By Marie Brockling —
NBC News
Prince Harry has accused his brother, Prince William, of physically assaulting him during an argument about his marriage to Meghan Markle, The Guardian newspaper reported Thursday.
The British outlet noted that it got an advance copy of Harry's highly anticipated new memoir,
Spare
, due out next Tuesday, January 10.
Harry says in the book that William "knocked him to the ground" during an argument at the Sussexes' London home in 2019, when the brothers' relationship spiraled, The Guardian reports.
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The upcoming book looks set to escalate Harry and Meghan's feud with the royal family, as the couple try to present their side of a story pitting the Hollywood celebrity against the centuries-old British institution.
NBC News has yet to obtain or see a copy of the book.
Representatives for Prince Harry and publisher Penguin Random House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The book's title is an apparent reference to Harry being a real "spare", not first in line.
William, Prince of Wales, is next in line.
According to The Guardian, the book describes
"intensely private scenes and conversations"
spanning from Harry's early childhood to his marriage to actress Meghan Markle.
It includes details about Harry's relationship with his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car accident in 1997, his father, the now King Charles, and his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
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Kensington Palace, which represents Prince William, and Buckingham Palace, which represents King Charles, declined to comment on the allegations in the book.
The Guardian article focuses on an alleged attack on Harry and Meghan's former London home of Nottingham Cottage, in the grounds of Kensington Palace, in 2019.
Prince Harry allegedly says in the book that his brother William had complained about Meghan, calling her
"difficult", "rude" and "abrasive"
.
The confrontation escalated and
the brothers shouted and insulted each other,
according to the book.
Harry says that he was afraid of his brother, who was furious and followed him around the house.
Harry writes that William then
grabbed him by the neck
and ripped off his necklace before throwing him to the ground, The Guardian reports.
“I landed on the dog bowl, which broke under my back, the pieces cutting me.
I stood there for a moment, stunned," Harry writes in the leaked passage from the book published by The Guardian.
Harry then told his sister to get off him, which he did after initially urging her to hit him back, according to the newspaper.
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William later returned and apologized, the newspaper reports, although the excerpt says he suggested Harry not tell Meghan about the alleged altercation.
"You mean you attacked me?"
, writes Harry who responded, according to the newspaper.
"I didn't attack you, Harold," he recounts that William responded to him.
Harry writes that he initially only spoke to a therapist about the alleged incident, according to the leak.
But when Meghan noticed that she had "scratches and bruises" on her back, she told him what had happened, the Guardian quoted in the book.
A couple of interviews with Harry will air this weekend on ITV News in the UK and on CBS in the US ahead of the book's publication.
In a new trailer released on Thursday by ITV, Harry rejects the allegation that he has violated the privacy of his family members, saying "that would be the allegation of people who don't understand or don't want to believe that my family has been reporting to the press".
Asked if he will attend his father's coronation, Harry says that a lot can happen between then and now: “The ball is in his court.
There's a lot to discuss and I really hope they're willing to sit down and talk about it."
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In the Netflix series, the couple took direct aim at the family, accusing them of actively fueling negative media coverage that they say helped drive Meghan into suicidal thoughts and led the couple to leave the country.
Harry also said that William had yelled at him during a meeting.
The palace has refused to comment on the allegations in the Netflix series.
The couple first outlined their side of the story in their bombshell interview with media mogul Oprah Winfrey, accusing family members of racism.
William then denied in public comments that the family was racist, and the palace said in a statement that the allegations were "troubling" and that "although some memories may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family in private."
