Prince Harry’s bombshell memoir, Spare, made its way into the hands of the press ahead of its release later this month, and the book apparently includes a slew of shocking allegations from the Duke of Sussex. They includes nasty jokes that his family purportedly made about him and a purported physical fight between himself and his brother, Prince William. Now, it would seem Harry also alleges that his father, Prince (and now King) Charles, and stepmother Camilla wanted to literally change Catherine’s name after she married William.
According to his book (via The Daily Mail), King Charles and Camilla wanted to change Catherine’s name so that the first letter would be a "K." They allegedly believed the royal family had too many members that have names that started with a "C" and thought the name change would make it easier. When making their point, they apparently said that it would especially difficult when it came to their “cyphers” (which are their personal Royal Family monograms), as Charles, Camilla, and Catherine would be using the same letter at the time.
It should be stressed that all of this should be taken with a grain of salt at this point. However, something that can be said is that the theoretical name change would've been a major ask for the newly installed Duchess. As many books and first-hand accounts have detailed, individuals give a lot of themselves when they become Royals. If Prince Harry's claims are true, then the plan apparently didn't work out, as Catherine has retained the spelling of her name. As of this writing, the Royal Family has not formally addressed the claim.
The relationship between the Duke of Sussex and his brother and sister-in-law has been tense for a while now. Over the past several years, he's stood by the side of his wife, Meghan Markle, since they opted to take a step back from their roles as senior members of the family. One might get the impression that this tell-all memoir isn't calming the situation and might not help Harry's desire for a reconciliation.
From the outside looking in, the Royal Family’s alleged mistreatment of Meghan Markle seems to be a major source of the strife. During the couple's 2021 interview with Oprah, she and her husband alleged that members of the family made race-related comments regarding their (at that time) unborn son, Archie. They also claimed there was a lack of regard for Markle's mental health even while she was carrying the child, which was apparently already difficult due to the attention they've received from the press.
Needless to say, to say there are a lot of claims floating around, and it's likely that more will reach the surface after Prince Harry's book hits shelves in a few days. And we'll just have to wait and see if Prince William, Catherine and co. choose to confirm or deny any specific points that are brought up.
Spare will be available to purchase on January 10th. Netflix subscription-holders can can currently hear the couple account of their decision step down as working royals via the docuseries Harry & Meghan. Keep an eye on CinemaBlend's 2023 TV schedule for more small-screen fare as well.
