With the discharge of Prince Harry’s memoir Spare, tensions are reportedly high at Buckingham Palace. The royal family has not released an official statement on the Duke of Sussex’s tell-all book, but a source near Prince William told Entertainment Tonight that he’s âprivately seething and devastatedâ by the main points described in his little brother’s autobiography. The royal expert they spoke to, Katie Nicholl, added that William is âincredibly indignant at the extent of detailâ in Harry’s story.
Considered one of the difficult stories within the book covers how Harry attacked him physically after they argued over Meghan Markle in 2019.
âKnowing how bad things have gotten between the brothers, it is not actually all that surprising that considered one of them just lost their temper and lashed out,â said Nicholl. âBut to examine it in such detail could be very painful, and one can only imagine very difficult for the Prince of Wales, Prince William, who after all is not capable of answer back, is not capable of share his side of the story.â
The book is seemingly really shaking things up within the U.K.
âJaws really are on the bottom over here within the U.K.,â said Nicholl. âAnd, by way of the royal family, we’re not hearing anything officially. There’s still no comment out of Kensington Palace, out of Buckingham Palace, however the repercussions of Harry’s autobiography, the things that he’s said are clearly being felt. My understanding is that the mood within the palace is considered one of shock, considered one of disbelief, and Prince William is alleged to be devastated and seething over this autobiography.â
The royal expert also claimed that King Charles has desired to repair relations with the Sussexes, but they’ve allegedly refused to reconcile.
âThe king invited Harry and Meghan to Sandringham for Christmas, they refused that invitation,â Nicholl explained. âThe king has made an actual point of extending an olive branch to the couple and I feel knowing just how damaging this book was going to be for the royal family, Harry and Meghan made that call to remain away over Christmas.â
Nonetheless, in a clip from Harry’s upcoming interview with ITV, the Prince says he desires to reconcile, and that they are those who’ve resisted a reconnection.
âI would really like to get my father back. I would really like to get my brother back,â he said. âThey’ve shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile.â
However the book itself is likely to be the last nail within the coffin for that possibility.
âPrince Harry’s given a lot of interviews ahead of the discharge of his autobiography and he speaks about wanting to reconcile together with his family,â Nicholl insisted. âHe talks concerning the door being open, but I feel the sensation is that, actually, he’s made sure that door has been firmly slammed shut.â
She continued, âThe thought of any reconciliation seems almost unthinkable, given what he has said, given the very personal nature of those attacks because that is what they’re — they’re verbal attacks on members of the royal family. And never just any member of the royal family — his father, his brother, his mother-in-law, his sister-in-law. Nobody is actually spared in Spare.â
One other source told Page Six that the Waleses are âreelingâ from the content of the book.
âHarry and Meghan do at all times have a knack of picking their timing,â the insider said. They continued to say that Harry and William were close before the previous’s marriage.
âKate, William and Harry were such best buddies, they were inseparable,â said the source. âThese are the words of a person so literally blinded by love he canât see straight.â
They continued, âI can imagine Harry and William coming to blows, to be honest. I feel William is kind of hot-headed. But Kate has been considered one of Harryâs biggest supporters, so this is actually heartbreaking… everyone seems to be pretty shocked, theyâre reeling. Letâs be honest, itâs been blow after blow after blow. Itâs so disrespectful, so hurtful, and [the book is just delivering the last blow. Itâs like once youâre within the boxing ring and thereâs the knockout punch â thereâs no way back.â
As for whether or not reconciliation is feasible, the source said, âI hope there could have been moments of conscience for Harry when he was writing this. I feel there was a moment when people thought it might be a wiser, less provocative, less tabloid book, but here we’re.â
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, might be released by Dial Press in February 2022.
