Prince Harry made an explosive announcement earlier this year when he made his book plans public. The prince intends to write a memoir, out early next year, and said that the book would be “accurate and wholly truthful.” This has some in the royal family worried about what Harry will say.
What Will Harry Reveal?
Many are speculating that the book will criticize Charles for his hand in the breakup of his and Diana’s marriage. This could not come at a worse time for the Prince of Wales, who needs to stir up all the good press he can amid Queen Elizabeth’s health scares. Some have also called the timing of the book’s release “disrespectful” for coinciding with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee next year.
However, this is all speculation; no one in the royal family has publicly commented on Harry’s book. There are some who claim that this is strategic. Lady Colin Campbell, who’s written many books on House of Windsor, says that the book has put the royal family in a delicate situation.
Royals Unsure Of How To Respond
“The monarchy is acting in a weak and unresponsive way,” she says in a video discussing the situation. But on the other hand, “I think what people don’t realize is that a reputable institution that is law-abiding and is respectful of right generally cannot ride roughshod over the rights of others just because it suits it.”
In short: Prince Harry is now a private citizen living in the U.S. He’s allowed to write whatever he wants to write, and the royal family understands this.
“In the short term, yes they will look weak, at least to some people,” Campbell continued. “To others, it will look as if they are being respectful, and as if they are playing the long game and that sooner or later, if you give people enough rope to hang themselves with, they will do so.”
Whether the royals are snubbing Harry or trying to avoid any more public spats, it’s undeniable that this book will reveal secrets that the royal family would probably rather keep hidden.