Prince Harry had a lot to say about his royal upbringing and his family in his Spare memoir, which has already damaged their connections.
“The Palace isn’t publicly commenting about Spare, but relationships between the royals and Harry have been torn to shreds,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly of The Firm, which is led by the Duke of Sussex’s father, King Charles III.
Harry, 38, discussed his childhood as a young prince and his relationships with wife Meghan Markle, Charles, 74, Queen Consort Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate in Spare, which hits shelves on Tuesday, January 10. The Invictus Games cofounder also detailed his estrangement from his father and the 40-year-old Prince of Wales, including the “duel”-like argument that transpired in April 2021 after Prince Philip’s funeral.
“I tried to explain my side of things,” Harry claimed in Spare. “I was still nervous, fighting to keep my emotions in check, while also striving to be succinct and precise. I’d vowed not to let this encounter devolve into another argument. But I quickly discovered that it wasn’t up to me.”
While the Archewell cofounder was not looking for a fight, he alleged that he and William soon got into a “heated” argument before His Majesty stepped in. Charles supposedly asked his two sons, whom he shared with late ex-wife Princess Diana, to not “make my final years a misery.”
While neither Charles nor William have publicly addressed the California resident’s accusations, the king is not seeking a dramatic feud. “King Charles is a 74-year-old man and does not want this drama at his age,” the insider tells Us.
Harry — who stepped back from his duties as a senior working royal in 2020 alongside Meghan, 41 — has since been candid about his hopes for a potential reconciliation.
“I want a family, not an institution,” the BetterUp CIO said in a teaser for his ITV interview, which airs on Sunday, January 8. “They’ve shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile. I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother back.”
Elsewhere in the ITV teaser, Harry remained coy about the possibility of attending his father’s official coronation in May. “There’s a lot that can happen between now and then,” the military veteran said. “But, you know, the door is always open. The ball is in their court. There’s a lot to be discussed and I really hope that they are willing to sit down and talk about it.”
With reporting by Natalie Posner and Travis Cronin
