A bitter sibling rivalry, arguments over wedding venues, disparaging remarks about Meghan Markle,
and a comparison of their balding heads.
Prince Harry made some huge claims about his brother in "Spare."
Perhaps the most egregious claim made in Prince Harry's book, "Spare," is that Prince William
physically assaulted him after an intense conversation.
According to an excerpt obtained by The Guardian, Harry alleges that the incident happened in
2019 when his older brother initiated a discussion about their messy relationship.
However, the conversation reportedly soured quickly, as William allegedly began to speak
ill of Meghan Markle.
Per Harry's account, the debate between the brothers grew increasingly heated, culminating
in William allegedly tackling his younger brother.
The Duke of Sussex wrote,
"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."
"My brother screaming and shouting at me, and my father saying things that simply weren't
true."
Buckingham Palace has offered no comment on the allegations made in Harry's memoir.
However, anonymous palace insiders alleged that William is angry at his brother for airing
their dirty laundry.
As one source told Vanity Fair prior to the book's release,
"William worries everything and anything he says will be made public.
For now, he isn't going to be commenting or reacting.
His plan is to ride this all out."
"And every single time I've tried to do it privately, there have been briefings and leakings
and planting stories against me and my wife."
In 2005, Prince Harry made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
The redheaded prince was photographed attending a costume party in a Nazi uniform, which left
the public reeling, per The Guardian.
As Jewish former British Conservative Party leader Michael Howard told CNN,
"I think a lot of people will be disappointed to see that photograph and it will cause a
lot of offense."
At the time, the prince issued an apology, stating,
"I am very sorry if I caused any offense or embarrassment to anyone.
It was a poor choice of costume and I apologize."
While Harry took the fall for wearing the Nazi costume, he alleges in "Spare" that he
wasn't the only one responsible for the incident.
Harry claims that Prince William and Kate Middleton actually encouraged him to wear
the costume.
Per the Duke of Sussex's account, he wasn't sure if he should wear a Nazi costume or dress
as a pilot.
In a moment of doubt, Harry allegedly consulted William and Kate, writing in "Spare,"
"I phoned Willy and Kate, asked what they thought.
Nazi uniform, they said."
William and Harry's issues with each other might seem like a new development.
However, in his memoir, Harry alleges that the rift with his brother dates back much
further.
Both princes studied at the esteemed preparatory school, Eton College, but their time there
was far from idyllic, according to the Duke of Sussex.
In "Spare," Harry alleges that William didn't want to hang out with him at school, writing,
"Eton had been a sanctuary [...] That was without the burden of a little brother who
would bother him with questions or stick his nose in his social circle."
According to the Duke of Sussex, his brother told him on the first day of school,
"You don't know me, Harold.
And I don't know you."
As revealed in "Spare," Harry apparently accepted his brother's request, and kept a wide berth
from him at Eton.
Most royal watchers will agree that Prince William doesn't seem like Meghan Markle's
biggest fan.
However, that allegedly wasn't the case during her "Suits" days.
According to Prince Harry's tell-all, Prince William and Kate Middleton were actually major
fans of Meghan while she was on TV.
As Harry wrote in his book,
"Willy and Kate explained that they were regular — nay, religious — viewers of 'Suits.'
[...] All this time I'd thought Willy and Kate might not welcome Meg into the family,
but now I had to worry about them hounding her for an autograph."
All of that excitement, however, immediately waned when William and Kate met Meghan in
person, according to Harry.
The prince alleged that William, in particular, was baffled by Meghan's failure to follow
royal protocol.
For instance, according to Harry, Meghan hugged William the first time that they met, a greeting
from which his brother apparently "recoiled."
The Duke of Sussex wrote,
"[It] completely freaked him out.
[...] Will had hoped that she would greet him with standard reverence per the protocol."
"Always been a hugger.
I didn't realize that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits."
In the Netflix documentary "Harry & Meghan," the Duchess of Sussex opened up about that
first meeting, saying,
"When Will and Kate came over, and I met her for the first time, they came over for dinner.
I remember I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot.
I was a hugger."
"But that formality carries over on both sides."
According to Prince Harry, Meghan Markle's overall lack of decorum was upsetting to Prince
William.
As the Duke of Sussex recalled in his memoir, William called Meghan a number of names, including
"difficult," "abrasive," and "rude," per The Guardian.
Other accounts claimed that William didn't trust his future sister-in-law from the very
beginning.
"Working as family does have its challenges, of course it does."
