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Prince Harry has claimed his brother William grabbed him by the collar and threw him to the floor during a heated argument over his wife Meghan Markle.
In an extraordinary excerpt from his upcoming autobiography Spare, Harry recalls what he describes as a physical attack by his sibling, now the Prince of Wales, which he claims left him with visible injuries.
The furious row allegedly broke out at his London home in 2019, during which William is said to have branded Meghan ‘difficult’, ‘rude’ and ‘abrasive’.
Harry accused his brother of ‘parroting the press narrative’ about his wife before a screaming match ensued, ending in a physical altercation.
Prince Harry has claimed his brother William grabbed him by the collar and threw him to the floor during a heated argument over his wife Meghan Markle
The extract has been published by the Guardian. It is not known how the newspaper obtained an early copy of the book, given that the publisher has gone to great lengths to prevent leaks.
In one dramatic extract, Harry writes that William ‘grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and… knocked me to the floor’. The Duke of Sussex claims he was left with a visible injury to his back.
The brothers, according to Harry, had met to discuss ‘the whole rolling catastrophe’ of their relationship and struggles with the press.
But the heir to the throne arrived to Nottingham Cottage ‘piping hot’, Harry writes.
The Duke had been living in the home, known as Nott Cott and situated in the grounds of Kensington Palace, at the time of the alleged incident.
When they began arguing about Meghan, Harry claims William was not being rational, leading to a shouting match.
Harry said he told his brother he was unable to understand why he was not happy with being ‘the spare’, accusing his brother of acting like an heir. William told him he was trying to help him.
Harry said: ‘Are you serious? Help me? Sorry – is that what you call this? Helping me?’
It was that comment, according to Harry, which infuriated William, causing him to swear while stepping towards him.
Harry said he was scared and retreated to the kitchen as William followed.
He claims he gave William a glass of water and told him: ‘Willy, I can’t speak to you when you’re like this.’
He writes: ‘He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor.
‘I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.’
It was then that William told his brother to hit him back, a reference to scraps they had as children, Harry writes.
The Duke said he refused to retaliate and that William left, before returning ‘looking regretful’ and apologising.
When the future king left for the final time, Harry claims he ‘turned and called back: ”You don’t need to tell Meg about this.”’
Harry says he responded with: ‘You mean that you attacked me?’
He says William added: ‘I didn’t attack you, Harold.’
According to Harry, he did not tell Meghan of the fight but phoned his therapist.
He writes that he informed Meghan of the altercation only when she noticed ‘scrapes and bruises’ on his back, adding that she ‘wasn’t that surprised, and wasn’t all that angry’, but that she was ‘terribly sad.’
The dramatic extract revealed just days before the book’s official release is likely to see a surge in sales.
It comes as Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir Spare is already No2 on Amazon’s best-seller list in pre-sales in North America and the UK.
The Duke of Sussex‘s book, which is set to be released early next week, is expected to double-down on his attacks on the Royal Family.
Spare is currently on sale for $22.40 on Amazon in the US and half price at £14 on the UK site.
Spare is currently on sale for $22.40 on Amazon US and £14 on the UK site. The book has already become the No.2 on Amazon’s best-seller list in pre-sales in the US (pictured) and the UK
The hardback of Spare will be in UK bookshops when they open on Tuesday morning, with the e-book edition available to download on Kindle from shortly after midnight on the same day.
In the United States, which is five to eight hours behind Britain, it will be the evening of Monday January 9 when e-book copies of the book become available on Kindle, at the same moment as the clock strikes midnight on Tuesday morning in the UK.
There are ultra-secure arrangements in place, with the duke and his publishers going to great lengths to ensure it is published simultaneously around the world next Tuesday.
Prince Harry has been secretly working on the book about his life in the Royal Family for over a year as part of a reported $20 million book deal with Penguin Random House.
He has collaborated with the Pulitzer-winning ghostwriter J. R. Moehringer in a rare move from a senior member of the royal family. Moehringer is reported set to be paid $1million for her contribution.
Spare is being published in 16 languages including Chinese, Finnish, Hungarian, Spanish and Portuguese, but – in theory – no one in any country will be able to get their hands on an early copy.
While King Charles may be spared the worst of the duke’s rage, the book is understood to contain damaging details about his bitter fallout with his brother, with both William and his wife Kate coming under fire in its 416 pages.
Prince Harry’s book is expected to double down on his attacks on the Royal Family. Pictured: Prince Harry on CBS News
Spare tells Harry’s story with ‘raw, unflinching honesty’, according to Penguin Random House.
Publishing sources said arrangements for Harry’s ‘explosive’ memoir’s release were ultra-closely guarded and being managed in minute detail, with only a handful of senior executives aware of the exact details.
Deliveries to bookshops are being scheduled to be last-minute to avoid unauthorised copies being leaked. Guarded sites across the world have been secured to house copies of the book prior to distribution.
One likened the sophisticated security operation to the 2007 release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when JK Rowling was determined her young fans would not have the experience spoilt by learning of the boy wizard’s fate before reading the seventh and final novel in the series.
An army of guards, satellite tracking systems and legal contracts were all deployed to protect the 10 million first copies of the new Harry Potter book.
When the finished manuscript was taken by hand from London to New York, a lawyer for the American publisher sat on it during the flight.
When copies were sent out to retailers, lorries were fitted with satellite tracking systems which would reveal if any of the vehicles deviated from their intended routes.
Prince Harry and Meghan are said to have signed a $20million four-book deal with the publishing giant Penguin Random House, with the fourth reportedly being an autobiography by the Duchess of Sussex.
It comes as the Royal Family are ‘completely exhausted’ with the ‘stream of misinformation’ from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, sources have claimed.
The comments come in the wake of Prince Harry’s publicity blitz for Spare, during which he has claimed his family ‘have shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile’.
He also claimed he would ‘like to have my father and brother back’ in trailers for two interviews with ITV’s Tom Bradby and CBS’s Anderson Cooper which dropped yesterday.
A royal insider told the Mirror: ‘It all feels very repetitive. Harry’s constant sniping is rather draining and he knows full well it is highly unlikely they will engage in a tit-for-tat battle of words.’
The book will be published just weeks after he and his wife Meghan released their Netflix series detailing their relationship and split from the Royal Family, while reports have emerged that Meghan is also planning to publish her own bombshell memoir.
According to one source, the Duchess of Sussex ‘is contemplating getting entirely candid about her time in the Royal limelight… and leaving no stone unturned’.
Meghan has already released her children’s book The Bench with the same publisher, and it is rumoured that the couple are working on a ‘wellness’ book.
Now it is believed the mystery fourth book will be the duchess’s autobiography.
It comes as royal sources rubbished Prince Harry’s suggestions that his family have shown no desire to reconcile with him, saying that King Charles invited him to visit over Christmas.
The Duke of Sussex claimed a potential reunion with his family across the pond did not seem on the cards, saying his father and brother had ‘absolutely no willingness to reconcile’.
He made the claim in a trailer for an interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby, which he has done as part of the publicity blitz for his new memoir, Spare, which comes out next week.
But insiders at Buckingham Palace have poured cold water on the claims, branding them ‘nonsense’ and saying Harry and his wife Meghan had an open invitation to join the rest of the Firm this Christmas.
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