Shattering confessions that leak prematurely, several interviews to come: the soap opera of the publication of Prince Harry’s memoirs holds in suspense far beyond the United Kingdom, which sees the royal family tearing a little more apart four months before the coronation of the King Charles III.
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After the revelations of his book “The Substitute”, mistakenly put on sale Thursday in Spain, an interview with Prince Harry will be broadcast on Sunday at 9:00 p.m. London time on British television ITV, before a second on the American channel CBS and a third Monday on ABC, still in the United States.
In excerpts already broadcast, Prince Harry reiterates his desire for “reconciliation” with his family and says he hopes to “reconnect” with his father Charles and his brother William, heir to the throne, on condition “to establish the responsibilities” on the past, in particular his departure with his wife Meghan Markle for California in 2020.
But hopes of a rapprochement seem very slim four months before the coronation of King Charles III, as Harry spares no one in his memoirs which will be officially published on Tuesday, in particular his brother, already scratched in the docuseries “Harry & Meghan” airing on Netflix in December.
The Duke of Sussex, 38, this time accuses William of knocking him to the ground during a 2019 row over Meghan, whom Harry married the year before.
In new excerpts published on Saturday by the tabloid The Daily Mail, Harry reveals that he did not actually witness his brother’s wedding, citing a “shameless lie”.
In the British press, reactions alternate between disbelief at the intimacy of certain anecdotes told by Harry, such as his loss of virginity, his drug use, and indignation at what is considered a frontal attack on the royal family. .
Impact on the health of Elizabeth II
In particular, Harry’s confidences in the fact that he killed 25 Taliban fighters during his missions in Afghanistan caused a huge outcry. Several senior British military officers strongly condemned his remarks.
“He betrayed” the confidence of the army “as he betrayed his family”, for example was indignant Colonel Tim Collins, quoted by The Times.
The revelations reacted to the Taliban, a senior official accusing him of “war crimes”.
So far Buckingham Palace has officially remained silent on this avalanche of confidences, but denials and responses from sources close to the palace have started to emerge in the media, in particular to deny that the now Queen Consort Camilla knowingly leaked to the press. details of her first meeting with Prince William.
In his book, Harry also explains that he opposed with William the remarriage of their father with Camilla, fearing that she would be a “nasty stepmother”.
The Telegraph cites sources close to the late Queen Elizabeth II who believe the prospects of further indiscretions about the Royal Family in Harry’s book have ‘impacted the Queen’s health in her final year’.
Moreover, Harry would have had the will last summer to cancel the release of the book after a trip to the United Kingdom to attend the jubilee of the queen for her 70 years of reign, believes to know the Times, which cites sources relatives of the publishing house Penguin Random House, which spent several million dollars to publish these memoirs.