Prince Harry: Strahan asks if ‘the heir was jealous of the spare’

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According to reports, Prince Harry has revealed details about his first meeting with Queen Camilla, describing the moment he was introduced to his father’s then-girlfriend in his forthcoming memoir, Spare. The Duke of Sussex allegedly claimed he and Prince William begged their father King Charles III not to marry Camilla Parker-Bowles over fears she would one day become their “wicked stepmother”. Harry’s book was set to hit shelves on Tuesday, January 10, but some copies found their into a bookshop in Spain on Thursday. Excerpts from the memoir suggest that the Prince is continuing his attacks on the UK-based royals, namely his brother, father and stepmother.

According to The Sun, which acquired a Spanish copy of Spare ahead of its publication, the Duke compared meeting his father’s girlfriend for the first time to avoiding pain while getting an injection.

He allegedly writes: “This is nothing. Close your eyes and you won’t even feel it.”

Also in the book, Harry supposedly pondered whether Camilla would become his and William’s “wicked stepmother,” and the two brothers allegedly asked Charles not to wed for a second time after the death of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997.

Charles and Camilla engaged in a longstanding affair during the former Prince and Princess of Wales’ marriage, and according to the leaked excerpts of Spare, Harry and William were aware of Camilla’s position as the “other woman”.

Similarly, royal biographer Penny Junor claimed both Harry and William “found it hard” to accept Camilla as their father’s new wife. In her book Prince William: Born to be King, she wrote: “To be fair to Camilla, she never tried to be mummy but she was the ‘other woman’ and she was there and taking daddy’s time.”

It has long been suspected that Harry and Camilla suffered a difficult relationship at times, with previous reports suggesting that the Prince treated his stepmother “unfairly”.

Speaking on Lorraine in October, royal author and expert Angela Levin claimed Harry “had said some really nasty things” about Camilla. The author of Camilla, From Outcast to Queen Consort went on to say the Duke of Sussex is no “fan” of Camilla, but did not specify the statements made by the Prince.

In his book, Harry reportedly writes that he and William were willing to forgive her in “their hearts” if she could make their father happy.

Charles and Camilla got married in a civil ceremony in April 2005. Following their nuptials, during an interview for his 21st birthday in September of that year, Harry expressed his gratitude for Camilla’s role in his father’s life and claimed that both he and his brother “love her to bits”.

“She’s a wonderful woman and she’s made our father very, very happy, which is the most important thing,” he said, adding: “Look at the position she’s come into. Don’t always feel sorry for me and William, feel sorry for her. We are grateful for her… we’re very happy to have her around.”

He then quipped: “To be honest, she’s always been very close to me and William. But no, she’s not the wicked stepmother, I’ll say that right now.”

In the years that followed, Harry and Camilla were photographed at various events including Trooping the Colour, family gatherings and Royal Ascot. Just days after Harry married Meghan Markle in May 2018, the newlyweds joined Charles and Camilla in celebrating the then-Prince of Wales’ 70th birthday.

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With the backdrop of Buckingham Palace, the two couples appeared happy in each other’s company, showcasing their close bond to the nation.

It was a particularly momentous occasion for Harry as it marked the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s first joint engagement as a married couple, and the Duchess’ first as a member of the Royal Family.

However, while Camilla and Meghan reportedly got along when the LA native was first introduced to the royal scene, there were signs of cracks in the relationship ahead of the Sussexes’ exit.

Camilla supposedly offered the Duchess of Sussex advice about the role of a royal wife, having also experienced backlash from the public and press when she entered the royal fold. But, according to Ms Levin in her book, Meghan rebuffed Camilla’s offering, instead choosing to “go her own way”.

Ms Levin also claimed that the then-Duchess of Cornwall offered Harry advice, writing: “She was always supportive of him and, when she felt the time was right, tried to help him understand the challenges of being young in the modern world, and in a world that was more open than the one the Prince of Wales had to cope with as a child.”

Nonetheless, Harry and Meghan were seemingly unable to make it work as a couple within the institution. In January 2020, the couple stepped down from their senior roles in favour of a life in the US.

Since then, their relationship with the Royal Family has, reports suggest, become more strained, with various media interviews exacerbating any bond they had with the Firm.

When the late Queen Elizabeth II declared her “sincere wish” for Camilla to become Queen Consort, rather than the previously decided Princess Consort, upon Charles’ accession, Harry was notably silent.

During a video call with former Wales rugby captain Gareth Thomas, the Prince paid tribute to his mother Diana but did not say a word about the dramatic news regarding Camilla’s royal future.

Author of The Diana Chronicles, Tina Brown told The Telegraph at the time: “William has accepted Camilla in terms of what she means to his father. He’s been grown-up about it. ‘My father loves this woman, I can’t fight it, so I won’t.

“Harry, on the other hand, can’t stand Camilla, he doesn’t want Camilla to be queen, and he’s very angry that it’s happening. He has not made his peace with it and he probably never will.”

And some royal experts believe Harry has no interest in building a relationship with Camilla. Speaking last summer, Ms Seward said: “I don’t think Harry is interested in developing a relationship with his stepmother at this stage in his life.”

She added: “I don’t think Harry has a great deal of warmth for her; he waxes and wanes with her. I don’t know about the recent trip [for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations], but certainly I think Harry was quite happy to accept Camilla in the beginning but then went off the boil about her and I don’t think he holds her in great respect.”

This story is based on a translated version of Prince Harry’s book — which is to be published in the UK on Tuesday

Spare is available to buy from all bookshops and audiobook providers from January 10th.

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