Things could be worse for Charles III and Prince William, believe it or not.
Henry II fought off more than one revolt led by his impatient son, Richard the Lionheart.
Edward II was removed from the throne by his wife Isabella, partly for having affairs with other gentlemen, and subjected to death by iron-hot poker (well, so the legend goes).
And poor James II was deposed with the help of his own daughters – the future Mary II and Queen Anne – during the Glorious Revolution for embracing the Catholic faith.
The Royal Family of the British Isles have never been a wholesome bunch.
But the current King’s youngest son, Prince Harry, doesn’t need armies or hot pokers to hurt his family.
Where do you start with Spare? The boys never wanted Charles to marry Camilla? The ghost of Diana talking to Harry via a medium?
And then there’s the thought of Di’s boys getting into fisticuffs in the cottage.
Charles – a big fan of Shakespeare – is probably thinking of the bard’s depiction of an old and weary Henry IV, constantly bemoaning his troubled son Hal.
Hal ultimately turns into the great and honourable Henry V. Hard to see that happening to today’s rebel prince, but there’s always hope.
Ultimately, Charles should be fine as he’s not the main target.
It’s all about the next king. The most telling thing reported so far from Harry’s fiery memoir is his remarks on how age has been supposedly cruel to William.
Harry seems to write with a certain glee about how he couldn’t believe William was balding so rapidly, and cruelly pointing out his older brother was losing the good looks their late mother had given both of them.
The point is clear – Harry is a man who can’t understand why he’s not number one.
After all, Harry is the army hero who kills scores of Taliban. He’s the one all the ladies are after.
Will he destroy William, the brother he now calls his “arch-nemesis”? Don’t bet on it.
The story of the Windsors – so wonderfully shown in the Crown – is a battle between the colourful but difficult sibling (Harry, his great-aunt Princess Margaret, and his father’s great uncle Edward VIII) vs. the dull but dependable one (Elizabeth II, her father George VI, and William).
Edward VIII was different when he abdicated the throne in the 1930s. Firstly, he was son no.1, and secondly, he never spoke against his brother George.
But the husband of American divorcee Wallis Simpson (who does she sound like?) also famously felt cheated by the establishment. Edward thought he was the bright, brilliant, modern chap who should have stayed in front, and he had many supporters.
People forgot him eventually. His dull brother and dull niece won the people over.
Like Edward VIII before him, Harry will soon lose his glamour and get old. His time in the sun will fade. It won’t be long till Will and Kate’s kids become adults, and then the centre of media attention.
And if this Royal Family has survived coups, wars, abdication and Princess Diana, it can survive the publication of Spare.
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