Prince Harry's memoir 'will do nothing to heal rift' with royals, expert says

Royal experts argued that Prince Harry's memoir could be destructive and could only further strain his relationship with the royals, especially given its revealing title.

Royal author Richard Fitzwilliams said the British royal family should be "very concerned" as he believes that the book "could be potentially extremely destructive," especially in the early months of King Charles III's reign. He explained the context of the title during a discussion about the Duke of Sussex's memoir with Entertainment Daily.

He said, "The title is 'Spare,' a Queen or future Queen was, according to cynics, supposed to produce 'an heir and a spare.' This sounds like the choice of someone who feels deep resentment."

He added, "Its blurb says it is 'raw' and 'unflinching'. There have also been reports of rewrites after the Queen died. He has hired a Pulitzer Prize-winning ghostwriter and the publicity surrounding it, doubtless including interviews and serialisation, will be vast worldwide. The royal family ought to be very concerned."

As to the contents of Prince Harry's memoir, Fitzwilliams admitted, "We don't know its contents, the title certainly implies he has felt in the shadow of his brother." He speculated that the 38-year-old "may expand" on being the "spare to the throne" and on his and his brother Prince William's feelings towards their stepmother Queen Consort Camilla.

"The title implies the author feels or felt undervalued. Clearly, it will be hagiographic about Meghan. The royal family and the Royal Household are likely to be far less fortunate," he continued.

Meanwhile, royal expert Jennie Bond said that whatever the book contains, it is likely not going to heal the Sussexes' alleged rift with the royals. She too believes that it could be destructive.

She told BBC Breakfast, "Well it's obviously going to be extremely tricky and again that sort of damage will be hanging over them all until January 10, when everyone can hear and read this book. We are just going to have to wonder how bad is the damage going to be."

Bond claimed that Prince Harry's memoir "is going to do nothing to heal the rift", especially with his brother Prince William. She does not think that "it's going to get much better" after the book's release.