Prince Harry has been making the rounds, drumming up press for the release of his tell-all memoir, Spare. A number of bombshell allegations from the book have already surfaced, particularly concerning the Duke of Sussex’s strained relationship with brother Prince William and father King Charles III. In interviews with 60 Minutes and Good Morning America, Harry also talked about his stepmother, Camilla, and how she became “dangerous” and “sacrificed” him to the press in an effort to rehabilitate her image. The prince also clarified where he stands with her today.
Camilla Parker Bowles was long known to have been involved with now-King Charles III, and Prince Harry wrote in Spare that she struck a deal with the British media to pave the way for marriage — something he and William both apparently urged their father not to do. Harry said that made her “dangerous,” telling Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes that Camilla “sacrificed me on her personal P.R. altar." He continued:
She was the villain. She was the third person in their marriage. She needed to rehabilitate her image. … That made her dangerous because of the connections that she was forging within the British press. And there was open willingness on both sides to trade of information. And with a family built on hierarchy, and with her, on the way to being Queen consort, there was gonna be people or bodies left in the street because of that.
Prince Harry seems to understand the Queen consort’s position. He reportedly wrote in his memoir that if you believe having positive stories written about you in the media is going to improve your reputation with the public, then you’re going to do it.
He spoke further about his stepmother with Michael Strahan on Good Morning America and, while he expressed love for all members of his family, he admitted he and Camilla haven’t spoken in a long time. The Duke said:
We haven’t spoken for a long time. You know, I love every member of my family, despite the differences, so when I see her, we’re perfectly pleasant with each other. She’s my stepmother. I don’t look at her as an evil stepmother. I see someone who married into this institution and has done everything that she can to improve her reputation and her image for her own sake.
Some jaw-dropping claims from Prince Harry’s book, which is set for release this month, have caught much of the public's attention. In Spare, the Duke of Sussex talked about his infamous Nazi costume and the role his brother apparently played in his decision to wear it. He also alleges that following Prince William’s wedding, Charles and Camilla wanted his wife, Catherine, to change the spelling of her name so that it began with a “K,” citing too many members of the royal family with “C” names.
Prince Harry also detailed a physical fight he got into with William after his brother called Meghan Markle “difficult,” “rude” and “abrasive,” and wrote about cruel jokes that King Charles III allegedly made about him while he was growing up. With the book’s release, there are likely to be more stories circulating in coming days, and it doesn’t look like reconciliation with Harry’s father and brother is likely to happen anytime soon.
Spare is set to be released January 10, and you can also see Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex on their docuseries Harry & Meghan, which is available for streaming with a Netflix subscription.
