And, somehow, it’s all Meghan’s fault.
In news that’s sure to enrage many of the UK’s angriest old white men, Prince Harry has announced his intentions to release a book revealing the truth behind his much-publicised exit from the royal family.
Harry has reportedly been working on the book for around a year, making him one of the few people who vowed to write their first novel during lockdown and actually did it. This achievement aside, however, some people are less than impressed with the latest project of the Duke Of Sussex, believing that the book is the newest in a series of betrayals against his family
You’d be forgiven for believing that the book will focus solely on the lead-up to Harry and his wife Meghan Markle controversially stepping back from their duties as senior royals, given the reaction of many commenters who have given their opinions on the news. However, a statement from publishers Penguin Random House describes the book as an ‘intimate and heartfelt memoir’ detailing ‘the experiences, adventures, losses and life lessons’ that have shaped the prince over the last 36 years.
Harry has been forthcoming in announcing that he hasn’t written the book alone, choosing to work with a ghostwriter on the project. Officially, the ghostwriter in question is Pulitzer Prize winner JR Moehringer, though some royal insiders have described the future release as ‘a book by Harry, written by Meghan’, whatever that actually means. It doesn’t look like his wife will receive a writing credit, though we’re sure that the usual line-up of anti-Sussex commentators will find a way to put Meghan at the centre of the resulting fall-out. There were, after all, those who believed that Meghan and Harry had somehow indirectly caused the death of The Duke Of Edinburgh, a perfectly healthy 99-year-old man who had recently been in hospital for heart surgery.
Given that this news comes just four months after the two gave a dramatic interview to Oprah Winfrey in which they accused the royal family of being at the core of a particularly hostile environment, many wonder just how much there is left for Harry to tell. If the speculated $20 million advance that Harry has received for the writing process is anything to go by, however, it seems there might be plenty – certainly a relief to those who thought they’d have to wait for Season 9 of The Crown to hit Netflix in the year 2030 in order to find out the truth about the royal family of the 00s.
Speaking of The Crown, Harry has been under pressure to make similar apologies to the royal family as the team behind the Netflix series. Much of the uproar regarding the book doesn’t come from the contents of the book itself (though some does, which is quite the stretch considering the book isn’t even finished), but rather from the simple fact that the Prince did not seek permission from his family before writing and announcing it. In many ways, it’s easy to understand why royal pundits have expressed so much anger over this – surely he could have just asked. After all, there’s likely only a few people out there who’d object to having an estranged relative release an explosive tell-all memoir in which they’re likely to be painted as racists, aren’t there? They do say ‘All publicity is good publicity’.
Nevertheless, the announcement has made quite the splash amongst the British press, with famously anti-Meghan broadcaster and OG (that’s ‘original gammon’) Piers Morgan writing that the project was ‘sad and pathetic’ and was proof that ‘like his wife Meghan, (Harry) doesn’t care about anyone but himself’. Wise words from a man whose altruistic past includes being ‘strongly implicated’ in a widely publicised phone hacking scandal in which voicemails were deleted from a murdered schoolgirl’s phone – very wise words, indeed.
Whatever your opinion on the prince or his latest project, it’s clear that the discussion surrounding the book is set to rage on for quite some time. Penguin are yet to announce a release date for the book, though it’s expected to go on sale at some point within the next year, with all profits from the book being donated to charity.
Profits? Donated to charity? Just another in a series of selfish moves from Harry, as we’re sure rational and level-headed pundits such as Piers Morgan will agree.
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