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He may well have good intentions – another chance to tell his truth – but Prince Harry’s announcement that he’s writing a Megxit memoir is said to have sent fresh shockwaves through the royal family already reeling from the Sussexes’ truth bombs.
Royal experts and insiders have already branded the still untitled book, due for release later this year, a “moneymaking exercise at the expense of his blood family”.
In a statement Harry says, “I’m writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become.
“I’ve worn many hats over the years, both literally and figuratively, and my hope is that in telling my story – the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned – I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think.
However, so far, his words have not found much support.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail the duke was “exorcising his demons” once again with the book and queried how one-sided it would be. “Will it be his truth or the truth? And will they be the same or different?”
Harry has reportedly been given an advance of at least $20million for his book, which if true will be one of the largest advances in literary history. He has stated all proceeds from the sale of the memoir will go to charity.
Markus Dohle, CEO of Penguin Random House which will be publishing the book, says they are thrilled to have Harry onboard.
“Prince Harry has harnessed his extraordinary life experience as a prince, a soldier and a knowledgeable advocate for social issues, establishing himself as a global leader recognised for his courage and openness.
“It is for that reason we’re excited to publish his honest and moving story.”
However, in what is said to be another devastating snub, Harry reportedly did not tell his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, his father, Prince Charles, or his brother, Prince William, about the book until “moments before news of it became public”, a royal insider says.
They are all said to be blindsided by his latest endeavour, which he’s been secretly working on with Pulitzer-winning ghostwriter JR Moehringer for a year.
It’s believed Harry was introduced to Moehringer by his actor pal, George Clooney, who is turning Moehringer's own memoir, The Tender Bar, into a movie.
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Several insiders have speculated that Harry’s wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, who recently published her first children’s book, The Bench, will have had a hand in it.
“It [will] be a book by Harry, as written by Meghan,” one says.
According to another source, news of the book has provoked “much eye-rolling” among many senior royals who are now “tired” of the Sussexes’ attention-seeking ways and “truth-bombing” interviews.
“I think everyone is just tired of being angry when it comes to those two. They have spent the past 18 months doing everything they promised Her Majesty they wouldn't do – making a living off their previous lives and status as members of the royal family. It’s depressingly predictable, unfortunately.”
Experts predict Harry’s book will be more “poor me” introspection and more excuses to justify his quitting The Firm and going to live in the US.
“They will be in despair that Harry – doubtless prompted by Meghan – just won't leave it alone for a while,” royal biographer Phil Dampier says in the Daily Express.
“It is obvious that when Harry came over for the unveiling of Diana's statue earlier this month, no meaningful progress was made in his relationship with his father or brother. If he respected their opinion, he wouldn't do this book because they wouldn't approve of it.
“Harry wants to present himself as a mature family man who has learnt from his mistakes and become a wise old sage. But I fear many other people will see this as yet another moneymaking exercise at the expense of his blood family.”
Robert Jobson, author of bestseller Prince Philip's Century, reckons this will be the final nail in the coffin of Harry’s relationship with the royal family.
“As night follows day, this was always going to happen. It will become an international bestseller, but at what cost to the monarchy? There will be nowhere to hide.
"It is not the first time an ‘exiled’ senior royal has written a memoir – the former King Edward VIII [who abdicated to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson] wrote one."
His book, A King's Story: The Memoirs of HRH the Duke of Windsor, was published amid a media storm in the 1950s and caused a furore.
“Harry is already hugely rich and famous so apart from damaging his family, which a book like this will inevitably do, I am not sure what he is trying to achieve,” Jobson says
“Whatever he says will lead to conflict. How can any bridges be built when he is doing this? I cannot see any royal rift ever being healed at this rate.”
Sources: dailymail.co.uk, standard.co.uk, express.co.uk
