Kay: Palace courtiers have ‘considerable anxiety’ about Prince Harry’s memoir

Instead of writing about Prince William’s very alleged sexual proclivities, the Daily Mail columnist Richard Kay chose to focus on Prince Harry in his most recent column. This is by design, although it will be interesting to see if the Kensington Palace-aligned royal commentators can continue to deflect all uncomfortable rumors about William to “screaming and crying about the Sussexes.” Kay’s column is about Prince Harry’s memoir. Kay doesn’t know the first thing about what’s in the memoir or what Harry will discuss. The royal courtiers have no idea what Harry will discuss either. That’s it. That’s the column. Some highlights:

Panic in the palace: Understandably there is considerable anxiety in Buckingham Palace circles that Harry, 37, will use the memoir to settle perceived scores with family members and senior courtiers. They are particularly nervous about his attitude towards his stepmother, the Duchess of Cornwall, the women who many of the late Princess’s supporters still blame for the collapse of the Charles-Diana marriage.

A discussion in 2017: Five years ago, long before he had thought about writing a book, Harry invited friends of his mother to share memories and private photographs of her. Initially, he said it was because his own recollections were a little shaky. He especially wanted to know the background to the breakdown of the marriage of his parents… which they had gone to great lengths to protect him and his brother William from. With some of Diana’s intimates he was more explicit. One at least had a lengthy discussion with him about Camilla. ‘It was pretty clear that he did not have a high opinion of her,’ the friend later told me. ‘He wasn’t very complimentary about her and I very much doubt he forgot what we talked about that day.’

That was the first time Harry thought about how Diana was treated?? It was meeting the handful of Diana’s friends around the time of the 20th anniversary of her death — and hearing their experiences of her misery — that opened Harry’s eyes to what he considered his mother’s ill-treatment, not just at the hands of the hated media but also by the royal household, the institution that Harry also holds responsible for many of his own grievances.

Will Harry’s memoir talk about William? It is almost impossible to see how he can truly separate these areas from his experiences as the son of the heir to the throne and brother of the next in line. It is the disintegration of the bond between him and William over the past three years which has so alarmed courtiers. They are, I am told, unimpressed by Harry’s bold assertion that he has written the book ‘not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become’. Why? Simply because Harry has made so many empty promises in the years since he chose comfortable exile in California over duty and service to the Crown. ‘If this is meant to convey some kind of reassurance that he will not be telling tales from within his privileged position inside the Royal Family, then people are not convinced,’ says one figure who has known Harry most of his life.

Ah, Kay identifies why William & Harry fell out: Of course what are certain to be the most sought-after passages in the book will be when he writes about his brother. This surely is potentially the most contentious issue of all — because of its importance to the long-term wellbeing of the monarchy — and one that will be scrutinised not just for what he puts in, but for what he chooses to leave out. Their relationship has been so damaged by the fall-out from exile and Harry’s endless criticism of the royals, that some question whether it ever can be properly repaired. A score-settling book is not the best way to start. His bombshell accusations about racism in the Royal Family and Meghan’s complaints of abandonment in terms of emotional and financial support, are still painfully, brutally raw.

[From The Daily Mail]

Just let me highlight a few things, things we’ve heard and read before, but it’s worth noting the completely f–ked up narratives still being spun on Salt Island. “His bombshell accusations about racism in the Royal Family and Meghan’s complaints of abandonment in terms of emotional and financial support, are still painfully, brutally raw…” As in, the Windsors feel brutalized and raw… because Meghan spoke about how the Windsors were trying to destroy her and they did nothing to help her when she was suicidal. As in, the Windsors are still painfully raw because they were accused of being racist? This narrative about the “poor, brutalized Windsors with their raw feelings” continues to be completely offensive, asinine and shocking, honestly.

