02 January 2023 , 10:16
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Prince Harry and William's relationship "hangs by a thread" as the royal family brace for the release of Harry's tell-all memoir next week, a source has said.
According to the royal insider, the already strained relationship will likely deteriorate thanks to Harry's apparent criticisms of William and Kate in his book, Spare, out on January 10.
He is expected to talk about the difficulties of always playing "second fiddle" to his brother, the heir to the throne.
Reports suggest the memoir is "tough on William" and includes a fight between the pair.
The King, it's believed, fares better in the book but is said to be deeply hurt by criticisms of him and other senior royals in Meghan and Harry's Netflix series. However, he is keen to keep communicating with his youngest son.
Meghan Markle 'to unleash her own memoirs' as Prince Harry's drops next week
Harry speaks of the difficulties of 'playing second fiddle' to his brother in the book, it's believed (PA)
In Harry and Meghan's Netflix documentary, Harry described William screaming at him (PA)And one source tells The Mail: "Whether Prince William would be so receptive is another question.
"Things are hanging by a thread as it is after the past few months, and from the sounds of it Harry's memoir is unlikely to help."
In the Netflix series, Harry, said it was "terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me and my father say things that simply weren't true and my grandmother quietly sit there and sort of take it all in".
He also claimed that Meghan's popularity was a problem for some of the royal family and as a result 'The firm' planted negative stories about her in the press.
Harry's memoir Spare is released on January 10 (Penguin Random House)
Harry said members of the royal family struggled with Meghan's popularity (Getty Images for 2022 Robert F.)A Sunday Times source said Spare explores Harry's grief over the death of his mother, Princess Diana.
They said: "The overall impression is that this is a man who has never recovered from the trauma of his mother dying so young, and then along comes Meghan and he projects on to her a parallel with Diana."
Sources say the King will not be the focus of Harry’s attention in the book and he is likely to escape from the majority of the criticism.
“At the heart of this book lies a sibling rivalry between little brother and big brother," a source told The Sun.
"It will reveal Harry’s bitterness and feelings of unfairness that by the nature of hierarchy and birthright that he always played second fiddle to older William.
“The falling out is to be covered in the book in detail and what aggravates is it’s not an outsider revealing these private moments — it’s Harry giving his one-sided account of family affairs."
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The 416-page memoir, ghost written by American Pulitzer prize-winning novelist J.R. Moehringer and complete with a striking cover image of Harry, will contain “raw, unflinching honesty”, according to the publishers.
The book was set to come out this autumn but the date was pushed back as a mark of respect following the death of the Queen.