In memoir, Prince Harry says William physically attacked him during argument, according to report
LONDON — Britain’s Prince Harry alleges in a much-anticipated new memoir that his brother, heir apparent Prince William, lashed out and physically attacked him during a furious argument over the pair’s deteriorating relationship, the Guardian newspaper reported Thursday.
The paper said it obtained an advance copy of the book, “Spare,” which is due to be published Tuesday.
It said that in it, Harry recounts a 2019 argument at his Kensington Palace home during which, he says, William called Harry’s wife, the former actor Meghan Markle, “difficult,” “rude” and “abrasive.” Harry claims that his elder brother grabbed him by the collar and ripped his necklace before knocking him down, the newspaper said.
“I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me,” Harry is quoted as writing in the book. “I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.”
William later apologized, the extract says.
Separately, celebrity website Page Six reported that the book says William and his now-wife Kate encouraged Harry to wear a Nazi uniform to a costume party in 2005. Harry has repeatedly apologized and called the decision one of the biggest mistakes of his life.
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Neither Buckingham Palace, which represents King Charles III, nor William’s Kensington Palace office has commented on the claims.
The book is the latest in a string of public revelations and accusations by Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, that have shaken Britain’s royal family,
Harry, 38, and Meghan married at Windsor Castle in England in May 2018. Less than two years later, the couple quit royal duties and moved to California, citing what they saw as the media’s racist treatment of Meghan, who is biracial, and a lack of support from the palace.
Since then, they have presented their side of the story in an interview with Oprah Winfrey and a six-part Netflix documentary released last month, which recounted the couple’s bruising relationship with the British media, especially the tabloids, and estrangement from the royal family.
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In the series, Harry claimed that William screamed at him during a family meeting, and accused palace officials of lying to protect his elder brother, who is now first in line to the throne. Meghan, 41, talked about wanting to end her life as she struggled to cope with toxic press coverage.
Harry has recorded interviews with British broadcaster ITV and CBS in the U.S. to promote the book. Both are due to be broadcast Sunday.
In snippets released in advance, Harry told ITV that the royal household had cast him and Meghan as “villains” and “shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile.” He told CBS that the palace’s refusal to defend him and Meghan from attacks was a “betrayal.”
Palace officials have declined to comment on any of Meghan and Harry’s allegations.
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The book also explains the reasons for its title, the Guardian said. It said that Harry recounts the alleged words of his father to his mother, Princess Diana, on the day of his birth: “Wonderful! Now you’ve given me an heir and a spare — my work is done.”
While William was destined from birth to be king, Harry — who is fifth in line to the throne behind his brother and William’s three children — has often appeared to struggle with the more nebulous role of “spare.” He spent a decade in the British Army — years he has described as his happiest — before taking up full-time royal duties in 2015.
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