A Royal Family Adviser Fact-Checked This Part Of Prince Harry's Memoir

The rift between Prince Harry and King Charles III has been raging for several years. Tensions escalated with the release of Harry's 2023 memoir, "Spare," in which Harry divulged startling revelations regarding several alleged private conversations and correspondences between himself and his family. Now, a royal family adviser is fact-checking some of Harry's claims, and calling the Duke of Sussex out for misrepresenting some of the anecdotes and recollections in his memoir.

The paperback edition of author Robert Hardman's "The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy" hit shelves recently, and the new edition comes with new interviews, including a chat with an unnamed "senior constitutional expert and adviser to the family." The adviser broke down some of the reasons for the feud, explaining (via excerpts published in the Daily Mail), "[You] have the situation where the King's son publishes accounts of private conversations, some of which have been, shall we say, wrong."

One example the adviser called out was Harry's description of how he learned about the queen mother's death in 2002. Harry vividly recounted getting a phone call while he was studying at Eton. Harry wrote that the call came "just before Easter, the weather bright and warm, light slanting through my window, filled with vivid colors." According to Hardman, however, "Harry was actually in Switzerland, skiing with his father and brother, when all three received the news." That's just one example of Harry's memoir painting an incorrect picture of his past.

While Prince Harry's memoir, "Spare" shared some startling revelations regarding an unfortunate and often hidden side to the royal family, it isn't just Harry's words that have driven a wedge between himself and the Windsors. According to Robert Hardman's interview, Harry's decision to sue the British government over removing his police protection has also put Charles in an awkward and unprecedented position.

"Here you have the infelicitous situation where the King's son is suing the King's ministers in the King's courts," the adviser told Hardman, adding that the legal battle is "pulling the King in three directions." Harry was protected by Metropolitan Police bodyguards until he and wife Meghan Markle decided to step away from their royal duties and move to the U.S. Harry has since sued to have protection twice, and he lost both cases, but is currently looking to appeal.

The adviser suggested that the problem has been made worse for Charles because of the fear that a conversation with Harry might later be misrepresented by his son. "Imagine the situation if the Prince were to talk to his father about his court case and then later to describe that conversation. Or, worse, a conversation which was not entirely accurate," the adviser told Hardman. "[There is] deep legal and constitutional jeopardy when you are head of state and of the judiciary and it is His Majesty's Government."