Britain鈥檚 Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award Gala in New York City, U.S., December 6, 2022. REUTERS
LONDON 鈥� Days after Prince Harry鈥檚 memoir accidentally went on sale early with new allegations of discord and conflict within the British royal family, a series of TV interviews with him will start airing on Sunday with the prospect of yet more damaging attacks on the monarchy.
Harry鈥檚 book 鈥淪pare鈥�, which went on sale in Spain on Thursday five days before its official release, chronicles not only hugely personal details, such as how he lost his virginity and took drugs, but also discloses more intimate private instances of family disharmony.
His elder brother, heir to the throne Prince William, knocked him over in a brawl, and both siblings begged their father King Charles not to marry his second wife, Camilla, now the Queen Consort, the book says.
Commentators say it has plunged the monarchy into its biggest crisis since the days of the royal soap opera in the 1990s around the break-up of Charles鈥� marriage to his late first wife Princess Diana, William and Harry鈥檚 mother.
All this comes just four months after Queen Elizabeth died and Charles acceded to the throne.
鈥淪o here鈥檚 Charles trying to establish himself as the new king and now Harry鈥檚 thrown this hand grenade and it鈥檚 all coming kind of crashing around him,鈥� royal biographer Tina Brown said.
Since Harry and Meghan left royal duties and moved to California in 2020, they have railed at their treatment by the royals and the palace institution.
From their interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 to their six-part Netflix documentary series last month and now Harry鈥檚 book, the couple鈥檚 message has been the same: that the royals and their aides not only failed to protect them from a hostile and sometimes racist press, but actively leaked negative stories about them.
So far, there has been no comment from Buckingham Palace or anyone who speaks for the royal family, a stance that has been lauded by much of the British media as a dignified silence.
No point in 鈥榮taying silent鈥�
On Sunday, Harry鈥檚 public thoughts will keep coming, with three more TV interviews due to air. They had been timed for broadcast ahead of the official launch of Harry鈥檚 book on Tuesday, and excerpts released ahead of time have shown Harry saying he wanted to give his side of the story.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how staying silent is ever going to make things better,鈥� Harry says in his interview with Britain鈥檚 ITV, which will be the first to be shown.
Polls suggest many Britons are becoming bored of the whole royal melodrama, and further revelations are unlikely to shake their views, whether sympathy for Harry and Meghan, or for those they criticise. However Harry鈥檚 book was No. 1 on Amazon UK鈥檚 bestselling books list on Saturday, available for pre-order ahead of its release.
Royal commentator Emily Andrews said that given Britain鈥檚 current cost of living crisis, there could be limited support for the complaints of a privileged prince residing in a mansion in California.
鈥淭hey are polarising, Harry and Megan, and I think that this new book by Harry probably won鈥檛 change many people鈥檚 opinions,鈥� Andrews told Reuters.
鈥淚 think this is overkill, it becomes saturation point and people think 鈥業 don鈥檛 want to hear anymore: shut up, go away鈥�.鈥�
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