Prince Harry has revealed in a string of media appearances he wants tp reconcile with with his family. AP
In a royal family first, Prince Harry has spoken out against his uncle, Prince Andrew, criticising the disgraced duke over his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein and subsequent sex abuse scandal.
According to the Telegraph, nephew Harry has addressed the saga as “a shameful scandal” in his memoir, Spare, released this week.
While Prince Andrew has consistently denied abuse allegations brought by Virginia Giuffre, a teenage sex trafficking victim of Epstein, Andrew agreed to a settlement with her - which included no acceptance of liability - to the tune of $15 million, according to the Daily Mail.
Now, the Telegraph reports Prince Harry has called out his uncle’s discretions in his new book as he discusses his despair over losing personal security for his family.
When Harry and his wife Meghan Markle stood down as senior royals and made their move Canada, their security provided by the royal family and described by Harry as an “obligation” and an “implicit promise” ceased.
Prince Harry snapped in New York in 2021. Photo / Getty Images
While it is understood the Sussexes are in an ongoing battle with the royal family and the British Government, Harry’s book allegedly points to two reasons why he was initially certain he would never lose that protection.
Firstly, it is reported he assured his wife their security would “never” be pulled, “Not in this climate of hate. And not after what happened to my mother.”
He then writes, “Also, not in the wake of my Uncle Andrew. Despite being embroiled in a shameful scandal, accused of sexually assaulting a young girl, no one had even suggested removing his security.
“People have had plenty of reasons to complain about us, sex crimes weren’t one of them.”
The statement marks the first time a member of the royal family has addressed Prince Andrew’s alleged discretions which saw him stripped of his HRH and military titles.
Prince Andrew on BBC's Newsnight. Photo / BBC
Prince Harry, in stepping down as a senior royal, gave up these titles too. But the loss of security is what has allegedly stoked the rift with his father, King Charles, and caused ongoing grievances for the first-time author and his family which includes children Archie, 4, and Lilibet, 1.
The Telegraph reports the King made initial financial contributions to the Sussexes for personal security in the US but Harry and Meghan were still left with a deficit in the millions to cover ongoing costs.
In his book, the prince details how he was forced to move his family out a friend’s Hollywood home because the paparazzi had tracked them down.
He also, according to the Telegraph, makes a point of acknowledging it may appear “ridiculous” for a man his age to bemoan his father shutting the coffers on him but explains that the King was not only his father, he was “my boss, my banker, my auditor and the administrator of my money throughout my whole adult life”.
He likens his situation to someone who finds themselves fired with no compensation - from a career which stifled his ability to pursue anything else. He goes as far as to describe his life as being like the Jim Carrey film, The Truman Show, always watched and never really the master of his own destiny.
