Harry’s book set to include new ‘truth bombs’ from funeral
Prince Harry looks set to unleash on Charles, William and Camilla – and it could be his most controversial move yet.
COMMENT
When King Charles addressed the Scottish parliament for the first time last week he quoted Robert Burns, a man who basically bled tartan. The late Queen adored Scotland and it was where she passed away last week, so borrowing a bit of Burns was a nice touch.
But if you really want to understand the last week, then you need to look to the most famous line Burns ever wrote: “The best laid-schemes of mice and men often go awry.”
The plans for the Queen’s death have been laid for decades and I’m sure we can all agree that they involve nothing but the “best” but the coincidental presence of Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, in the UK at the time of her passing has injected a certain soap opera quality into proceedings.
Their blunt, whiplash-worthy reinsertion into the royal milieu has proven a jarring, and perpetual, distraction from the happenings of State.
(Not that, it must be noted, because the Sussexes have done anything even remotely controversial or once flouted convention – aside from an alleged inappropriate display of hand-holding at Westminster Hall; no, the duo has been displaying the very most sterling of behaviour.)
However, the Duke and Duchess accidentally being on the ground for the momentous events of the last week could end up creating even more havoc in the coming months, with one British newspaper raising the prospect that Harry could now revise his memoir to include details about his grandmother’s passing and funeral.
Was that the sound of a series of Penguin Random House executives fainting in joyous unison at the prospect of the publishing coup of the century? Maybe.
Here’s what we know: Harry has written an autobiography, with ghostwriter JR Moehringer, which was generally believed to be slated for release in the coming months in time for the Christmas market. And, even before the couple returned to the UK earlier this month, the manuscript has reportedly been finished for a while now.
What no one knows, not even members of the royal family, is quite what exactly the Duke of Sussex might have decided to reveal and just how much of a literary pasting The Firm might be about to come in for.
Specifically, there have been some reports suggesting Camilla, the Queen consort, could come in for a particularly acerbic time of it.
Never has a book loomed so large over Buckingham Palace. (Not counting, of course, Burke’s Peerage and the Cruft’s breeding guide.)
If that was the way things looked before, they could become a whole lot more ominous for the Palace with Harry having ended up having a front-row seat to Her Majesty’s death and his father’s accession. (Can looming become even loomier?)
On Thursday, The Telegraph reported that Her Majesty’s death has thrown the release plans for Harry’s book into “turmoil”, meaning it won’t hit shelves until 2023 as the Sussexes observe the mourning period.
Not only that, this might mean that, “Prince Harry will have time to write additional chapters about his grandmother’s death, ensuring it does not appear out of date.”
Now yes, practically that makes perfect sense. The Montecito-based compassion-spruiker is being paid a shed load of money (a reported $A29.5 million) for the book, $A2.2 million of which will go to his Sentebale charity.
To recoup some of that stonking advance, Penguin Random House will obviously want to do anything and everything in their power to sell the thing.
Also, it would be a tad odd if Harry’s book somehow completely failed to mention the biggest royal event in nearly a century.
But there is writing about the funeral and writing about the funeral.
Would an updated manuscript simply see Harry poignantly reflect on the loss of his former “Commander-in-chief” and see him movingly honour her memory?
Or, could the Duke be willing to pull back the curtain on the most consequential and emotional moment in the last 70 years of the House of Windsor, warts and all?
Punches are not something that Harry and Meghan have pulled when it comes to talking about his family, with him telling Oprah Winfrey that he thought his father and brother were “trapped” and later elsewhere, accusing his family of “total neglect”.
The fallout, if Harry was to decide to go into detail about what has been going on behind the scenes – say what was discussed in the car with William and Kate, Prince and Princess of Wales, as the quartet made their way to a surprise joint appearance last weekend – could see permanent damage done to his relationship with his family.
Rapprochement? I hardly knew her.
There is also the question of what Harry might leave in the book. Charles, William and Kate are the key members of the royal family whom Harry and Meghan have spoken publicly about; and along with the new Queen consort, they are the members of the royal family whose positions have shifted seismically in the last week.
Will the passing of the Queen give Harry licence to really speak his mind or might he pull things back now that his father has taken the reins?
Even before Her Majesty’s death, there were reports that the Duke was still weighing up how much to reveal about his family. One publishing source told Page Six in late August: “I have heard that Harry has some truth bombs in his book that he is debating on whether to include or not.”
Another publishing source has previously said: “It’s juicy, that’s for sure.”
However, with the ground having shifted in a matter of days, an insider told (who else?) Page Six yesterday that question is, “Is Harry taking out anything potentially bad he wrote about [William, Charles and Camilla] now? Who knows what will change.”
(One thing that is resolutely off the table: Harry writing anything less than absolutely glowing about his grandmother who is widely known to have adored.)
More broadly, it remains to be seen how the Queen’s death will impact the Duke and Duchess’ other commercial projects, with her Archetypes podcast put on temporary hold.
In July, it was reported that Netflix has been pushing for their debut show, which has confusingly been described as an “at home” docu series and a documentary about their “love story,” to come out before Christmas. Could there be movement on that front too?
It would seem that when it comes to “best-laid schemes,” the exact same holds for mice, men, members of the royal family and billion-dollar entertainment behemoths – anything can go awry.
Daniela Elser is a writer and a royal expert with more than 15 years’ experience working with a number of Australia’s leading media titles.
Kate move that makes William ‘flinch’
“Ruthless”: The couple are usually on the same page – except when it comes to one thing, according to the princess’ brother.
Kate makes low-key return to work
The Princess of Wales has returned to official duties at Windsor Castle, diving back into an area she’s deeply passionate about.
Sad Harry birthday pic has royalists talking
The Duke of Sussex marked his milestone 40th birthday having reverted to a strange former habit – and it painted a pretty gloomy picture.