Prince Harry brands his brother Prince William his ‘arch-nemesis’ in his explosive new memoir Spare, it was revealed today, as the Duke sparked a frenzy of controversy over sensational leaked extracts from the upcoming book in which the Duke accuses his brother of physically attacking him.
The latest quote from the book was revealed this morning by Good Morning America anchor Michael Strahan in a short clip from a one-on-one interview with Harry, 38, which is due to air in full on Monday morning.
In the short seconds-long glimpse at the sit-down, Strahan is heard telling Harry: ‘There’s a quote in the book where your refer to your brother as your “beloved brother and arch-nemesis”. Strong words. What did you mean by that?’
Harry then responds: ‘There has always been this competition between us, weirdly. I think it really plays into or always played by the “heir/spare”.’
The clip from the interview comes amid sensational fallout over several leaked extracts from Harry’s memoir. It is not known how early copies of the book were obtained, given that the publisher – Penguin Random House – was understood to have gone to great lengths to keep it under wraps.
In a clear indication that Harry plans to hold nothing back when it comes to airing his true feelings about his brother, another extract sees the Duke accusing William of physically attacking him after branding Meghan Markle ‘rude’ and ‘difficult’ shortly before the Sussexes quit their royal roles.
Prince Harry brands his brother William his ‘arch-nemesis’ in his explosive new memoir Spare, it was revealed today, as the Duke sat down for a one-on-one interview with GMA
The latest leak from the book comes after it was revealed that Harry accuses William of physically attacking him in the memoir’s pages
The Duke of Sussex has described a stand-up argument, which he says ended with the Prince of Wales grabbing him by the collar and throwing him to the floor, shattering a dog bowl with his back. William then allegedly declared: ‘I didn’t attack you, Harold.’
In an extraordinary excerpt, leaked to the left-wing Guardian newspaper, Harry recalls what he describes as a physical attack by his sibling, which he claims left him with visible injuries, including ‘scrapes and bruises’.
The furious row allegedly broke out in the kitchen of his London home, Nottingham Cottage, in the grounds of Kensington Palace in 2019.
William is said to have branded Meghan ‘difficult’, ‘rude’ and ‘abrasive’ and insisted he was trying to ‘help’ his younger brother during a meeting about ‘the whole rolling catastrophe’ of their failing relationship and Harry’s rows with the press.
Harry accused his brother of ‘parroting the press narrative’ about his American wife before a screaming match ensued, ending in a physical altercation, the book claims.
He claims he then gave the heir to the throne a glass of water and said: ‘Willy, I can’t speak to you when you’re like this.’
Describing what he claims happened next, and insisting he was scared, the former soldier said: ‘He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast. So very fast.
‘He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.’
Harry says that William had then urged him to fight back, writing that is what would happen when they scrapped as children.
But the Duke of Sussex says he refused, claiming that William left, before returning, looking ‘regretful, and apologized’.
According to Harry, William then ‘turned and called back: “You don’t need to tell Meg about this.”‘
Harry claims he said: ‘You mean that you attacked me?’ to which William is said to have replied: ‘I didn’t attack you, Harold.’
The latest quote from the book was read out on GMA this morning by anchor Michael Strahan in a teaser clip for his one-on-one interview with Harry
While speaking to Strahan, Harry admits that there has ‘always been this competition’ between himself and his brother – because of their roles as the ‘heir’ and the ‘spare’\
The extract has been published by the Guardian. It is not known how the newspaper obtained an early copy of the book, given that Penguin Random House has gone to great lengths to prevent leaks.
There will be a probe at publisher Penguin over the leak. One excerpt also made it to Page Six.
Sources previously said arrangements for Harry’s ‘explosive’ memoir’s release were being carefully guarded and managed in minute detail, with only a handful of senior executives aware of the exact specifics.
However, multiple extracts and quotes from the book have been revealed over the past 12 hours, with another leak revealing that Harry blames William and Kate Middleton for his notorious appearance in a Nazi uniform at a 2005 costume party.
In an extract published by Page Six, Harry claims he was considering wearing either the Nazi uniform or a pilot’s outfit to the ‘Native and Colonial’-themed event – with the Duke writing that he called his brother and sister-in-law for their opinion.
‘I phoned Willy and Kate, asked what they thought. Nazi uniform, they said,’ Harry wrote, according to the publication.
‘They both howled. Worse than Willy’s leotard outfit! Way more ridiculous! Which, again, was the point.’
The outfit became a huge scandal when Harry, then 20, was photographed wearing the Nazi regalia.
At the time, the story made global headlines after an image of Harry in the uniform featured on the front page of The Sun newspaper.
The Guardian’s extract from Spare also features an excerpt in which Harry sensationally claims that his father, then-Prince Charles, told his mother Princess Diana on the day that he was born: ‘Wonderful! Now you’ve given me an heir and a spare – my work is done.’
The newspaper reports that King Charles’ son was elaborating on the story behind the book’s title when he recounted what the then-Prince of Wales said to Diana on the day of his birth.
These leaks from the book come as Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir reached number two on Amazon’s best-seller list in pre-sales in North America and the UK.
The Duke of Sussex‘s book, which is set to be released on January 10, has long been expected to double-down on his attacks on the Royal Family.
Spare is currently on sale for $22.40 on Amazon in the US and half price at £14 on the UK site.
