Prince Harry alleges William physically attacked him, according to new book seen by The Guardian

CNN –

Prince Harry has accused his brother, William, of physically assaulting him during an argument about his wife, Meghan Markle, in 2019, according to The Guardian.

The UK newspaper claims to have seen an advance copy of Prince Harry’s long-awaited memoir Spare, in which Harry, Duke of Sussex, reportedly claims his brother William, Prince of Wales, knocked him to the floor during quarrel.

The alleged fight happened after a conversation between the two brothers, during which William, the heir to the British throne, called Markle “difficult,” “rude” and “abrasive,” according to The Guardian.

The confrontation escalated until William “grabbed me by the collar, ripping off my necklace and … knocked me to the floor,” The Guardian reported.

CNN has requested an advance copy of the book from publisher Penguin Random House, but has not heard back. Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace declined CNN’s request for comment on the alleged row.

The Guardian article focuses on the alleged physical altercation between the brothers, but describes the book as a whole as an “extraordinary volume”.

The article reports Harry’s version of events, in which William arrives at Harry and Meghan’s then-home, Nottingham Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace, to allegedly discuss “the ‘whole ongoing disaster’ of the relationship of them and the battles with the press”.

Harry claims William assaulted him after offering him water and trying to defuse a heated verbal exchange, according to The Guardian.

The article quotes Harry as saying: “He turned the water down, called me by another name and then came towards me. It all happened so fast. So very soon. He grabbed me by the collar ripping off my necklace and threw me to the floor. I sat in the dog bowl, which cracked under my back, cutting me to pieces. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then stood up and told him to get out.”

The article states that Harry states in the book that William urged him to fight back, but he refused to do so. William left but later returned, “repentantly” and apologised, according to the Guardian article, citing the book.

The reservation is expected to be released on January 10.

Since their wedding in 2018, Harry and Meghan’s relationship has been under intense media scrutiny, with the Duchess of Sussex in particular focus.

In a recent Netflix documentary, Harry blamed the media for putting unnecessary stress on his Meghan, leading her to have a miscarriage and suffer suicidal thoughts.

The couple said the relentless media coverage eventually led them to quit their jobs as members of the royal family.

Harry admitted in the six-part documentary that he didn’t deal with Meghan’s deteriorating mental health “particularly well” at first.

“I knew she was struggling; we were both struggling, but I never thought we’d get to that stage. The fact that it got to that stage I felt angry and embarrassed,” Harry confessed, adding: “I treated him like the institutional Harry as opposed to the man Harry.”

Meghan said she wanted to go somewhere for help but claimed she wasn’t allowed to because of concerns about how she would search the facility, without specifying who she believes stopped her. She made similar comments in her explosive 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health issues, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 to be connected to a trained counselor or visit the NSPL website. The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide also provide contact information for crisis centers around the world.