“If this is meant to convey some kind of reassurance that he will not be telling tales from within his privileged position inside the Royal Family, then people are not convinced…” Harry will write about anything he wants and “people” can just suck it up. A few more things: Buckingham Palace couldn’t care less about Harry writing about Camilla. Charles and Clarence House are the ones publicly whining about how Harry is going to be so mean to poor Cam. Similarly, it’s not Buckingham Palace worrying about the relations between Harry and William. Kensington Palace wants to keep up the narrative that WILLIAM is so hurt, so brutalized, so raw from Harry’s “accusations.”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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52 Responses to “Kay: Palace courtiers have ‘considerable anxiety’ about Prince Harry’s memoir”

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  1. BUBS says:

    William is “raw” (literally) from something else entirely…not Harry’s accusations!

    • Wiglet Watcher says:

      The twitter link is dead and what people do in their private times with consent is their own deal. But a part of me is very petty and feels the media should turn on the royals since they seem to be completely corrupt and undeservingly entitled. Just not this way.

      It’s still so funny the Sussex are so amazing all the royal machine and RR have on them is made up nonsense about things they know nothing about like Harry’s yet to be released in any way book.

      • Nic919 says:

        The courtiers need to be less worried about whatever Harry puts in his memoir and more about how that viral trend spread so far and so quickly and was still being referenced in social media during the final yesterday. As much as the derangers try to blame the squad, this was from another source and the non royal watchers and blue checks spread it like wildfire. It’s pretty hard to say the social media person from Ryanair is a squaddie.

        William is being viewed as a joke and the UK media can only hide so much at this point. Throw in charles and his charity issues and there is a far bigger problem than a memoir.

    • B says:

      Lol rubbed raw and reeling appears to be Will’s new emotional state. But on a more serious note I like seeing in print acknowledgement that the monarchy did not fund Meghan in any way. When Meghan was a “publicly funded” royal she was continuously attacked in the press for wearing her own clothes and jewels with claims of “wasting tax payer funds”. The truth was she was told there was no money to pay for her and the firm/family let her be attacked endlessly based on a lie. Just like the lies about the lindo wing, making someone cry, etc..

      Besides independence, doing worthy work, and protecting their children the best thing about them leaving is how the old lies and narratives about them have fallen apart. The press keeps trying to establish new ones like this article stating the Sussexes are “exiled” but it just doesn’t work. Lol they have a home in Windsor and were personally invited to the Jubbly by the Queen. Just more Ls for that family/firm.

  2. ThatsNotOkay says:

    “As in, the Windsors are still painfully raw because they were accused of being racist?” Not accused. CALLED OUT. You can racism all day long, you can even call a racist a terrible human, but call them out as racist? That is a bridge too far and unforgivable.

  3. Sean says:

    It would be utterly hilarious if Harry’s memoir contained no references to his family/the monarchy or only references them in passing.

    • Chrissy says:

      I agree. Would he really drop a bomb on his family and the institution while the queen is still alive?

      • C says:

        He was happy to do the Oprah interview which was hardly a bomb but has been treated like the most appalling betrayal in the world. It’s clear that him speaking his truth, any of his truth, is a “bomb” to them. He won’t go scorched earth for the sake of doing so but he’ll mention the parts that are pertinent to his journey. Even that makes them afraid.

      • MsIam says:

        What could Harry say that’s worse than what’s already out there? I mean they are already portrayed as a bunch of grifting, cheating sex perverts. And I don’t see why its Harry’s responsibility alone to protect the family reputation while the queen is alive, none of the others seem to feel that way. They all do as they please and then whine when they get caught.

    • Maxine Branch says:

      We think alike in this instance. I believe the Sussexes expressed themselves in the Oprah interview and have moved on. The royal gossipers and pundits have not and this is their problem. I too believe Harry’s book will be about his life with maybe a casual reference to his family that will need to be there to provide context. I also believe so much has been written about him he wants his children to have his voice to define his life as their reference point. It would be pretty cool as they grow up and someone try’s to bring them down by sharing nonsense about their father and they could point them to the book their father wrote about his own life.

      If this family had treated the Sussexes fair and just, they would have no need to panic over a book this young man is writing about his life. Every utterance from them re this book supports what Harry and Meghan shared in that interview, they did not receive the support they needed to stay there, so they left.

