By Jill Lawless
- The Associated Press
Prince Harry has defended his decision to publish his memoirs in a book that exposes divisions within the British royal family, saying it is an attempt to "own my own history" after 38 years of "twists and distortions". by others.
Harry spoke to Britain's ITV and CBS 's
60 Minutes
to promote his book
Spare
, which has generated fiery headlines with its details of private emotional turmoil and bitter family resentments.
[Prince Harry accuses his brother William of physical assault in his new book]
In interviews that aired on Sunday, Harry accused members of the royal family of "getting in bed with the devil" to get favorable tabloid coverage, claimed his stepmother Camilla, the queen consort, had leaked private conversations to the media and said his family was "complicit" in the "pain and suffering" of his wife Meghan.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, during the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, in London, England, on September 19, 2022. Karwai Tang / WireImage
Harry said Camilla had to rehabilitate her image with the British public after her long affair with her father and was one of the victims of his efforts to get better tabloid coverage.
"That made her dangerous because of the connections she was forging within the British press," he told CBS.
“Both parties were willing to exchange information.
And with a family built on hierarchy, and with her on her way to being queen consort, there were going to be people or dead bodies on the street," she added.
He reiterated his claim on ITV that there was "concern" in the royal family about the color of their son's skin before he was born after he married biracial American actress Meghan Markle, saying the British monarchy should address their attitudes towards the race.
Harry and Meghan first mentioned the incident during an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. They have not identified the family member who raised concerns.
Harry said the episode was an example of unconscious bias rather than racism, adding that the royal family needed to "learn and grow" in order to be "part of the solution rather than part of the problem."
"Otherwise, the unconscious bias then falls under the category of racism," Harry said.
He said that "especially when you are the monarchy, you have a responsibility and, rightly, people demand more of you than others."
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He recounted that a recent incident in which a former lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II asked a black British woman where she was "really" from was "a very good example of the environment within the institution."
Spare
explores Harry's grief over the death of his mother in 1997 and his resentment of the role of 'spare' to royalty, overshadowed by the 'heir', his older brother Prince William.
He recounts arguments and a physical altercation with William, reveals how he lost his virginity (in a field), and describes cocaine and cannabis use.
[Prince Harry says Queen Elizabeth II kept silent about the actions against him]
He also says he killed 25 Taliban fighters while serving as an Apache helicopter pilot in Afghanistan, a claim criticized by both Taliban and British military veterans.
Harry told ITV that he only cried once after his mother died: at her funeral.
He said he felt guilty for not showing emotion when he and William greeted the crowd of mourners outside Kensington Palace, Diana's London home.
In the book, Harry blames his family's ethics for holding his own, saying he had "learned all too well the family maxim that crying is not an option."
The Associated Press news agency bought a copy of the book in Spanish ahead of its worldwide publication on Tuesday.
"There were 50,000 bouquets for our mum and we were there shaking hands with people, smiling," Harry told ITV reporter Tom Bradby.
“I have seen the videos, true, I have reviewed everything.
We didn't understand why their hands were wet, but it was the tears that were drying up."
"Everyone thought and felt that they knew our mother, and the two people closest to her, the two people dearest to her, were incapable of showing any emotion at that moment," he lamented.
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Harry told
60 Minutes
that it took him more than a decade to accept that his mother had died.
He and his brother often discussed the idea that she had gone into hiding and would reappear later.
“I had high hopes,” he said.
It wasn't until she read the police report about her mother's death, saw the photos of the scene, and later, at the age of 23, she followed the same route into the Paris tunnel that her mother died in when her chauffeur crashed while dodging paparazzi, when his death came true.
[Harry accuses William of yelling at him during British royal family 'divorce' in latest explosive revelations on Netflix]
Spare
is the latest in a series of public pronouncements by Harry and Meghan since they left royal life and moved to California in 2020, citing what they viewed as the media's racist treatment of Meghan and lack of support from the palace.
It follows the interview with Winfrey and a six-part Netflix documentary released last month.
In the memoirs written by a
ghostwriter
[a writer who turns the ideas of another into a book], Harry, 38, describes the couple's acrimonious separation from the royal family in early 2020, after their application for a Real part-time role was turned down.
Harry contrasts the couple's taxpayer-funded security withdrawal with the case of his uncle,
ghostwriter
Prince Andrew , who was removed as a sitting royal for his friendship with American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
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Last year, Andrew settled a lawsuit from a woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her while traveling with financier Epstein when she was 17.
Andrew paid an undisclosed sum as part of the settlement, but did not admit to any wrongdoing.
[Prince Harry "finally tells his story" about his mother's death and conflict with his family "with gritty honesty"]
Harry claims that no one considered removing Andrew's security despite the "embarrassing scandal."
The television interviews are just two of several Harry has given that are set to heap more pressure on the royal family.
He will also appear on
Good Morning America
and
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
.
Royal authorities have not commented on any of the allegations, though their allies have disputed them, largely anonymously.
Veteran British journalist Jonathan Dimbleby, a biographer and friend of King Charles III, said on Saturday that Harry's revelations were of the kind "you would expect... from a kind of B-movie celebrity" and that the king would be hurt. and frustrated by them.
In the 60 Minutes
interview
, Harry denied his description of his brother's "alarming baldness" and fading resemblance to his mother as he aged and said his book was not meant to hurt his family.
Although she said she hadn't spoken to her father or brother in a while, she hopes to find peace with them.
Harry told ITV that he wants to reconcile with the royal family, but "the ball is in their court."
“They have shown absolutely no will to reconcile,” he declared.
