Sources close to Prince William have questioned Prince Harry’s claims his brother physically assaulted him in a heated row, Mirror royal editor Russell Myers reveals in his new biography of the Prince and Princess of Wales
Prince Harry’s claim Prince William physically assaulted him in a heated row was “massively overblown”, an insider has revealed. Sources close to the Prince of Wales say Harry’s account of the altercation, which saw William confront his younger brother over his wife Meghan’s behaviour towards palace staff, was a “cheap shot”.
A new biography, William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, by The Mirror’s royal editor Russell Myers, reveals for the first time how sources with knowledge of the incident questioned the claims made by Harry in his bombshell memoir, Spare. The allegation that the warring brothers got into a physical altercation when William questioned Harry about Meghan being ‘difficult’ and ‘abrasive’ to those working for the Royal Family was one of the most explosive in Harry’s autobiography.
READ MORE: Harry’s ‘incredulous’ Meghan Markle demand put Kate Middleton in ‘impossible situation’READ MORE: Prince William ‘never liked stain on the family Andrew’ after aggressive outbursts
The Duke of Sussex claimed that during the incident at Harry’s former home of Nottingham Cottage in Kensington Palace, William grabbed him by the collar, knocked him to the floor, which ripped his necklace, and caused a dog bowl that Harry landed on, to crack under his back.
William has always remained silent on the claims, but in William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, a source says: “It was a cheap shot [from Harry] to present such an argument. Tensions were running very high, and yes, there certainly were cross words exchanged that on reflection were regrettable, but the prince [William] is adamant there was no physical violence.”
In Spare, Harry accuses William of peddling the tabloid narrative about Meghan, which led to the tense argument. But a source included in the book says that staff had been “ground down” by the Sussexes and adds: “It wasn’t peddling a tabloid narrative to stick up for staff that were deeply unhappy to the point of walking away or having their mental health being affected.”
In the Mirror’s exclusive serialisation of the new biography, it is also revealed how the Princess of Wales had less interest than Prince William in trying to stop the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from walking away from royal life, believing Prince Harry quitting his role was “inevitable”.
In further revelations, the future queen eventually realised she “could do no more to bring the brothers together” – despite previously being a “voice of reason” throughout the disintegration of their relationship. The biography, available to pre-order now, also reveals how William wanted his disgraced uncle Andrew banished from royal life immediately after his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview in 2019.
It also unearths the true story on how William and Kate felt about the Sussexes’ departure from royal life and provides never-before-told context on how the Princess of Wales dealt with her shock cancer diagnosis.
The book also highlights the Prince and Princess of Wales’s life from their earliest meeting at St Andrews University to the current day and how they have shaped their vision for a modern monarchy and its safe continuation at a time of extreme change and turmoil.
Myers said: “I’ve spent almost a decade following The Prince and Princess of Wales as part of the Royal pack and have always believed there’s so much more to the couple than the spectacle reveals. The result of this biography is a truly intimate portrait of William and Catherine; providing not just unparalleled insight into who they are as individuals, but seismic revelations about them as a couple and the world they inhabit.
“This biography moves beyond the headlines as it explores love, resilience, and their journey together as they navigate their public duties amid this unprecedented era.”
William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, published on 26 February by Ebury, Penguin Random House, is available to pre-order now.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