    • susan says:

      Harry-nor Meghan- really doesn’t strike me as the kind of person that would publish a book to “settle scores.” I think the two of them are focused on the present, and the future, and see zero reason to use his memoir as a way to get revenge. I think it will be focused on his mother and how she inspired him, and of course plenty of photos.

      Haters gonna hate. but I think Harry’s book is gonna outsell Tina Brown, Tom whatshisface and all the rest.

  4. Merricat says:

    Lol. Harry’s book will be about Harry. I suspect references to William and Charles will be brief, at arm’s length, and only tangential to events. What’s worse than being talked about in someone’s memoir? Being cut out entirely.

    • Ginger says:

      Agreed Merricat. This book is going to be about Harry’s life and the lessons he learned along the way. His dad and Will probably won’t be in it much.

    • K8erade says:

      I 100% agree, @Merricat. Open had some vague references to his family and I suspect Harry’s book is the same. But the BM will run with it. For example if (IF) Harry says he was bullied by someone as a child the BM will have a field day figuring out who (but duh, who was closest in age to him?). Or if when Harry discusses how he was set up to dress in the Nazi uniform and was plied with alcohol and drugs before the event (if dude who wrote that book 2 years ago is to be believed), it’s going to come back hard on the royals.

      Besides we all know the Tampon King loves taking credit for everything. It would KILL him to be barely factored into Harry’s book. He wants some mention, even if it is negative. Because at least it gives him something to fight back on and puts attention on him that he so desperately and constantly craves. Why should Harry give him any?

    • Well Wisher says:

      I agree with @Merricat. I watched the documentary “Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy” at least three times. The first time was via CBS with adverts. The next time was through a local media platform where two of William’s remarks stayed with me.
      When asked about what type of grandmother Princess Di would’ve been, he replied that she would have helped with the bath a leave before cleaning up the big mess that she would’ve made.
      The second was an exchange between William and Harry in relation to an unseen photograph.
      William assured Harry that he was in the photograph in their mother’s tummy.
      Harry then asked if William was excited on his impending birth.
      William replied to a red faced Harry, with the following statement: ” I couldn’t wait ‘to beat you up’ “. Not verbatim.
      I had to rewatch to be absolutely sure what I had seen and heard.
      So it is on tape somewhere that William admitted to abusing Harry.
      The next time I saw a similar look on Harry’s face was the last offical joint
      appointment they made, so it never fully stopped until recently. Probably moved from physical to emotional.
      He does not have to write about, it is out there right from the horses’ mouth. I never saw the doc on HBO, so I am uncertain as to the particular edition of the documentary they have.
      I have since publicly shared the idea of abuse but not the source until now.
      William’s actions have since bore out those remarks in regards to his mother calling her paranoid and his behaviour towards his brother and his wife, Meghan.

      • equality says:

        Kind of a stupid statement by PW about Di. Why would Diana clean up the mess from the bath? Are we supposed to believe that W&K do and not servants?

      • Cairidh says:

        Probably projection on Williams part. That’s probably what he does/did.
        Diana was known to enjoy cleaning, relishing doing housework at her mothers house on seiL, or for dr hasnat khan at his flat in London.

    • Both Sides Now says:

      @ Merricat, I firmly agree with your statement. Harry’s book will have little to no reference to his awful family. Harry will be telling us of his early life, the influences in his life as well as how he became the man that he is today. Harry will also include what he hopes for their future as well as his drive to make the world a better place in his projects.

      The fact that everyone on Salty Island is continuing to have strokes over what will be in Harry’s memoir tells us that they know that how they treated Harry, as well as Meghan, have them worried about the truth coming out. They are telling all of us that their fingerprints are all over their dastardly deeds to destroy Harry and Meghan!

  5. Amy Bee says:

    If anyone reads Open by Andre Agassi you will see how it is possible to write a memoir without focusing on other family members. It not that they or other people weren’t mentioned but the book was mainly about Agassi and his feelings and I think this is how Harry is going to write his book as he has the same ghost writer as Agassi. The press is going to be outraged when the Royal Family doesn’t figure prominently in the book and I can’t wait for that.

    • Decaf plz says:

      Ohhhh, Agassi’s book was really good. I didn’t know about the same co-writer. That bodes very well. Excellent point, thanks!

