- Daniel Ralph and Bernadette Ketrick
- BBC
A book on display in libraries, including an audio version of 15 hours and 37 minutes, four television interviews, and a special interview conducted by a magazine. The question is, what are the repercussions of Prince Harry’s memoirs on the British royal family?
King Charles
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The book presents a largely sympathetic portrait of King Charles. He is the best-looking of all members of the royal family.
Prince Harry’s remarks, which dealt with issues regarding his father, complemented what we already know regarding him, and also strengthened his image that many had regarding him.
The prince describes his father as a sensitive and bookish man who did his best to maintain an emotional bond with Harry in the followingmath of Princess Diana’s death.
However, the king is now the head of the royal family and the state, and although he escaped the book, he must decide how to deal with the criticism leveled once morest others within the family entity.
What Harry says regarding the Queen consort is hard for his father to bear, and if there is any kind of reconciliation, it should come from the head of the family.
Therefore, the king must first initiate the olive branch, most likely, and there are currently no signs of that publicly.
Camilla, Queen consort
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For Camilla, the queen consort, it is difficult, but Harry’s treatment of his stepmother is also full of contradictions.
He directs his anger at the media at her, accusing her of courting the tabloid press to improve her public image following portraying her as “evil”. He said it was a strategy that made her “dangerous”.
These comments seem very difficult for Camila, who has always struggled to obtain any public support, and it did not come easily.
Meanwhile, in another chapter of the book, in answer to a question during an interview, the mood is more tender and admirable. He recognizes the amount of happiness and peace Camilla has brought to his father, and praises her work with victims of domestic violence.
To Harry, Camilla is a bewildering figure.
William, Prince of Wales
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Prince William gets some heavy criticism on a regular basis. The book changed the way we look at the relationship of the two brothers, as we now know that they call each other Willie and Harold.
However, things have not been going well lately. Weren’t the two brothers bound by a painful loss and dependent on each other?
It seems not to be the case, according to Harry. The tension between them goes back decades, he says, and the writing sometimes drips with anger and focuses on the small things at other times.
The book paints a picture of William as the angry, frustrated, and repressed older brother. It’s an image that doesn’t match his public persona of being kind, personable, and sympathetic.
Kensington Palace did not respond to anything Harry wrote, but William let his royal work speak for him, as he has duties, and he focuses on communities at risk, seeking as much as possible to stay away from the bustle.
Catherine, Princess of Wales
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The book talks regarding many things between Kate and Megan. For Harry, his brother’s wife is always Kate, never Catherine.
The reference to it often comes in a personal capacity, and from memories of special moments. In this way all that is said of her is revealed for the first time.
Harry did not like the two women being portrayed in the media as rivals, but this is the context in which writers regarding the Princess of Wales are often written. You can read regarding the uptight and formal Kate, as well as the simple, barefoot Meghan.
Kate doesn’t like sharing lip gloss, and there’s been a nasty misunderstanding regarding bridesmaids’ dresses, Harry tells us.
It is difficult to imagine how much this would hurt the Princess of Wales’s feelings personally, especially the disclosure of details of her private life and the lives of her children, details that she kept so closely and remained in control of.
Again, like her husband, we wouldn’t expect to hear any public response from the princess or any damage-damage response. Rather, she will let her public duties speak for her.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
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For her husband, she is “Meg”, who changed Harry’s life. Contrary to expectations, the book and interviews say little regarding the duchess.
Most of Harry’s memoirs dealt with his life before Megan. However, its influence is evident as soon as it appears on the scene.
Harry says writing his memoirs would have been “logistically, physically, emotionally and spiritually” impossible to happen without it.
The book is likely to boost views of Meghan. Some see her saving Harry and fleeing to a life of freedom and happiness. Others see her as luring him away from duty and family and will never be forgiven for that. And the media coverage this week probably won’t affect your point of view.
Harry, Duke of Sussex
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from where we start? Nobody expected Harry to back down. His story, and his words, carried a surprise.
The story is heartbreaking, the lyrics are heartwarming, and the hatred of British yellow journalism is beyond expectation. Writing the memoir was both a “painful” and a “relaxing” experience for him.
The book will now become a lingering obstacle to the reconciliation Harry says he wants with his family. It also seems that reaching a truce is out of the question at the present time, following the loss of confidence.
Harry has said in his interviews that he hasn’t spoken to his father or brother in a while. There is grief on all sides here but things are getting personal and this is not a comfortable situation for the royal family.
Interest in Harry and Meghan is still high, but it is difficult to judge whether this will continue in the months and years to come.
The real winner
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The press gathers at a London bookshop at midnight on January 10 ahead of The Alternative’s book going on sale
Apart from some members of the royal family, there are few other obvious winners from the publication of Harry’s diaries.
Publishers Transworld and Penguin Random House became bestsellers in January, at a time of quiet post-Christmas sales.
It was also a lucrative venture for ITV, which has now sold its interview with Harry to 77 territories around the world, from France to New Zealand.
Harry mentions his gratitude for the “healing power”, which he describes as giving him the opportunity to deal with the past and write a memoir.
The lines of gratitude at the beginning of the book highlight the team behind Harry that included psychiatrists, an acupuncturist, Pilates instructors, chiropractors, personal trainers and an energy practitioner, all of whom he thanks for helping him stay mentally and physically strong over the years.
Among those caught up in the unexpected publicity stunt are beard enthusiasts around the world. The British Beard Club is considering Prince Harry becoming a sponsor, or at least giving him free membership, following he wrote in support of beards in his book.
This has been a strange week in terms of reporting on royal family news.