For those who are keeping up with the Royal Family drama over the last couple of months, you might be wondering how did Prince William react to Prince Harry’s Spare? Tensions are already heightened with the release of Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, but will what the Duke of Sussex reveals in his new book be the end of his relationship with his brother?
The book named Spare launched on January 10, 2023, but many details of its contents were leaked a week prior. The book is described by its publisher, Penguin Random House, as a “landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.”
The book will be the first insight into Prince Harry’s life since he and his wife Meghan Markle stepped down from their royal duties and since the bombshell Oprah interview in 2021. The book was obtained in advance by outlets including The Guardian and Page Six, which revealed bombshell details about the Duke of Sussex’s life including his ongoing feud with his brother. So how did Prince William react to Prince Harry’s Spare?
How did Prince William respond to Prince Harry’s Spare? A source told Us Weekly on January 11, 2023, that William is “absolutely horrified” by what Harry wrote about him in Spare and considers their relationship done. “[William] doesn’t even recognize his own brother anymore,” the insider said. “He wants to believe that there’s hope for peace down the line, but it’s hard.”
The insider added that William “doesn’t see how” Harry can “come back into the fold” of the royal family after the “rude and insulting” claims he wrote in his “explosive” and “embarrassing” memoir. “At this point, he’s got no plans to speak to Harry,” the source said. “He’s come to terms with the fact [that] he’s lost his little brother and quite possibly for life.”
According to palace insiders and friends close to the Prince and Princess of Wales, per Vanity Fair, William is furious about what’s been revealed in the book. He is reportedly not going to “forgive” his brother for revealing very personal details of their fights and regarding him as his “archnemesis.”The source also said there was “a massive trust issue” between the brothers about what was being revealed.
Other sources added that William is “furious” and that Harry has “crossed a line.” A source told Entertainment Tonight, “The family is appalled that Harry has revealed such private and lurid details which are completely inappropriate. He’s gone about dealing with it the wrong way. The problem is no family conversation can ever take place because Harry claims he and Meghan are opposed to leaks and then he and Meghan share extremely private family matters with the public.”
Royal expert Katie Nicholl also claimed that William is angry at Page Six. “William’s privately seething and devastated by what Harry has done. And just cannot forgive Harry for the things that he’s written.” Nicholl also added that the family is still in shock from the announcements, “They’ve been taken aback by the level of detail and just how far Harry has gone in all of this.”
A source told Us Weekly that William and Kate are privately reacting to the news. They are “very upset about Harry’s revelations,” the insider said. “It’s hit them very hard. They’re both confiding in each other right now.” The insider also said that Harry and Meghan should have “handled these issues behind closed doors” and that William “wished Harry wasn’t so public and cutting” with his accusations about the royal family.
In one chapter, William confronted Harry in his home of Frogmore Cottage and called his wife Meghan “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive.” Harry then accused his brother of “parroting the press narrative” about his wife, to which William claimed that he was just helping his brother. “Are you serious? Help me? Sorry – is that what you call this? Helping me?” Harry responded.