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Back in 2023, the publication of Prince Harry’s debut memoir created quite a stir within royal circles.
The book, titled Spare, contained many surprising revelations about Harry’s childhood and early adult years.
But it was not as critical of the other members of the royal family as some readers had expected and — in many cases — hoped.
Still, it seems that Harry’s brother and sister-in-law are so offended by the very existence of the book that they refuse to give it a chance.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry during “The Patron’s Lunch” celebrations for The Queen’s 90th birthday at The Mall on June 12, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
According to a recent biography of King Charles by royal expert Robert Hardman, neither Will nor Kate has read Harry’s memoir.
And it seems that neither of them has any intention of doing so.
“Neither of them read it. He is a grown-up, 40-year-old with the BBC app on his phone so he knows what it says,” one palace insider remarked. “But he has people like me to tell him what else he needs to know. We gave him the key points.”
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry are spearheading a new campaign called Heads Together in partnership with inspiring charities, which aims to change the national conversation on mental wellbeing. (Photo by Nicky J Sims/Getty Images for Royal Foundation)
While the book may not have proved as damaging as some royals feared, it still generated a good deal of controversy at a very vulnerable time for the royals (it hit stores just months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II).
Hardman says the royals cryptically referred to bad press from overseas as “headwinds that we face from across the Atlantic.”
“That was one way of describing an extraordinary 12-week run of non-stop disobliging headlines and combative allegations, all of them entirely beyond the control of the King and his staff. Storm-force gales might have been a better metaphor,” he wrote.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend a service marking the centenary of WW1 armistice at Westminster Abbey on November 11, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Paul Grover- WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Hardman added that despite the challenges presented by the book’s publication, the lasting impact was negligible.
“That this should all be unfolding in the first phase of a new reign might once have been considered disastrous. However, there were two unexpected aspects to these ‘headwinds’ which would work in Charles III’s favour,” he explained, adding:
“First, the constant diet of extraneous negativity, though awkward and at times embarrassing, made very little impact, according to polls, on public attitudes towards the monarchy. Second, it appeared to have no discernible impact on the King himself.”
Apparently, there are still concerns about Harry’s literary career, due mainly to the fact that “large chunks of more recent events” were left out of Spare.
“This suggested either a sequel or, perhaps, a memoir by Meghan in due course,” Hardman wrote.
There has been talk of Meghan writing a memoir of her own. But considering Harry’s book almost got him deported, we’re guessing he’s content to focus on other pursuits for a while.
Kate Middleton, Prince William Have Not Read Prince William’s Memoir and Never Will … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
Back in 2023, the publication of Prince Harry’s debut memoir created quite a stir within royal circles.
The book, titled Spare, contained many surprising revelations about Harry’s childhood and early adult years.
But it was not as critical of the other members of the royal family as some readers had expected and — in many cases — hoped.
Still, it seems that Harry’s brother and sister-in-law are so offended by the very existence of the book that they refuse to give it a chance.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry during “The Patron’s Lunch” celebrations for The Queen’s 90th birthday at The Mall on June 12, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
Kate and William reportedly refuse to read Harry’s book
According to a recent biography of King Charles by royal expert Robert Hardman, neither Will nor Kate has read Harry’s memoir.
And it seems that neither of them has any intention of doing so.
“Neither of them read it. He is a grown-up, 40-year-old with the BBC app on his phone so he knows what it says,” one palace insider remarked. “But he has people like me to tell him what else he needs to know. We gave him the key points.”
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry are spearheading a new campaign called Heads Together in partnership with inspiring charities, which aims to change the national conversation on mental wellbeing. (Photo by Nicky J Sims/Getty Images for Royal Foundation)
While the book may not have proved as damaging as some royals feared, it still generated a good deal of controversy at a very vulnerable time for the royals (it hit stores just months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II).
Hardman says the royals cryptically referred to bad press from overseas as “headwinds that we face from across the Atlantic.”
“That was one way of describing an extraordinary 12-week run of non-stop disobliging headlines and combative allegations, all of them entirely beyond the control of the King and his staff. Storm-force gales might have been a better metaphor,” he wrote.
Weathering the storm
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend a service marking the centenary of WW1 armistice at Westminster Abbey on November 11, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Paul Grover- WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Hardman added that despite the challenges presented by the book’s publication, the lasting impact was negligible.
“That this should all be unfolding in the first phase of a new reign might once have been considered disastrous. However, there were two unexpected aspects to these ‘headwinds’ which would work in Charles III’s favour,” he explained, adding:
“First, the constant diet of extraneous negativity, though awkward and at times embarrassing, made very little impact, according to polls, on public attitudes towards the monarchy. Second, it appeared to have no discernible impact on the King himself.”
Apparently, there are still concerns about Harry’s literary career, due mainly to the fact that “large chunks of more recent events” were left out of Spare.
“This suggested either a sequel or, perhaps, a memoir by Meghan in due course,” Hardman wrote.
There has been talk of Meghan writing a memoir of her own. But considering Harry’s book almost got him deported, we’re guessing he’s content to focus on other pursuits for a while.
Kate Middleton, Prince William Have Not Read Prince William’s Memoir and Never Will … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.