Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have never been afraid to fan the flames, but things have gotten especially intense recently: as they ride the success of their recent Netflix docuseries, they’re also looking forward to the release of Harry’s memoir, Spare on January 10.
To add to the publicity, the prince is said to have scheduled two live interviews in the new year, one with ITV’s Tom Bradby and one with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. Unfortunately, the royal family isn’t overjoyed with the family’s debut author.
According to a new report from London’s The Times, Spare is “expected to be even more inflammatory than the couples’ Netflix series,” though it will focus more on Harry’s childhood than on his more recent clashes with the Firm. A “close royal insider” told People that, though the content might be divisive, “some of the issues [Meghan and Harry] have raised are important, and I think both sides probably recognize that.”
Despite the lack of official comment from either Buckingham or Kensington Palace, a source told Entertainment Tonight that tensions are high following the Netflix release. The source confirmed that “there is no trust left” between the royals and the Sussexes, adding that “everyone is wary” ahead of Spare’s publication.
According to a second source, whereas many family members are “angry,” Prince William is particularly upset with his brother. The inclusion of clips from Princess Diana’s 1995 Panorama interview with Martin Bashir is a key sticking point, according to this source: Prince William said last year that the interview “should never be aired again” because it “holds no legitimacy,” following the revelation that Bashir used forgery to nudge the princes’ mother to agree to the taping.
For the time being, the Sussexes are expected to be separated from their family on the other side of the Atlantic, who will be celebrating their first Christmas without Queen Elizabeth this week. A former palace staffer told People, “It will be hard, as the Queen was all they knew, like most of Britain.”
Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Prince Andrew, and Camilla, Queen Consort are expected to join Prince William and Princess Kate at Sandringham Estate. This year will also be the first time King Charles broadcasts his annual Christmas message. “The first year is the most difficult, as it is always the first of everything that you notice,” a former member of the queen’s staff told People.
