Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Prince Harry says book written to combat tabloid spin and distortion

Prince Harry says book written to combat tabloid spin and distortion

Prince Harry on Sunday explained that he decided to publish his controversial memoirs to defend himself against years of spin and distortion by England's tabloid newspapers.

"Thirty-eight years. 38 years of having my story told by so many different people with intentional spin and distortion felt like a good time to own my story and be able to tell it for myself," he told British channel ITV in an interview broadcast on Sunday.

The Duke of Sussex's ghost-written book "Spare" is officially published on Tuesday, but its contents were widely leaked after it mistakenly went on sale early in Spain.

The book includes a claim that his brother Prince William, the heir to the throne, physically attacked him as they argued about Harry's wife Meghan.

It also gives an account of how he lost his virginity, an admission of drug use, and a claim that he killed 25 people while serving in Afghanistan with the British military.

In the TV interview, Harry focused anger on the British media, which he called "the antagonist".

He accused royals of being "complicit" in planting hostile stories in newspapers, after Meghan said the coverage made her feel suicidal.

"Certainly millions of words have been dedicated to trying to trash my wife and myself," Harry said.

"At that time I didn't fully understand how complicit the family were in the pain and suffering that was happening to my wife."


'My darling boy'


The ITV programme "Harry: The Interview" featured the prince reading extracts from the audiobook of his memoirs.

In one, he tells how his father broke the news to him of the 1997 death of his mother, princess Diana, calling him "darling boy".

Harry said he cried only once after Diana died, and he felt guilty at being unable to express grief while greeting crowds of mourners whose hands were wet with tears.

He also talked about later going to see the route Diana's car took before the crash, asking a driver to take him through the road tunnel in Paris at the same speed.

"I've been asked if I want to open up another inquiry," Harry said of Diana's death.

"I don't really see the point at this stage."

But he admitted he had lingering questions.


Combative relationship


The book focuses on his combative relationship with William. Harry says his elder brother physically attacked him as they argued over Meghan.

"I saw this red mist in him," Harry told ITV. "I want reconciliation, but first there has to be accountability."

The prince said his budding relationship with Meghan triggered a falling-out with William and his wife Kate.

He denied reports the couples initially got on well, saying the newspapers' nickname of "the Fab Four" for them "was something that the British press created".

The prince also criticises Charles's second wife Camilla in the book.

He writes that after Diana's death, Camilla "began playing the long game: a campaign aimed at marriage and eventually the crown".

Details appeared in media of private conversations that "could only have been leaked" by Camilla, Harry alleged.

"I love my father, I love my brother, I love my family," Harry said in the CBS interview.

Harry added that he and William were not currently on speaking terms and that he hadn't talked to his father "for quite a while."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
×