    • Laura D says:

      @Amy Bee
      I also think he’ll approach his book about his life from his perspective. I’ll be very surprised if he drops any names. However, I do believe his account of his life will make uncomfortable reading for family members who didn’t listen to him when he was hurting.

      I hope he mentions his security because I honestly believe they used it as a way to keep an eye on him (just like they did with his mother -allegedly). He touched on it in the Oprah interview when he said “how can you say that I must always have security and then take it away?” (owtte). I believe when they suddenly dropped his security, all kinds of pieces slotted into place for Harry. It’s frightening when a father who carries around carrier bags full of cash; who knows that the Taliban has a bounty on his son’s head couldn’t find the money to fund his son’s security.

    • Well Wisher says:

      Prince Harry and Andre share the same ghost writer. I read the book. The difficult relationship with the father was dealt with a soft touch, not to finger point, but to explain its effect on Andre’s performance due to his behaviour.
      Well done. It was so well written and edited.

      • Amy Bee says:

        @well wisher: And this is what I expect from Harry’s book. I think he gave a preview of how his book is going to be written when he spoke about his family on Dax Shephard’s podcast.

  6. Becks1 says:

    Just keep promoting Harry’s memoir RRs. the more free publicity you give it, the more copies it will sell, and i’m sure Harry and his team and the publisher appreciate that.

  7. MsIam says:

    Wow, this is all they’ve got huh, speculation about what might be in Harry’s unreleased memoir. Because there are no leaks in Montecito. Well Baldemort and #DOT you wanted the spotlight so it’s all yours now baby! Enjoy!

  8. Lilpeppa40 says:

    What “empty promises” [that Harry has made] is he even talking about? These ppl are the worst I swear to God

    • Eating Popcorn says:

      Lilpeppa40 – I came here to say this, which empty promises are those… Certainly, those broken promises would be in the media ad nauseam if Harry hadn’t followed through or broken even 1 promise.

  9. Eurydice says:

    With so much anxiety in the royal houses they must have the pharmacy on call 24/7.

    Harry’s logline says it all – ‘not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become’. It’s the transition from prince within the monarchy to the man who’s making his own place in the world. The most extraordinary thing about Harry’s life is how he got from point A to point B. Of course he’s going to talk about the monarchy and about his family – if he’d been happy within the system, he wouldn’t have left. And things that make people unhappy and want to leave are not good things. “The Firm” didn’t show any loyalty and care to H&M, so he doesn’t have to show them any, either. The courtiers will just have to keep popping pills.

  10. C-Shell says:

    They really are desperately anxious about being exposed for all their -isms. Projection on display as usual — yes, you lot were so brutal to a new bride and pregnant woman she was contemplating taking her own life and the life of her first born, and the vicious brutality definitely contributed to the loss of her second child. If anyone deserves to be “raw,” it’s Meghan and Harry.

    I seriously doubt Harry’s memoir will be the exposé they keep harping on about, but these creeps are not going to look good just by inference.

  11. Snuffles says:

    The only thing new I got out of that is that Harry reached out to Diana’s old friends for memories and old pictures. I doubt it was for his book. It was probably therapy for him.

    And he’s not going to be settling scores or exposing their secrets. But they will be referenced obliquely. It will probably be more about their absence than what they did while they were present. We know Charles was rarely around for extended periods of time. William largely ignored Harry at Eton and the went to different colleges. Harry could only see the Queen by appointment.

    Nah, I bet we will hear more about the people that were there for him in his day to day life like his mentor Mark Dyer, Prince Seeiso and his friend group.

    • HeatherC says:

      My father died two years ago, I’m in my 40s. When he died, I sought out his friends, asked questions of relatives. I still do. I agree, it had nothing to do with his memoir and more to do with getting to know a parent as an adult when you’re an adult. Though I was an adult when my father passed, I still viewed him through a child’s lens, because I was his child. Though we had more opportunities than Harry and Diana did to know each other as adults, there are still parts of his personality I didn’t know, like what was he like before I was born, before he met my mother, things like that.

