Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare is set to hit bookshelves on January 10 but New Idea has already unearthed the 16 biggest bombshells from the book… which you can pre-order here.
WATCH: The trailer for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix documentary
A not-so-right royal reunion
Harry says King Charles and Prince William have “shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile” – but insiders say that’s utterly absurd. “We saw Harry involved in the Queen’s funeral. That seemed like an olive branch to most.”
Princess of Wales not spared
Turning 41 the day before Spare’s release, the Princess of Wales was said to be “dreading” the book hitting shelves. And it seems she had every right to, as early reports say not even Kate comes out unscathed.
“They were once so close Harry called Kate the sister he never had,” royal expert Phil Dampier tells New Idea. Another insider says Harry thinks Kate’s changed over the years, and believes some part of her must want out.
Pressing his buttons
Harry told Anderson Cooper on US 60 Minutes that the palace refused to protect his wife, Meghan Markle, amid an alleged barrage of negative press. “‘We can’t put a statement out to protect you,’ but you do it for other members of the family. There becomes a point where silence is a betrayal,” he said in the chat.
Harry’s memory is short, as in 2016, he sent out a press release under the Kensington Palace letterhead – with Wills’ support – condemning the press for “racial undertones”.
Playing the blame game
Spare was never going to make easy reading for the heir – aka William, the next King of the Commonwealth. And we hear the rift between him and Harry will most certainly widen as a result of the memoir.
“Harry didn’t have to be full of angst,” says expert Phil Dampier. “He had some advantages, not having the same responsibilities William does, [including] being able to fight on the front line in Afghanistan, something his brother wanted to do but couldn’t for security reasons.” Harry has previously alleged that William is “trapped” within the institution.
William’s temper tantrums
In one of the book’s most startling revelations, Harry alleges his brother physically assaulted him in 2019, in a row over Meghan. Harry alleges that his brother labelled Meghan “difficult, rude and abrasive”. According to Harry, he said, “Willy, I can’t speak to you when you’re like this”, and offered him a glass of water, but the confrontation escalated.
He describes William “grabbing me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and knocked me to the floor.” He continued: “It all happened so fast, so very fast … I lay there for a moment, dazed, and then got to my feet and told him to get out,” Harry writes, adding Wills later returned to apologise.
Silent treatment
Harry also alleges that the King and Prince of Wales’ “silence” over Meghan’s perceived treatment while in England was the ultimate “betrayal”. “It’s nothing of the sort,” counters a well-placed royal insider. “They know all too well that as soon as you start commenting on every little thing, press coverage snowballs.
“They stayed quiet to protect everyone, not just Harry – and now as they’re seeing all Harry’s interviews making things worse for the Sussexes, they are vindicated.”
WATCH: Meghan Markle asked to choose between Prince Harry and Prince Willam
No going back
Harry says he will never return to the UK to be a full-time working royal ever again. “Harry knows that may never be an option, especially once William’s in charge, so he won’t be able to get back in even if he wants to,” reveals a palace source.
Hero vs villain
The royal family “feels it’s better to keep us as villains,” states Harry – which is an interesting charge given it’s the Sussexes who launched all the recent attacks. “In his first speech as King, Charles made a point of saying Harry and Meghan ‘remain much-loved members of the family’,” says our source. “It’s not exactly the behaviour of a man who wants to paint his son and daughter-in-law as the bad guys, even if they are running rampant in the press.”
Power couple
“I’m anticipating a lot of cheesy details about how it was love at first sight for Harry and Meghan,” expert Phil Dampier adds. “I don’t expect him to admit their relationship has its downside at all.”
Palace leaks
Harry devoted plenty of trees and printer ink to complaining about how the palace would “brief” or “leak” information about himself and Meghan to the press – but royal insiders counter it’s well known that they also played that game.
“Meghan hired an American PR firm [Sunshine Sachs] to communicate the Sussexes’ own agenda with the media,” says one source. “Plus, there was so much scuttlebutt coming out of the palace while Meghan was there that could only have come from within their camp.”
Forced into Nazi costume
According to Page Six, Harry writes that he was encouraged to wear his now-infamous Nazi costume by Kate and Wills. Harry says he was deciding between the controversial uniform or being a pilot when he asked the couple for their thoughts. He says they voted for the Nazi option, and howled with laughter when he tried it on for them.
Diana’s death
According to expert Phil Dampier, Harry will almost certainly discuss his mother’s tragic death. “For years he has clearly bottled up his grief and anger, and now it is all spilling out.”
Royal reporter Sue Reid has also claimed that researchers for the memoir contacted eyewitnesses and police regarding Diana’s car crash. “Perhaps Prince Harry’s memoir will help to unravel this mystery, as well as all the others surrounding his mother’s death – a death which so many witnesses have suggested was not the ‘tragic accident’ it has been claimed to be.”
WATCH: King Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry march at the Queens funeral
Camilla in the crosshairs
It’s no secret that Harry isn’t the biggest fan of his father’s second wife, the now Queen Camilla. “Harry will talk about how he felt about Camilla when it was exposed that she was Charles’ mistress while he was married to Diana,” says a source.
“He would have wanted to go hard on her, there is no love lost there, but Charles warned him that dragging Camilla will cross a line he can’t come back from. Harry will have almost certainly taken that as being written out of Charles’ will.”
Fears for the Wales kids
While there’s no doubting Harry loves his nieces and nephews, the Waleses were last week preparing themselves for the possibility that Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4, will be dragged into their uncle’s memoir.
“Harry has spoken about how he feels sorry for William and Kate’s kids, being born with the same burdens of himself and his brother,” says a source. “It’s also well known that he was always worried about being eclipsed by Prince George once he was of age. Which is all well and good, but if this is brought up in his book, Wills and Kate will be furious.”
Ex marks the spot
Harry’s expected to go into personal detail about how his ex-girlfriends Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas couldn’t handle the glare of the spotlight that comes with dating a prince – and they’re not happy about it at all.
“Harry asked them to be involved, and they were horrified,” says a source. “He knows they don’t want to be in the headlines, it’s why they broke up.” Chelsy, 37, and Cressida, 33, are now happily married with baby boys.
Angry about Andrew
Prince Harry himself has never publicly commented on his uncle and godfather, Prince Andrew’s, ugly scandal. “The only time the Sussexes have brought up anything related to Andrew is when they recalled how Meghan was at his home when she first met the Queen,” says a source. “Harry’s silence over Andrew is deafening, so it will be interesting to see if his indiscretions are raised in the book.”
For more, pick up the latest issue of New Idea!
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