Prince Harry responds to accusations of hypocrisy over memoir and Netflix documentary
The Duke of Sussex was challenged on accusations that he was ‘invading the privacy’ of his family with his tell-all autobiography
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Prince Harry has addressed accusations of hypocrisy around his wishes for privacy while “invading the privacy” of the royal family in his latest memoir and Netflix documentary.
Speaking in an ITV interview ahead of the release of his memoir Spare on Tuesday 10 January, the Duke of Sussex was challenged on how he’d respond to accusations that he is invading the privacy of his “nearest and dearest.”
“That’ll be the accusation from the people that don’t understand, or haven’t – or don’t want to believe that my family have been briefing the press solidly for well over a decade,” Prince Harry said.
He continued: “So, I'm sorry that me owning my story and being able to tell my own story is upsetting to some people. But I have to rely on the truth, and I have done everything humanly possible in private for it not to get to this stage, but now I get to tell my story.”
Harry that his memoir, including alleged clashes with Prince William, were not meant to “intentionally harm anyone in my family.”
The Duke of Sussex said he still believes in the monarchy, but does not know if he’ll play a part in its future.
Ghostwritten by Pulitzer Prize winner JR Moehringer, the “personal and emotional” book reportedly includes claims that Prince William physically attacked Harry at his London home during an argument about the Duchess of Sussex in 2019.
Harry also reportedly writes that King Charles asked his sons not to “make my final years a misery” during a conversation that took place after Prince Philip’s funeral in March 2021.
Harry and Meghan announced their decision to step back from their roles as senior members of the royal family in January 2020.
In their six-part Netflix docuseries, Harry opened up about the “Sandringham Summit”, or the meeting he had with the late Queen, Charles and William on 13 January 2020, which was held to discuss the Duke and Duchess’s decision.
He said he was left “terrified” after the Prince of Wales “screamed and shouted” at him during the discussions.
His memoir Spare is reportedly “tough on William in particular”, and provides new details about their falling out.