      And on a petty note, I am joyous that the courtiers are so scared of a book that hasn’t been published and because of that fear, are giving it so much free publicity, more than Harry could ever buy. Keep at it, saltines!

      • Both Sides Now says:

        @ HeatherC, I am incredibly happy for you to have reached out to your fathers friends, relatives and those who knew him as the man he was for the child you knew him as. It must have been not only therapeutic but also rewarding to see what type of man he was.

        I will join you on the pettiness party as well!! I am delighted that everyone on Salty Island are shaking in their boots!! They don’t realize that these statements are exposing all of their unscrupulous as well as abusive actions against Harry his entire life as well as how they had no shame in trying to destroy Meghan.

    • Both Sides Now says:

      @ Snuffles, I have more admiration for Harry that he gathered with his Mothers friends and confidants with regards to how her life played out. It must have been extremely difficult at the time but brought him the peace that he needed to fill in the gaps.

      Harry has historically kept his relationships with the Spencer side close to him as he cherishes their relationships into his life’s biggest moments, as well as honouring his Mothers side of the family. I would imagine that they take great pride as to the man that Harry has become.

  12. fani says:

    they could be thinking about how to use their roles to improve the lives of people, but instead they are beefing with the wind.

    • Laura D says:

      This is what annoys me about POP and Barbie! All they seem to do is whine and leak and then whine and leak some more. They have access to so many opportunities to raise the profile of good causes (and as a result raise their own) but, do absolutely nothing. There’s always an excuse as to why they can’t/won’t do something.

  13. Jay says:

    I’ll bet the Windsors ARE worried sick about what Harry might or might not say about them. I fully expect a fall oppo – dump to try to pre-empt what they see as the most likely allegations, just as they did with the “Meghan is a bully” claims before Oprah, cuz they never learn.

    But I think it’s more likely to be the things we don’t read about that will end up being the most damaging in this memoir: the lack of emotional and social support from the family, which Harry has briefly talked about, as well as learning support (Harry is said to be dyslexic, and he was often talked about as if that meant he was stupid), and perhaps a conspicuously absent father and brother.

    I think instead we’ll hear a lot about his formative years in the military, his travels and founding of Sentabale and the Invictus games before he was 30, and his increasing frustration with the media and the limitations of the royal family (and, hopefully, more details about the invisible contract).

    IMO, that will end up being more damning than a play-by-play of which Windsor said which racist thing (although if Will goes ahead and outs himself as the royal racist to try to get ahead of Harry’s book, only to be mentioned once on page 67, it would serve him right).

    • K8erade says:

      Isn’t Harry still close to Nanny Tiggy and Mark (mother’s ex I believe)? I wouldn’t be surprised if they got more of a mention than Charles did.

  14. Miranda says:

    Harry endured a lifetime in which he was so often forced to be royal whipping boy, watched his family gaslight his wife to the brink of suicide, made racist remarks about his unborn son, and lost their damn minds over his baby daughter’s name, All they had to do was just NOT BE SHITTY HUMAN BEINGS. They couldn’t manage that, and now Harry has the right to say whatever he wants.

    That said, I hope his family is barely mentioned at all. Harry is a veteran, tireless in his charity work. He’s the first member of the RF to have the courage to truly strike out on his own, and has been successful in his endeavors. He’s interesting enough on his own. He doesn’t need to pad out his memoirs with stories about his family.

  15. HeyKay says:

    Harry should go ahead and tell all!
    The BRF is crumbling every time a little sunshine falls on them, dirty deeds and secrets everywhere.
    I completely back Harry in his moves to expose the truth of The Monarchy.

    Audit The Rich!

  16. Steph says:

    The BM is going to be so mad when that have to report on things after the American media bc he won’t promote with them.

  17. K8erade says:

    The part of this that really hit me was Harry just now figuring stuff out about Diana. It hit me on a triggering level so bare with me as I convey a personal ancedote about why Harry maybe didn’t get the full story until he was in his 30s: I suffer from C-PTSD due to my mother’s bipolar and borderline personality disorder (and I genuinely believe she just might be a narcissist). I was taken away from her and adopted by a former stepdad that I was close with. The trauma of my early childhood didn’t really hit until after I turned 30. I spent most of my 20s keeping myself busy and ignoring my own pain and trauma. A lot of people with C-PTSD do that.

