Prince Harry, King Charles, and Prince William. Photo / Karwai Tang, WireImage, File
Prince Harry, King Charles, and Prince William. Photo / Karwai Tang, WireImage, File
Editorial
EDITORIAL
These past few days it has been difficult to avoid the disclosures from the royal-gone-rogue Prince Harry as the contents of his memoir have been strategically - and perhaps, in the case of Spain, accidentally - unveiled.
Speaking with US and British media outlets, Henry Charles Albert David Mountbatten-Windsorhas outlined a physical confrontation with his brother and heir to the throne, Prince William. He also detailed the perceived lack of care he felt while growing up without a mother, and the ostracism he has felt, especially towards his wife, Meghan.
Among some of the more startling anecdotes were how he lost his virginity, dabbled with recreational drugs, didn’t believe his mother was dead, was encouraged to wear an entirely inappropriate costume to a party, and was told to shave off his beard for his wedding.
Today’s release of the memoir, Spare, a reference to his father’s alleged comments about Harry’s birth meaning there was now an “heir and a spare”, is the culmination of two years of skirmishes between the prince and the Palace.
The 416-page ghost-written memoir sketches out Harry’s account with “raw, unflinching honesty”, according to publisher Penguin Random House, which reportedly paid a $32 million advance for the manuscript and anticipates paying the prince a further $50m from four editions.
Harry has declared he wants to reconcile with his family, particularly his brother and father. William, according to the usually-reliable sources, is “seething and devastated”. King Charles III has his coronation scheduled for May but is more likely consumed with accusations his wife Camilla colluded with journalists to undermine family members while securing her seat as Queen Consort.
Harry has blamed the media in part for his predicament. Stories about him and, in particular, his wife Meghan, forced him to abandon duties and his home country, he says, to protect his family. He describes the British press as “dragons” and to be sure, some media intrude beyond what most New Zealand readers would deem appropriate. But being part of an institution that is held in lofty regard and, yes, publicly funded, rightly comes with attention and scrutiny.
The allegations seem extraordinary but strip away the fact they are royals and this is a very ordinary family falling out. It is all played out in the full glare of celebrity, sure, but take away the trappings of the House of Windsor and the themes are both familiar and familial.
How relatable then is this son, bereaved of his late mother; resentful of a stepmother; in the shadow of an older, higher-status brother; angered by a less-than-warm welcome for his wife; frustrated by a lack of support and empathy from a wider whānau and community?
His motives could be a little more transparent but umbrage has now been taken on all sides and estrangement will be all the more enduring.
Harry’s disclosures reveal much about the inner workings of the Firm, or at least his depictions of it, but more crucially, they peel away the artifice of royalty to reveal a family more like ours, more ordinary.
