it seems as though Prince Harry and Prince William’s relationship might be damaged.
Prince Harry has been spilling a lot of tea about the British royal family. After his "flop" documentary, Harry & Meghan alongside Meghan Markle, he's now breaking the internet with his bombshell memoir, Spare.
There, he made serious allegations against his brother, Prince William. Here's how the latter reacted to the book.
In his memoir, Harry referred to William as his "beloved brother and archnemesis." In an interview with Good Morning America's Michael Strahan, the author discussed the label, saying:
"I think it really plays into, or was played by, the 'heir/spare,' and the British press' part in that. They pitched the Waleses — of which Kate and William are now — against the Sussexes, me and my wife. They've always pitched us against each other. They pitched Kate and Meghan against each other."
But the most shocking claim was when William allegedly had an argument with Harry about Meghan in Nottingham Cottage in 2019. At that time, the former had called Meghan "difficult," "rude," and "abrasive" — escalating the situation into a physical altercation between the brothers.
According to Harry, The Prince of Wales "grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog's bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out."
The Duke of Sussex also addressed the time when he was spotted wearing a Nazi costume at a party in 2005 when he was 20 years old. It was apparently for a "Native and Colonial"-themed party which involved his brother and sister-in-law, Kate Middleton.
According to a royal insider, William is "absolutely horrified" by Harry's claims in his book, Spare.
"[William] doesn't even recognize his own brother anymore," the source told Us Weekly on January 11, 2023. "He wants to believe that there's hope for peace down the line, but it's hard."
They added that the heir to the throne "doesn't see how" Harry can "come back into the fold" of the royal family following the "rude and insulting" claims he made in his "explosive" and "embarrassing" book.
Another source told Harper's Bazaar that William is "devastated" about the memoir but that "he's not ignoring the things his brother has shared."
According to Us' source, it seems like William has accepted that he's completely "lost" his younger brother in the last years.
"At this point, he's got no plans to speak to Harry," claimed the insider. "He's come to terms with the fact [that] he's lost his little brother and quite possibly for life."
Friends close to the Waleses also said that William is so "furious" about the book that he's not willing to "forgive" Harry for "crossing the line", as well as being referred to as his "archnemesis." The palace insiders added that there is "a massive trust issue" between the brothers about what's being spilled out there.
Other royal sources told Entertainment Tonight that "the family is appalled that Harry has revealed such private and lurid details which are completely inappropriate," adding that "he's gone about dealing with it the wrong way" and that "the problem is no family conversation can ever take place because Harry claims he and Meghan are opposed to leaks and then he and Meghan share extremely private family matters with the public."
In a Substack-published interview with Bryony Gordon, Harry said that he actually wrote the book for his brother's children. "And though William and I have talked about it, once or twice, and he has made it very clear to me that his kids are not my responsibility, I still feel a responsibility," he explained. "I know that out of those three children, at least one will end up like me, the spare. And that hurts, it worries me."
But during William's first public appearance after the global release of Spare, he ignored reporters when they asked him if he'd already read the book.
Gia Marcos is a professional content writer based in Manila, Philippines. Her work on TheThings reflects her sociological interest in the reality behind hit movies & TV shows, celebrity lifestyle, and reality TV drama. Her personal work revolves around philosophy and eroticism. When she’s not writing, she’s probably immersed in reading or keeping up with the latest films on Mubi.