    I’m not a mental health professional and I hate armchair diagnoses but I’ve always seen a lot of my own symptoms in Harry and he’s always been a bit of a peer for me as we’re literally a month apart. I think he had questions and knew he wasn’t going to get a straight answer from Charles who’d evade this every chance he got. I do think Harry learned something that haunted him. Will he reveal it in his book? I hope so. The world deserves to know the truth about Diana and I hope he recognizes that. I think it explains the well deserved animosity towards his family and especially courtiers.

  18. Hopey says:

    “A cult is an organized group whose purpose is ‘to dominate cult members through psychological manipulation and pressure strategies.’ It is ‘held together by a shared commitment to a charismatic leader or ideology. It has a belief system that…..offers a special solution to be gained only by following the leader’s rules.”

    This is just the tip of the iceberg abt cults. But I must mention tht the research also spks to one of the identifiers of a cult as being “preoccupied wth making money.”

    Hello!

    It is my sincere hope that H not only uses the word “cult” to describe the rf & his experiences in it tht reveal the truth tht its a cult, but tht he doubles down on this by revealing tht after H&M left, he met wth other cult-escapees and learned more abt this phenom & that he underwent the same kind of therapy available specifically for folks who’ve been brainwashed into self-abegnation for hvng been raised in a cult.

    • K8erade says:

      Meghan Markle’s dad is awful but he called it right on this one. You bring up some very good points.

  19. Sunday says:

    I don’t think that Harry will go scorched earth (though he should), but I am hoping that he talks about having his location leaked and being forced to leave active military duty. I don’t see how he can write a memoir about his life and avoid that, but I do wonder if he’ll follow the same tactic used in the Oprah interview and blame the press for publishing it rather than going into who leaked to the press to intentionally out him. The media absolutely deserves some of the blame, but I think his brother and/or father have been working against him in the cruelest ways for decades and they deserve to be exposed.

    Honestly, I think that the media squawking all about Diana and Camilla is really because they hope he focuses on his mother and the affair because then they can easily dismiss whatever he says as the emotional ravings of a grieving son. The palace will have a significantly harder time disputing everything else they’ve done if they can’t hide behind shaming Harry’s mental state.

  20. equality says:

    If he mentions them in a positive light he will be accused of sucking up because he NEEDS the royal connection so badly. If he mentions any little thing that can be given a negative spin at all, it will be a huge slap in the face to TQ. If he doesn’t mention RF members at all, it will be an insult because they have done so much for him. Whatever he writes will be twisted and spun by the BM.

    • Saucy&Sassy says:

      equality, yes, Harry will be damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. Harry knows that, so I think he’ll write the book he wants to write. He may need to speak about his family in a limited way, but I’m really looking forward to reading about the people he met along the way who has helped him become who he is today.

  21. MikeB says:

    here we go again, palace officials lining up to speak to Richard Kay about a subject they have no idea about, namely Harry’s memoir. Ever since it was announced last year there has been numerous stories speculating about its contents. I am fed up of hearing how hurt William is, does no one in the UK understand how hurt M&H are with all of the hatred aimed in their direction by the tabloids over the past years. Can we get one fact cleared up, M&H never accused the royal family of racism, that has been a tabloid construct, they stated that someone questioned the colour of their baby’s skin, that’s all.

  22. Feebee says:

    There’s a difference between telling tales and having tales to tell. I can’t imagine how much mental unwinding Harry’s had to do from being mindfucked with all his life. I’m looking forward to reading about both sets of tales.

  23. BeanieBean says:

    What endless criticism? What empty promises? They write these bald-faced lies & think people will believe them? I guess if you read it often enough you’ll think it’s true. Maybe that’s at the core of propaganda.

  24. SuzieQ says:

    The RF obviously has a lot to fear from Harry revealing the truth of his journey. Maybe they shouldn’t have made it so hard for him.
    Whatever he writes I will eagerly read.