From Being Physically Attacked By William To Being An Addict, Prince Harry's Memoir Reveals Royal Secrets
From being physically attacked by William to using drugs as a teen, and so much more. 'Spare' by Prince Harry, which will be released on January 10, already speaks a lot from its leaked copies.
New Delhi: Prince Harry, in his new book, has made a series of revelations which indeed is a saga of secrets concerning the British Royal Family. Reportedly, he has accused his brother of physically attacking him as it unfolds a wide range of private conversations between him and other senior British royals. It also includes details of his split from the family, as reported by media outlets who said they had obtained early copies of the book.
Probably one of the most dramatic revelations to emerge on Thursday was the accusation from the Duke of Sussex of an altercation with Prince William during an argument over his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in 2019, as first reported by The Guardian.
Harry Says William Pushed Him To The Floor:
In an advance copy of Harry’s memoir, 'Spare', as claimed to have been seen by The Guardian, he has alleged William of knocking him to the floor during the altercation.
As reported by The Guardian, the alleged scuffle took place after a conversation between the two brothers, during which William, the heir to the British throne, called Meghan "difficult", "rude" and "abrasive".
According to Harry's version of events, William visited Harry and Meghan at their previous residence, Nottingham Cottage, which is located on the grounds of Kensington Palace in London, to purportedly talk about "the whole rolling catastrophe' of their relationship and struggles with the press."
Harry alleges that William attacked him after he gave his elder brother water and attempted to cool a heated verbal exchange, as reported by The Guardian.
"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, ripped 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."
In the book, as further stated by The Guardian, Harry also mentions that William urged him to hit back, but he refused to do so and that William left but later returned "looking regretful" and apologized.
Harry Recalls Charles' Plea And His Fears Regarding Camilla:
Additionally, The Guardian report also stated that the 38-year-old recalls returning to the UK for the first time for the funeral of the Queen's husband, Prince Philip, since stepping back as a senior royal.
It was on this occasion that he was reunited with his father, now King Charles III, and William since he and Meghan had spoken to Oprah Winfrey for their bombshell interview.
Harry’s book suggests that tensions with William remained high and quotes Charles pleading to his sons not to "make my final years a misery", according to the Guardian article.
Other UK tabloid newspapers have claimed to have obtained a Spanish-language copy of 'Spare' after it was mistakenly made available in some bookstores in Spain on Thursday ahead of its scheduled release next week. In Spain, the book is called 'En La Sombra', which translates to 'In the Shadow'.
According to reports from the Mail Online and The Sun, another anecdote from the book recounts how Harry reportedly "begged" his father not to marry Camilla, who is now Queen Consort, and feared that she would be a "wicked stepmother."
The Mail Online and The Sun reported Harry recalling that he and William had said they would welcome Camilla into the family, but asked their father not to marry her, calling Camilla the "other woman".
"I remember wondering… if she would be cruel to me; if she would be like all the evil stepmothers in the stories", adding, "Willy had been suspicious of the Other Woman for a long time, which confused and tormented him; When those suspicions were confirmed, he felt agonizing remorse for not having done or said anything before."
According to The Mail Online and The Sun, it's interesting to note that in his book, Harry compares meeting her for the first time to getting an injection, as he writes, "close your eyes and you won’t even feel it".
The two UK tabloids said that the book also asserts that Camilla held a private meeting with Harry in which she appeared "bored" and that King Charles attempted to "win over the kids" before asking the British people to approve of his marriage to Camilla.
Prince Harry also wrote that he was too young to suspect his father’s affair, but noted that his brother "harboured suspicions" for a long time, according to The Sun report.
"It would confuse him and torment him… When they were confirmed he felt awful remorse for not having said or done anything sooner". The royal added in the book that as a child he felt "the lack of stability, absence of love and affection in our home."
These stories reported by the Mail Online and The Sun are based on the tabloids’ own translations of the Spanish-language version of the book.
Afghanistan Killings:
British newspaper The Telegraph, after it obtained a copy of the Spanish version, reported that Prince Harry claims to have killed 25 people while serving with the British army in Afghanistan, saying that in the heat of combat, he viewed his targets as "chess pieces" rather than people. He completed two tours of Afghanistan, one spanning from 2007 to 2008 and the other from 2012 to 2013.
Advancements of technology "in the era of Apaches and laptops", allowed Harry to say "with exactness how many enemy combatants I had killed", adding that, "it seemed to me essential not to be afraid of that number."
"So my number is 25. It’s not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me," he said, according to The Telegraph.
Harry mentions in his book that he used to watch the footage of each "kill" after returning to base, from the nose-mounted camera on his Apache helicopter and that in the "din and confusion of combat," he viewed those he killed as the "baddies eliminated before they could kill goodies.", reported The Telegraph.
Teenage Drug Abuse:
In his book, Harry also admits to taking cocaine at age 17. According to Sky News, which has also claimed to have obtained a leaked copy, Harry writes. "Of course, I had been taking cocaine at that time. At someone’s house, during a hunting weekend, I was offered a line, and since then I had consumed some more".
"It wasn’t very fun, and it didn’t make me feel especially happy as seemed to happen to others, but it did make me feel different, and that was my main objective. To feel. To be different", Prince Harry further mentions in his book.
"I was a seventeen-year-old willing to try almost anything that would alter the pre-established order… At least, that’s what I was trying to convince myself of." Sky News quoted from Harry's book.
Prince Harry has previously admitted to drug use in his youth. In 2002, when he was a 16-year-old schoolboy, he faced accusations of underage drinking and cannabis use, CNN had previously reported. A confession of heavy drinking and marijuana use when he was 16 prompted his father to send him to the drug rehab centre, Phoenix House UK, for a day.
The book is to be released by Penguin Random House on January 10.