King Charles III, Camilla could sue Prince Harry for defamation: expert

Prince Harry shared some hurtful things about Queen Consort Camilla in his memoir "Spare" and in promotional interviews for his book. People are now asking if it could have legal consequences. His stepmother and King Charles III could choose to file a suit, according to a royal expert, but for now, they have kept a dignified silence.

The Duke of Sussex sat for various TV interviews ahead of the release of his book on Jan. 10. In his interview on "60 Minutes" with Anderson Cooper on CBS, he called the former Duchess of Cornwall a "villain" and "dangerous" in her desire to rehabilitate her reputation from being known as the third person in Princess Diana's marriage to then Prince Charles.

The 38-year-old also accused Camilla of leaking stories to the British tabloids and of sacrificing him "on her personal P.R. altar" to improve her image. He also accused King Charles III of sacrificing his and Prince William's reputations to get better tabloid coverage.

In her piece in the Jan. 23 issue of Woman magazine, royal expert Emily Andrews claimed that the royal family can push for a legal suit against the Duke of Sussex if they want to. Queen Consort Camilla and King Charles III could sue him for defamation especially since His Majesty has protected his wife's image for decades. But the filing would reportedly have to come from them personally and not from the Royal Household. They can sue not just Prince Harry but also his publisher Penguin Random House and U.S. TV networks.

Yet, there has so far only been silence from the royals following the book's release. They have stuck to the family motto of "never complain, never explain" and continued with their series of public engagements.

Amber Melville-Brown, of international law firm Withers, told Newsweek that the royals "may be seething but will not sue." She said it is unlikely that they will retaliate and instead will "retain their silence."

"Taking the bait and biting back may be the visceral response, but were they to seek my advice, it would be to play a slightly serpentine game of 'mind-Twister'—' Keep your heads down, hold your heads high, keep your ears to the ground, and keep your mouths shut,'" she said. She claimed that "there is little point in adding to the audience numbers by engaging and prolonging the conversation" if Camilla or King Charles III were to respond to Prince Harry's revelations in "Spare."