.
“Spare” is scheduled to be released worldwide on Tuesday. The Associated Press obtained an early Spanish-language copy.
Harry said he expected counterattacks from the palace. He has long complained about “leaks” and “planting” of stories by members of the royal household to the media.
In an interview due to air on ITV on Sunday – one of several he taped to promote the book – Harry says people who accuse him of invading his family’s privacy “don’t understand or not wanting to believe my family did it I informed the press.”
“I don’t know how silence can ever make things better,” he said.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, transcribed or redistributed without permission.
