A leaked chapter of Prince Harry’s upcoming memoir Spare includes details of a physical altercation between brothers Prince William and Prince Harry, which ended with the latter receiving “scrapes and bruises” down his back.
The title of Prince Harry’s memoir Spare, expected to hit bookstores next week, refers to an old saying in royal and aristocratic circles, that the first son is the one who inherits the titles and wealth of the family, while the second-born is the spare, in case anything should happen to the first child.
According to The Guardian, which had obtained the book, the alleged fight started because of the the royal family’s disapproval of Prince Harry’s marriage to Meghan Markle, whom Prince William had called “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive”.
The interaction began when the now Prince of Wales had visited Harry at Nottingham Cottage in Kensington to discuss “the whole rolling catastrophe” of their relationship and struggles with the press. But when William reached his place, Harry could notice that his brother was already “piping hot”.
After William complained about Harry’s wife, Meghan, the former prince responded by reminding his brother that he expected better and didn’t expect him to repeat what the press were already saying about her. However, Harry writes that William was not willing to listen, and which led to both brothers shouting at each other. Harry says in the book that William was acting more like a heir, and wasn’t trying to understand where his brother was coming from.
Harry further writes that William claimed he was trying to help his brother to which he had responded “Are you serious? Help me? Sorry- is that what you call this? Helping me?”
This comment sparked the fight, after which Harry recounts how William swore and began stepping towards him. Harry remembers getting frightened and going to the kitchen to get his brother a glass of water.
“Willy, I can’t speak to you when you’re like this,” Harry said as he gave William a glass of water.
After this, Harry recalls how quickly his brother attacked him. He writes:
“He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast. So very fast. He 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.”
After this, Harry said William had urged his brother to fight back, as they had when they were children, but he had refused to do so.
Before leaving, Harry recalled that William returned “looking regretful, and apologised.”
Then once before leaving, William had said, “You don’t need to tell Meg about this.”
“You mean that you attacked me?”
“I didn’t attack you, Harold.”
Harry writes that he didn’t tell his wife immediately, but instead he had revealed this all to his therapist. Meghan had noticed the ‘scrapes and bruises’ on his back, after which Harry revealed to her what happened. He recounted that she “wasn’t that surprised, and wasn’t all that angry. She was terribly sad.”
It has been speculated in British media that the book might not paint a very negative picture of Harry’s father King Charles or his step mother Queen Consort Camilla, as she is her husband’s “red line”.
