Prince Harry claimed that his father, King Charles III, once told first wife Princess Diana that his “work” was “done” after the Duke of Sussex was born.
In an excerpt of his new memoir, Spare, released by The Guardian, Harry described how his father reacted to the birth of his second son in 1984. Harry’s older brother, Prince William, was born two years earlier in 1982.
According to the publication, Harry wrote about the day of his birth and recalled a comment that his father told his wife: “Wonderful! Now you’ve given me an heir and a spare – my work is done.”
The alleged remark refers to the royal family’s line of succession, as the king’s eldest son, William, became first in line and “heir” to the throne after his father. As Harry was the second born, he had been referred to as the “spare heir”.
Along with the story about his father, Harry made some major revelations and claims about the royal family, including a story about his older brother, in his memoir. The book will be released on 10 January, just one month after Netflix released his and wife Meghan Markle’s documentary series.
The memoir reportedly contains a passage about a physical altercation between Harry and William which took place at Nottingham Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace in London in 2019. The duke alleged that his sibling arrived “piping hot” to confront him about his marriage to Meghan. Harry apparently claimed that William became angry and swore at him before retreating to the kitchen with his brother following him.
“It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor,” he wrote. “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.”
Harry also reportedly writes that William complained about Markle’s conduct during the incident and called her “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive”.
Leading up to the release of his memoir, Harry has sat down for multiple interviews to discuss his family. During a conversation with ITV’s Tom Bradby, which will air on 8 January, he said that his family have “shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile” with him and his wife.
“I would like to get my father back, I would like to have my brother back,” Harry also said in a teaser clip of the interview, before adding: “They feel as though it’s better to keep us somehow as the villains.”
In an upcoming interview with Good Morning America co-anchor Michael Strahan, Harry acknowledged that he referred to William as his “beloved brother and arch nemesis” in his memoir. He also emphasised how he wants to create “peace” amongst him and his relatives.
“Ultimately, what this all comes down to is, I don’t think that we can ever have peace with my family unless the truth is out there,” he said.
