The private life of the British Royal family has always been a subject of curiosity. Naturally, the rumors coming from the Palace are interesting for many people. However, no royal member has ever talked about his family life as much as Harry, Duke of Sussex. This time, Harry, who wrote his memoirs, is here with anecdotes from his private life…
Let’s rewind the calendar to August 1997 and take a look at one of the most unforgettable moments in history: the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. One of the first details that strikes you is that people were very sad. It is no secret that Princess Diana was a member of the Royal family, loved and respected by her own people and others. But it is also true that this love for her ushered in a period when rumors about the Royal family were rife. Now we are in a time when one of the two nervous-looking children at that funeral, Diana’s young son Harry, is spilling the secrets of the Palace as if to take revenge on someone.
Harry Duke of Sussex writes his memoirs
Harry, who was 12 years old at that funeral, is now married and the father of two children… But ever since the Duke of Sussex decided to marry American actress Meghan Markle in 2018, there has been a tense atmosphere in the Palace. Because he is constantly sharing information about the royal family that should not be known, which is actually the private life of the family.
On the other hand, what Harry has revealed so far has come to a point that has also damaged his personality. Even though the arrows of criticism are turned into question marks about the Royal family, Harry is now seen as a Duke of Sussex who shares the private life of his family.
Did the book resonate as hoped?
Harry’s latest scandal is his book Spare… As the title suggests, the book is the autobiography of a crown prince who sees himself as a “spare”… Harry’s memoirs, which were leaked to the press before its distribution, do not seem to have resonated as expected. Because such a move was not expected from a member of the royal family.
Well, what did the heir Harry share about his family and himself in his book Spare? We have compiled the remarkable topics in this book in our news.
Here are some of the memories…
According to some, the Duke of Sussex Harry draws a picture of a jealous brother with what he says about his brother, Prince William of Wales. Because most of what he writes is about his brother and sister-in-law.
One of Harry’s claims is William’s words about Meghan. So much so that during an argument, William’s use of the terms “difficult” and “rude” for Meghan caused a fight between the brothers. He even threw his brother Harry to the ground and caused some injuries.
Harry also states that while William was beating him, he also asked his brother to fight back. But Harry gives the following explanation about this incident in his book:
“He wanted me to hit him back, but I chose not to.”
The idea for the Nazi costume came from his brother and sister-in-law.
The book also states that his brother and sister-in-law were behind Harry’s choice of Nazi costume at a party in 2005. Harry claims that it was Prince William and his wife Catherine who encouraged him to wear that costume.
We remember this event with the photo on the front page of the Sun newspaper in England. In 2005, Harry was seen wearing an armband with a swastika symbol on his German military jacket at a costume party.
Harry also says that although he and his brother had a very close relationship, they were not the same after William and Kate married in 2011.
Also, before Harry married Meghan, William and Kate loved watching Suits.
Insinuating jokes from King Charles
The death of Diana, Princess of Wales, is not just an accident. There are also many who believe that it was an assassination. The reason for this is the rumors of Diana’s infidelity that led to her divorce from Harry’s father, King Charles. So Harry also grew up with rumors that his real father was Major James Hewitt, Princess Diana’s former lover.
Harry’s book includes his memories with his father about these allegations. So much so that in the book, King Charles implied that Hewitt was Harry’s real father and made “sadistic” jokes.
“One reason for this rumor was Major Hewitt’s flaming red hair, but another reason was sadism,” Harry writes. “Never mind that my mother met Major Hewitt long after I was born, the story was too good to forget,” the Duke of Sussex adds.
They didn’t want him to marry Camilla
According to the book, both William and Harry called her “the other woman” before their father revealed his relationship with Camilla. The book also mentions a common request of the William and Harry brothers. Anecdotally, the Duke of Sussex told his father not to marry Camilla, now Queen, fearing she would be a “bad stepmother”.
However, Harry says he is grateful that Camilla was not like that.
“I remember wondering just before tea whether she would be mean to me, like all the bad stepmothers in storybooks… But she wasn’t. Like Willy, I felt real gratitude for that,” he writes.
Harry also revealed the number of people he killed in Afghanistan
Harry’s book contains remarkable revelations not only about the family but also about himself. The Duke of Sussex claims to have killed 25 people while serving in the British army in Afghanistan, and even adds that in the heat of battle he saw his targets as “chess pieces” rather than human beings.
He said, “So my number is twenty-five. It was not a number that satisfied me. But it was not a number that embarrassed me either,” he writes.
Harry also says that he “didn’t think of those twenty-five people as human beings”. “If you think of people as people, you can’t kill them. If you think of people as people, you can’t really hurt people. They were chess pieces that were removed from the board. I was trained, well trained, to ‘otherize’ them. On one level, I accepted that this learned neutrality was problematic. But I also saw it as an inevitable part of soldiering,” he says.
The remarks also drew criticism from some British security and military figures. The Taliban also reacted after the prince’s remarks.
Harry served two tours in Afghanistan, one from 2007 to 2008 and the other from 2012 to 2013.
What is it like to be a member of the royal family?
In his book, Harry also gives some definitions of being a member of the royal family. He even includes situations that can be considered criticism on this subject. Some examples are as follows;
“Zero tolerance” for physical contact
Harry also describes how, as a Royal, they were taught to ensure that there was a “buffer zone” between themselves and “others”. He writes that there is also “distance” within the family itself:
“No matter how much you love someone, you can never cross that gulf between, say, the monarch and the child, or between the Heir and the Successor. Physically, but also emotionally.”
The royal family “hardly ever” carries money
Harry compares being a Royal to a never-ending “Truman Show”, referring to the 1998 movie starring Jim Carrey. He describes it as living in a “surreal situation”.
He has never owned a car
The Duke also notes how he has never owned a car and “hardly ever” traveled on the London Underground. In fact, before he left the Palace in 2020, he neither ordered online nor took delivery.
Likes to negotiate
The royal family receives a clothing allowance every year, but Harry says it is strictly for formal wear such as suits, ties and ceremonial attire.
For his everyday wear, the Duke also says he enjoys bargaining at the discount store TK Maxx, especially during the once-a-year sale from brands like Gap or J Crew.
The Queen used to make salad dressing
Harry’s memoirs include anecdotes about Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip.
According to Harry, one of Prince Philip’s many “passions” was barbecuing, while the royal family spent summers in seclusion at Balmoral. “The Queen’s “specialty” was making salad dressing,” Harry says.
