Harry Reportedly Claims William Attacked Him While Fighting About Meghan
“He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor.”
Prince Harry isn’t holding back in his upcoming memoir, Spare. On Jan. 4, six days before the book’s Jan. 10 release date, The Guardian leaked an excerpt in which Harry alleges that Prince William attacked him during an argument about Meghan Markle.
According to the publication, which claims to have an early copy of Spare, the incident occurred in 2019 at Harry’s London home. At the time, Harry stayed at the Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace. The Guardian reports the brothers agreed to meet to discuss “the whole rolling catastrophe” of Harry and Meghan’s relationship. According to the excerpt, William was already “piping hot” upon arrival.
Harry alleged William called Meghan “difficult,” “rude” and “abrasive,” terms the press similarly used about his wife at the time. After Harry pointed out that William was “parrot[ing of] the press narrative” about Meghan, he accused his older brother of acting like an heir. In response, William reportedly claimed he was just trying to help.
“Are you serious?” Harry said, according to the outlet. “Help me? Sorry – is that what you call this? Helping me?”
The altercation reportedly escalated after Harry gave William a glass of water in the kitchen. “He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor,” Harry said, per The Guardian. “I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.”
Harry then claims that William urged him to hit back, but he refused and his brother left. The Guardian reports that William returned to Harry’s cottage to apologize and said, “You don’t need to tell Meg about this.”
“You mean that you attacked me?” Harry asked his brother, according to the excerpt. William then responded, “I didn’t attack you, Harold.”
Shortly after, Harry alleges he called his therapist about the incident and eventually told Meghan once she noticed the “scrapes and bruises” on his back. According to the book, Meghan “wasn’t that surprised, and wasn’t all that angry. She was terribly sad.”
Prince William has not publicly responded to the leaked excerpt.
