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Jacquelin Magnay

Spare us more whingeing from the Duke of Moan-tecito

Jacquelin Magnay
Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, is released next week.
Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, is released next week.

The Duke and Duchess of Moan-tecito are at it again. Just weeks after the release of their bore-athon Netflix documentary series, Prince Harry has hit the airwaves to promote his new book Spare.

Ahead of next week’s release of the tome which insiders claim will destroy any hope of Harry reconciling with his brother Prince William – which, to be frank, is a relationship already in ruins – we can look forward to a seven-day drip feed of “explosive” and “dramatic” revelations in Harry’s hand-picked television interviews – one in the United States and one in Britain.

So far, the promos are a rehash of what we have heard before: big sweeping statements of victimhood with little detail. Added titbits will no doubt be released in the coming days in a bid to drag in viewers.

In a clip of the interview given to Anderson Cooper of American network CBS, Harry admits: “I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother back.”

But he adds: “They’ve shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile . . . They feel as though it’s better to keep us somehow as the villains.”

He once again says Buckingham Palace betrayed him and his wife Meghan Markle by planting stories in the British media. Cooper’s full interview will air next weekend on the US’s version of 60 Minutes.

Harry justifies his public lambasting of his family by saying he has “tried to do this privately”, but insists to Cooper that “every single time I’ve tried to do it privately, there have been briefings and leakings and planting of stories against me and my wife”.

He adds: “You know, the family motto is “never complain, never explain”, but it’s just a motto and it doesn’t really hold.”

He says the palace spoonfed royal correspondents with information.

“And at the bottom of it, they will say that they’ve reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment. But the whole story is Buckingham Palace commenting.”

A bitter Harry again complains that the palace didn’t put out statements to protect Meghan, unlike their actions for other members of the family.

“There comes a point where silence is betrayal,” he says.

In the Sussexes’ Netflix documentary Meghan, 41, insisted: “I wasn’t being thrown to the wolves. I was being fed to the wolves.”

It has been revealed that Harry’s $US20million book deal with Random House is not just for his upcoming memoirs, ghostwritten by JR Moehringer, but is instead for four books.

The Sunday Times said a source who had read Spare believed “the book is worse for them than the Royal Family is expecting”.

“Everything is laid bare. (King) Charles comes out of it better than expected, but it’s tough on William, in particular, and even Kate gets a bit of a broadside,” the source said.

“There are these minute details, and a description of the fight between the brothers. I personally can’t see how Harry and William will be able to reconcile after this.”

While the Sussexes’ popularity continues to plunge in Britain with every episodic media appearance, the airing of their grievances is starting to grate on Americans too.

Seemingly as their celebrity factor increases, especially with younger people, the Sussexes are discovering that not everyone is impressed with their trashing of family and perceived woedom.

Last month, entertainment bible Variety said the Netflix documentary showed how “pinched and unimaginative” Harry and Meghan’s presence upon the world stage had become.

A poll released late last year also showed that the Princess of Wales outshone Meghan in the US popularity stakes. YouGov polling in the US showed Meghan had a net popularity figure of -32 in the US in November, being liked by 28 per cent and disliked by 60 per cent. Kate had a net approval rating of +43 with 52 per cent saying they liked her and nine per cent disliking her.

With more days ahead of hearing and reading about Harry’s affront, it will be intriguing to see not only how the Sussexes are received, but how King Charles and William respond.

There is the issue of coronation invitations, the status of the Sussex children – three-year-old Archie and one-year-old Lilibet – and, of course, the bizarre situation of this titled couple consistently trashing the monarchy, yet trading on their privilege.

Of course to keep themselves in the spotlight, and relevant to celebrity obsessed fans, Spare will be just one small instalment of the Sussexes’ much bigger melodrama.

Spare us, please.

Read related topics:Harry And MeghanRoyal Family
Jacquelin Magnay
Jacquelin MagnayEurope Correspondent

Jacquelin Magnay is the Europe Correspondent for The Australian, based in London and covering all manner of big stories across political, business, Royals and security issues. She is a George Munster and Walkley Award winning journalist with senior media roles in Australian and British newspapers. Before joining The Australian in 2013 she was the UK Telegraph’s Olympics Editor.

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/spare-us-more-whingeing-from-the-duke-of-moantecito/news-story/84af21479e5b5dd0872931b4961d5a29