As royal historian Robert Lacey wrote in his book about the princes, "Battle of Brothers,"
William allegedly believed that Meghan had her own agenda.
In "Spare," Harry also detailed an uncomfortable moment in 2018, when the ill-fated "Fab Four"
appeared together at the Royal Foundation Forum.
Meghan apparently asked Kate Middleton for some lip gloss, with Harry writing,
"Kate, taken aback, went into her handbag and reluctantly pulled out a small tube.
Meg squeezed some onto her finger and applied it to her lips.
Kate grimaced."
On April 29, 2011, Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot at Westminster Abbey.
The event drew interest from across the world, with 162 million viewers tuning into the ceremony.
According to "Spare," Harry and Meghan were keen to get married soon after their engagement.
However, as Prince Harry revealed,
"But the Palace couldn't seem to pick a date.
Or a venue."
The pair began considering Westminster Abbey for their nuptials, but William seemingly
put a stop to the idea.
When Harry spoke to William about the possible venue, he was allegedly told by his brother,
"No good.
We did it there."
St. Paul's Cathedral, where King Charles had married Princess Diana in 1981, was also allegedly
off the table.
Instead, William reportedly suggested that Harry and Meghan tie the knot in a chapel
in the Cotswolds, per BBC News.
Ultimately, Harry ignored his brother's recommendation, and the wedding took place at St. George's
Chapel in Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018.
At British royal weddings, couples traditionally sit apart.
However, it is understood at all weddings that the place cards and seating arrangements
should be left alone.
According to Prince Harry's memoir, Prince William broke this unwritten rule, with the
Duke of Sussex explaining,
"We weren't too pleased when Willy and Kate switched place cards and changed seats at
our wedding."
According to "Spare," William and Kate didn't like the seating arrangement as it was, with
Harry writing,
"We'd followed the American tradition, placing couples next to each other, but Willy and
Kate didn't like that tradition, so their table was the only one where spouses were
apart."
And according to Harry's recollection, William and Kate even lied about what they'd done,
as he alleged,
"They insisted it wasn't them, it was someone else."
"Let me put it this way: I didn't see what I now see."
According to "Spare," the so-called "Fab Four" got together shortly after Harry and Meghan's
honeymoon.
At the gathering, Meghan apparently apologized for a comment she had made about Kate failing
to remember something, citing her forgetfulness as "baby brain."
However, William allegedly did not accept his sister-in-law's apology.
As revealed in "Spare," Prince Harry recalled that his brother "pointed a finger at Meg"
and proceeded to chastise her for her ill-received comment.
According to Harry, William allegedly told her,
"Well, it's rude, Meg [...] These things are not done here."
According to Harry, Meghan didn't have a positive reaction to William's behavior, either, and
allegedly told her brother-in-law,
"If you don't mind, keep your finger out of my face."
In 2014, Prince Harry founded The Invictus Games Foundation, an international sporting
event for wounded, injured and sick Servicepeople.
While the charity was met with an overwhelmingly positive response from most, not everyone
celebrated the foundation's success.
In an excerpt from "Spare" published by Page Six, Harry revealed that Prince William was
bitter about the idea, writing,
"He appeared supremely irritated [...] I covered my eyes with my hands.
[...] Were we not a bit too old for that tiring, child-like dynamic?"
From Harry's perspective, William's alleged competitiveness was ridiculous, with the prince
writing,
"He was married and had a baby on the way.
Meanwhile, I would order food alone and do my dishes in front of the sink.
My father's sink!
I still lived with my dad.
The game is over, man.
You win."
The British royal family often appears smiling in photographs.
However, Prince Harry claims that, behind closed doors, his brother, Prince William,
is much more somber.
In excerpts from "Spare" obtained by Page Six, Prince Harry revealed,
"I looked at Willy, really looked at him, perhaps for the first time since we were little,
taking in every detail: his familiar scowl, which had always been the norm in his dealings
with me.
[...] My dear brother, my archenemy, how did we come to this?
[...] I felt overwhelming tiredness.
I wanted to go home."
Although much of "Spare" attacks William for his amoral behavior, Harry did not shy away
from insulting his brother's looks, too.
For instance, the Duke of Sussex suggested that his older brother no longer looked so
much like their mother, the late Princess Diana.
The duke also discussed his brother's balding head, calling the rate of his hair loss "alarming."
The Duke of Sussex also allegedly compared Prince William's balding patterns to his own,
but made sure to point out that the future king's hair loss was "more advanced" than
his own.