02 September 2023 , 18:40
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After Harry and Megan’s six-part TV series sent shockwaves through the country and beyond, the release of Prince Harry ’s autobiography, Spare made for a second rush of outrage regarding the House of Windsor.
Despite both the TV series and book being released after his grandmother, Elizabeth II’s death, the Queen reportedly knew Harry was writing a memoir, and there is no evidence that this caused her any distress.
, the late Queen’s understanding of royal memoirs had shifted and developed over the years and she “understood” her grandson’s desire to tell his own story.
Some of the top lines of “Spare” which hit the headlines included: Harry taking cocaine at 17; Harry taking ‘magic mushrooms’ and hallucinating; Harry losing his virginity in a field behind a pub to ‘an older lady’ who used him ‘not unlike a young stallion’; Harry killing 25 members of the Taliban saying he saw them as ‘chess pieces’ taken off the board; Harry describing his frostbitten ‘todger’ and being advised to apply Elizabeth Arden cream to it, the cream’s scent reminded him of his mother.
The late Queen’s understanding of royal memoirs had shifted and developed over the years (Getty Images)Prince Philip on the other hand had reportedly discouraged public revelations in memoirs. As for Prince William, he was reportedly angered by the material in “Spare” regarding the tensions mentioned between him and his brother, but more so the difficult relationship between their wives, Catherine and Meghan.
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Privately, William echoed his grandmother’s line following the notorious Oprah Winfrey interview: ‘Recollections may vary’ — adding: ‘In this instance, they most definitely do.’ When talking about Charles’s wife Camilla Parker Bowles - Harry is candid.
In “Spare” Harry said that both he and his brother had agreed to welcome Camilla into their family provided their father did not marry her. Camilla had “sacrificed” Harry “on her personal PR altar” to improve her own public image, he claimed, and she leaked “minute details” of a private conversation she’d had with William to the press.
Prince Philip had discouraged public revelations in memoirs (Getty Images)Harry said that Camilla “played a role” in his mother’s death because she was “pivotal” in the breakdown of Diana and Charles’ marriage. He wondered if Camilla would be ‘less dangerous once she was happy.”
Gyles Brandreth said in the Daily Mail: “Visiting Windsor and Buckingham Palace and Clarence House in recent months, it has been clear to me that the Harry and Meghan saga, while causing irritation and frustration — and some sadness for the King — has not preoccupied the senior members of the Royal Family in anything like the way it appears to have gripped and fascinated the world’s media. Following the example of Elizabeth II, they are focusing on the job of monarchy and taking ‘the long view’.”