Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

0:00
0:00

Hype and backlash as Harry's memoir goes on sale. Unnamed royal source says prince 'kidnapped by cult of psychotherapy and Meghan'

After months of anticipation and a blanket publicity blitz, Prince Harry's autobiography "Spare" went on sale on Tuesday as royal insiders hit back at his scorching revelations.
The royal family led by King Charles III and his heir, Harry's elder brother William, have maintained a studied silence as painful details from the book and a round of pre-publication TV interviews have piled up.

But palace insiders quoted in the UK press said the Duke of Sussex had crossed a line in attacking Queen Consort Camilla, Charles's second wife following the death of Princess Diana, William and Harry's mother.

"He has been kidnapped by a cult of psychotherapy and (wife) Meghan," one royal source told The Independent newspaper.

"It is impossible for him to return (to Britain) in these circumstances," it said, as other sources accused Harry of betraying both his father and brother.

The book opens with an epigraph drawn from the US author William Faulkner — which Harry writes he found on the website BrainyQuote.com.

"The past is never dead. It's not even past," it says, setting the stage for 416 pages of ghost-written prose dominated by Harry's trauma over Diana's death, score-settling with his family and hatred of the British media.

Some UK bookshops staged Harry Potter-style midnight openings for the biggest royal publication since the late princess of Wales collaborated with Andrew Morton for Diana: Her True Story in 1992.

One-person queue

But there was none of the initial clamour and crowds that greeted the sales of JK Rowling's popular adventures of the boy wizard.

At the head of a small queue outside one shop at London's Victoria train station was Chris Imafidon, chair of an education charity, who said he wanted to hear about Harry's life "from the horse's mouth".

Staunch royalist Caroline Lennon, 59, was the only person in line outside another London bookshop before it opened on Tuesday — outnumbered by a scrum of reporters.

"I love the royal family, all of them, but I like Harry too," the Londoner said.

"I don't like this war thing going on between them and I want to hear what he has to say.

"I also bought the audiobook so I will be able to listen to his voice," she added, as both the print and audio versions topped Amazon UK's sales chart.

The publication has been accompanied by four television interviews in the UK and the United States, where Harry now lives with Meghan.

In one session with the US network CBS, Harry described Camilla as "the villain" who waged a "dangerous" campaign to win over the press herself after Diana's death in a Paris car crash — which he blames on the press.

The contents of the memoir, which will be available in 16 languages as well as the audiobook, have already been widely leaked after copies mistakenly went on sale early in Spain.

Popularity plunge

As well as giving insights into palace life, the book contains an explosive claim from Harry that William physically attacked him as they argued about Meghan.

It also gives an account of how he lost his virginity, an admission of teenage drug use and a claim he killed 25 Taliban fighters while serving in Afghanistan with the British military — which earned him a rebuke from both the Taliban and UK veterans.

The book comes on the back of the six-hour Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, in which the couple again aired their grievances with the royal family and the British media.

If the couple hope to elicit sympathy, recent polls appear to show that they are having the opposite effect — at least in the UK.

A YouGov poll on Monday found that 64% now have a negative view of the once-popular prince — his lowest-ever rating — and that Meghan also scores dismally.

They may also be straining public interest in Meghan's homeland, after resettling in California, according to the New York Times.

"Even in the United States, which has a soft spot for royals in exile and a generally higher tolerance than Britain does for redemptive stories about overcoming trauma and family dysfunction, there is a sense that there are only so many revelations the public can stomach," its former London correspondent Sarah Lyall wrote.

Harry maintains he wants a rapprochement with his father and brother, despite a lack of contact with them, but said the onus was on them, refusing to confirm whether he would attend Charles's coronation in May.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
×