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Prince Harry Says He Asked for ‘Secret Meeting’ with Dad King Charles and Brother Prince William

"I wasn’t at my best"

King Charles with Sons Prince William and Prince Harry CAT
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In an excerpt taken from Prince Harry’s bombshell memoir, Spare, the Duke of Sussex recalled the time he tried to arrange a “secret meeting” between his father, King Charles, and his older brother, Prince William, to discuss the state of their relationship.

In a section of the book, Prince Harry shared how he flew back to London in April 2021 to attend the funeral of his grandfather, Prince Philip, who passed away on April 9, 2021. FYI, this was the first time Prince Harry returned home since he and his wife, Meghan Markle, relinquished their senior titles in January 2020. 

According to the memoir (reshared by CNN), the royal spare detailed how he wanted to talk to his dad and older brother about “the state of things.” Prince Harry wrote, “So, though I’d flown home specifically and solely for Grandpa’s funeral, while there I’d asked for this secret meeting with my older brother, Willy [aka Prince William], and my father [to] talk about the state of things. To find a way out.”

Prince Harry Prince William Navy Blue Suits CAT
Jack Taylor/Getty Images

The royal spare continued, “I tried to explain my side of things. I wasn’t at my best. For starters, I was still nervous, fighting to keep my emotions in check, while also striving to be succinct and precise.”

In the book, Prince Harry also explained how his dad and brother had “come ready for a fight” during the arranged meeting. While noting the high tension with his brother, the Duke of Sussex shared that the monarch pleaded with them to not “make my final years a misery.”

This isn’t the first time Prince Harry has detailed the strained relationship with William. In a separate excerpt from Spare, the duke detailed the moment he believed that he lost Prince William (at least as he knew him up until that point) “forever.” In the book, the father of two referred to Prince William marrying his now-wife, Kate Middleton, as a “final farewell.”

Prince William Kate Middleton Wedding Day CAT
CHRIS JACKSON/GETTY IMAGES

“The brother I’d escorted into Westminster Abbey that morning was gone—forever,” Prince Harry wrote. “Who could deny it? He’d never again be first and foremost Willy. We’d never again ride together across the Lesotho countryside with capes blowing behind us. We’d never again share a horsey-smelling cottage while learning to fly. Who shall separate us? Life, that’s who.”


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