Prince Harry and Prince William's relationship 'hanging by thread' as Harry claims he 'played second fiddle'

Harry's explosive memoir is set to go into detail about the brothers' strained relationship

Harry
(Image credit: Getty)

Princes Harry and William's relationship is 'hanging by a thread' ahead of the release of Harry's memoir, according to a royal source.

Insiders now fear that the strained bond between the brothers is likely to be further damaged by potential attacks on the Prince and Princess of Wales in the book, titled Spare. 

A source told the Daily Mail, "Things are hanging by a thread as it is after the past few months, and from the sounds of it Harry's memoir is unlikely to help." While a second insider told The Sun, "It will reveal Harry’s bitterness and feelings of unfairness that by the nature of hierarchy and birthright that he always played second fiddle to older William."

Just days ahead of his book's release, Prince Harry has sat down for an intimate interview with 60 Minutes' Anderson Cooper, and a voiceover on the trailer teased, "Next Sunday on 60 Minutes. Prince Harry has an explosive new memoir coming out. What's inside? His revealing interview with Anderson Cooper only on the award-winning 60 Minutes. All new next Sunday on CBS and streaming on Paramount Plus."

Prince Harry

(Image credit: Getty)

In a statement previously announcing the book, the Duke of Sussex said, "I’m writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become.  

"I’ve worn many hats over the years, both literally and figuratively, and my hope is that in telling my story—the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned—I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think."

It was reported last summer that the memoir would worsen the feud between the brothers and throw the family into chaos.

In August 2022, Royal author Phil Dampier said on Twitter that he "can't see any chance of a reconciliation between the Sussexes and the Cambridges until Harry's book is out of the way, adding, "It's likely to make things worse!"]

Harry

(Image credit: Getty)

A memoir-writing expert has claimed that Spare will not only provide insight into Prince Harry's life for the public, but will give his two children the chance to read about their father's younger years in his own words when they grow up.

Rutger Bruining, the CEO of memoir-writing service StoryTerrace believes the book will be a great learning tool for his kids. He told The Express, "They [Archie and Lilibet] are obviously quite young but I think the memoir will be a very interesting document for them, as he [Harry] won't be able to change the narrative after the book comes out.

"So the fact that he is doing his memoir quite young will show an evolution of his thinking and personal development."

Robyn Morris
Entertainment writer - contributor

Robyn is a freelance celebrity journalist with ten years experience in the industry. While studying for a degree in Media and Cultural Studies at London College of Communication, she did internships at Now and Heat magazines. After graduating, she landed a job at Star magazine, where she worked her way up to features editor. She then worked at Future as Deputy Celebrity Content Director across Woman, Woman’s Own, Woman’s Weekly and Woman & Home magazines.