In his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry has spoken of his feelings of playing second fiddle to his elder brother, William. AFP
“It never needed to be this way. They’ve shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile. I would like to get my father back; I would like to have my brother back,” said Britain’s Prince Harry in an interview to ITV, which will be aired Sunday, just two days before his highly-anticipated memoir Spare hits the shelves — the tell-all will release on 10 January.
However, if sources, who have accessed the book are to be believed, then this reconciliation might not happen and fractured ties between Harry and his brother, Prince William, will only further widen, making it almost impossible for them to reunite.
Spare — Harry it seems isn’t holding back — has been described by publisher Penguin Random House as a “landmark publication” that will contain “raw, unflinching honesty… insight, revelation, self-examination and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief”.
So, what’s to be expected in this book? Will it show King Charles III in a poor light? What does Britain’s fifth in line to the throne have to say about his elder brother and sister-in-law Kate Middleton?
Harry and William’s ties to further unravel
In Spare, it is reported that Prince Harry has laid bare his deteriorating ties with his brother, Prince William — the next in line to the throne.
A source with knowledge of the book told The Independent that Harry has been “tough on William in particular”.
The book, which is highly anticipated by all and is believed to be a follow-up to the self-exiled Royals’ Netflix series — Harry & Meghan — reveals minute details, and a description of the fight between the brothers.
This attack on William will be on the heels of Harry’s previous attack on his elder brother in the Netflix docuseries. In the show, the 38-year-old prince, who now lives in California, had recounted how his elder brother “screamed and shouted” at him at the “Sandringham Summit” where the terms of Megxit were thrashed out.
“It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, and my father say things that just simply weren’t true, and my grandmother quietly sit there and sort of take it all in,” Harry had told the documentary.
Sources close to the Royals have been quoted as saying that Spare will close the doors on all reconciliation efforts. A source has said, “It’s tough on William… I personally can’t see how Harry and William will be able to reconcile after this.”
Another report has stated that as the title Spare suggests, the book will reveal Harry’s ‘bitterness and feelings of unfairness’ due to his older brother’s birthright to become king, meaning he always ‘played second fiddle to older William.'”
British tabloid The Sun has reported that “Prince Harry’s book will take his war with brother William by telling all about their conflict”.
The siblings have hardly spoken since Harry and his wife Meghan left Britain and it seems that there will be no ‘happy reunion’ for the two.
“Things are hanging on by a thread as it is after the past few months, and from the sounds of it, Harry’s memoir is unlikely to help,” a source told The Sun.
Interestingly, William’s wife, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, has also come under fire from Harry in his memoir. While details on his criticism of his sister-in-law isn’t clear yet, it’s even more surprising considering how close the two were earlier.
Prince Harry’s memoir also trains its guns on Prince William’s wife, Catherine. Many are surprised by this as Harry shared a great relationship with earlier in the past. AFP
Harry’s been kinder to King Charles
When it was announced that Harry would be writing a memoir, many believed that he would be scathing in his criticism of his father, King Charles III. However, those who have accessed the book, say that the younger prince has been kind to his father.
A source told the Sunday Times, “Generally, I think the book [will be] worse for them than the royal family is expecting. Everything is laid bare. Charles comes out of it better than I had expected.”
In his recent interview to promote his book too, Harry spoke of wanting to reconcile with his father and brother.
Also read: Why Prince Harry wants a reconciliation with King Charles III and Prince William
This has also been reciprocated by King Charles with sources maintaining that the monarch “loves his son very much” and the door “is always open” to dinner whenever Harry is in the UK. However, Charles, according to the Palace sources, has said that Camilla is his red line. “Harry had a difficult relationship with Camilla, who had an affair with his father when he was still married to Diana. But attacking Camilla would not go down well among Palace staff or his father, and Harry is aware,” a source told Marie Claire.
Which is why it won’t be too surprising that Harry has made no mention of her in his book.
Prince Harry’s memoir will hit the bookstores on 10 January and is expected to be on the best-seller list everywhere. Image Courtesy: Penguin
About Spare
Spare, as Penguin Random House mentions, is Harry’s version of events. As they have written in their press note, “As Diana, Princess of Wales, was laid to rest, billions wondered what the princes must be thinking and feeling — and how their lives would play out from that point on. For Harry, this is that story at last.”
The book, expected to be over 400 pages long, has been ghost-written by former-journalist-turned-novelist JR Moeringer. The American writer also penned Andre Agassi’s award-winning autobiography Open.
The memoir is predicted to dominate best-seller lists; it is already ranked one on Amazon’s ‘Hot New Releases In Books’.
Prince Harry has also said that he doesn’t intend to keep all the profits from the book. He’s announced that he will be donating ?1.2 million (Rs 11.98 crore) of the proceeds towards his Sentebale charity – supporting vulnerable children and young people in Lesotho and Botswana affected by HIV/AIDS — and ?300,000 (Rs 2.99 crore) to WellChild, which he was a royal patron of for 15 years.
With inputs from agencies
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