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Friends of Prince William say his brother knows he “won’t retaliate” leaving him a “sitting duck” for Harry’s verbal attacks. Speaking to The Times, close friends say “revenge is not how William rolls” as he is “dignified and unbelievably loyal” to his family. They say the Prince is concentrating on his wife, the Princess of Wales, children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, and the rest of the Royal Family.
In his memoir, Prince Harry has made several claims against the Prince and Princess of Wales, including recalling a time William allegedly attacked him over his relationship with Meghan Markle.
The Duke of Sussex said William branded the actress “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive”.
He wrote that William “grabbed” him “by the collar”, ripping his necklace, and knocking him to the floor.
Harry 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.
They said: “He won’t retaliate, he never would, because he’s dignified and unbelievably loyal. William is a sitting duck because Harry knows he isn’t going to retaliate. How many shots can you take at a sitting duck?
“It’s cruel, cowardly and so sad for William to keep taking the punches. He’s keeping quiet for the good of his family and the country.”
But the friends say behind the scenes William is “burning”.
READ MORE: Charles shrugs off Harry’s bombshell interview at Sunday service
“We know how closely he followed his grandmother’s example, and the institutional response may win the day over the personal.
“But he is staunchly protective of his own family, and he’s not just going to roll over.”
In a teaser clip for the interview with Tom Bradby on ITV, the Duke said: “I would like to get my father back, I would like to have my brother back,” “They feel as though it’s better to keep us somehow as the villains.”
Spare by Prince Harry will be released by publishers Penguin Random House on January 10, 2023.
The tell-all memoir, which was ghostwritten by Pulitzer Prize winner J R Moehringer, promises to be packed full of explosive revelations and insight into the Royal Family – and there’s even an audiobook read by the Duke of Sussex himself.
You can buy your copy of Spare on Amazon.
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The interview is the first of four broadcast appearances over the coming days, with Harry also speaking to Anderson Cooper for 60 Minutes on CBS News on Sunday night, Michael Strahan of Good Morning America on Monday and Stephen Colbert on the Late Show on CBS on Wednesday morning UK time.
Spare is available to buy from all bookshops and audiobook providers from January 10.
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