Prince Harry has no intention of “hurting” his family, he assured in a series of interviews a few hours before the publication of his memoirs, in which no member of the British monarchy seems to be spared. .
The Alternate will go on sale at midnight, Tuesday. The most explosive passages have already gone around the world since bookstores in Spain mistakenly placed it on their shelves a few hours Thursday.
The divisions within British royalty appear in a very raw light, confronting this institution with planetary influence with a deep crisis barely four months after the death of the very popular Elizabeth II.
We already know that William, the heir to the throne, his “beloved brother and sworn enemy”, is his main target. But King Charles III, head of state of 15 countries who will be crowned on May 6, is not spared either. Just like Kate, the wife of William, and Camilla, the queen consort.
The 38-year-old prince has given several television interviews to promote and defend his book, from California where he went into exile in 2020 with his wife Meghan.
Why expose yourself like this three years after distancing yourself from the British monarchy? “After 38 years of having my story told by so many people with intentional distortions and manipulations, it felt like the right time to reclaim my story,” he explained on British channel ITV.
But nothing “was done with the intent to injure or harm” his father Charles III, his brother William or his family.
“An olive branch”
The prince insisted on wanting a reconciliation with the family. But on the American channel CBS, he admitted that William and he did not currently speak to each other and that he had not exchanged with his father “for a long time”.
Buckingham Palace did not react to the prince’s statements. The Sunday Times quoted those close to Prince William as saying he is “sad”, “burning inside”, but “remaining silent for the sake of his family and the country”.
In a landmark moment on ITV, Harry denied accusing the royal family of racism, when he said in March 2021 on US television that a member of the family had questioned the color of his skin. unborn son, as his wife is of mixed race. This interview had revived a lively debate in the United Kingdom on racism.
Unpopular
The British press, mostly very hostile to the “Sussex”, believes to see “an olive branch” extended to the royal family, but for the newspapers the damage is already done.
In his book, Harry accuses William of knocking him to the ground during a 2019 argument over Meghan, whom Harry had married the year before.
He also accuses his brother and his wife Kate of having had “stereotypes” towards Meghan, a mixed-race American actress, who “created an obstacle” to welcome her into the family.
Harry notably also attacks his father’s wife, Camilla, now queen consort, claiming that certain details of private conversations published in the media “could only have been leaked” by her.
For the tabloid The SunHarry is a “troubled, lonely” man.
Despite intense promotion in the days preceding its broadcast, the interview on ITV was watched by 4.1 million viewers, doubled by the BBC which broadcast a series.
Britons might be weary of Harry and Meghan, who have been ubiquitous in the media for weeks. Their unpopularity reached record highs. According to a YouGov poll, 64% of Britons have a negative image of Harry.
The couple should be more discreet in the coming months, according to Omid Scobie, a friend and biographer of the couple. “I think we’re going to see, for the rest of the year, something of a retreat from what we’ve seen over the past few months,” he told the BBC.