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King Charles III could punish Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with the “nuclear option” in response to the new “outrageous” claims made by the Duke of Sussex, a royal expert has warned. Harry’s hotly anticipated book Spare was not due for official release until Tuesday, but mistakingly went on sale early in Spain and contains several new bombshell accusations against the Royal Family.
One of the more sensational claims is Harry alleging his older brother Prince William physically assaulted him in 2019 during a heated argument over the duke’s wife Meghan. He also alleges the Prince of Wales called the Duchess of Sussex “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive”.
READ MORE: Sussexes enter new ‘disaster zone’ over Netflix & book backlash
Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have so far declined to comment on the claims made in Harry’s book, but royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams has warned that the Royal Family may be forced to act sooner rather than later.
He exclusively told Express.co.uk: “The Royal Family do not intend to respond to the allegations in Harry’s memoir. However, their hand may be forced, it’s too early to tell.
“The sheer outrageousness of the claims and the malign nature of the memoir will harm the Royal Family though a great many may wonder how rational Harry is. King Charles will hope the strategy of silence is sustainable. The Coronation is in May and will be magnificent and royal tours will undoubtedly be announced too.”
Mr Fitzwilliams warned The King could turn to a “nuclear option” to effectively deal with the exploding situation.
Read the full opinion piece by Carole Malone right here.
He continued: “Harry and Meghan are royals who have gone rogue. There is no way the Palace can go point by point through the allegations.
“Removing their dukedom, if that option is considered, is a matter for Parliament. Reviving the accusations of bullying against Meghan which she has strongly denied would be a nuclear option.”
In March 2021 – a year after the Megxit crisis erupted – Buckingham Palace launched an investigation into claims Meghan drove out two personal assistants and “humiliated” other royal staffers on several occasions.
The investigation concluded but the Royal Family continued their closed-ranks philosophy and chose not to make the findings public.
But Edward Coram James, a PR, reputation and crisis management expert, told Express.co.uk: “The royals are currently sitting on a report that is likely to be highly critical of the Duchess of Sussex, with many former royal aides that have come forward to accuse her of bullying.
“I do not believe that the Royal Family has buried this report to protect Meghan’s image. It is more likely that they will have felt that there has not yet been a good timing moment to release it yet.”
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The Duke of Sussex said he landed on a dog’s bowl, which cracked under his back, cutting into him.
He alleges his older brother urged him to hit back, citing fights they had as children, but Harry refused and William left before returning and apologising.
Harry claims William and his then-girlfriend Kate Middleton encouraged him to wear a Nazi uniform to a fancy dress party in 2005. The move sparked outrage after a photo appeared on the front page of a newspaper.
He claims that he and William told their father Charles they would welcome the now-Queen Consort into the family but only if he didn’t marry her. Harry alleges his father did not respond to their pleas.
The King also reportedly refused to allow Meghan to join him at Balmoral as The Queen was dying in September.
Harry said to his father: “Don’t ever speak about my wife that way,” according to The Daily Telegraph.
Spare is available to buy from all bookshops and audiobook providers from January 10th.
It may be that healing divisions between Harry and the Prince of Wales will be the biggest challenge, but it is clear that there is nothing the King would love to see more.
The Duke of Sussex’s recent behaviour has shocked many. But he is a man who has served in the armed forces, worked hard to support ex-service personnel and campaigned on important issues such as mental health.
He has a huge amount to offer. In one of his recent interviews, Harry said he wants to “get my father back… to have my brother back”.
It’s not too late to do so.
Read the full opinion piece here.
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