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Prince Harry's recent comments about Prince William and Kate Middleton's children during an interview with a U.K. newspaper have been described as "outrageous," following the royal's media blitz promoting his new book Spare.
In an interview for Britain's The Daily Telegraph, Harry told writer Bryony Gordon: "If I see wrongdoing and a pattern of behaviour that is harming people, I will do everything I can to try and change it."
"He worries about the other 'spares' in the family," she wrote, referring to the English saying of "heir and a spare," with the spare's role being secondary to that of their older sibling, the heir. This saying resonates so much with Harry—who in his context serves as "spare" to William—that he made it the title of his memoir, released last week.
"As I know full well, within my family, if it's not us," he said gesturing towards himself, "it's going to be someone else. And though William and I have talked about it once or twice, and he has made it very clear to me that his kids are not my responsibility, I still feel a responsibility knowing that out of those three children, at least one will end up like me, the spare. And that hurts, that worries me."
William and Kate have three children: Prince George, 9; Princess Charlotte, 7 and Prince Louis, 4.
Harry's public comments about the Wales children, whose privacy is a major concern of their parents, has provoked criticism from those who feel it's unfair.
"Harry's interview with Bryony Gordon in The Telegraph was extraordinary. In particular, the implication that he has some sort of responsibility for the children of the Prince and Princess of Wales is, on the face of it, outrageous," royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Newsweek.
"William would never say this about Harry and Meghan's children in an interview.
"What puts it into context is Harry's belief that members of the royal family are 'trapped,'" he continued. "Hence the concern that other 'spares' could end up as he has."
Harry has spoken publicly about his family being trapped within the system of the monarchy. In 2021, the prince described his life in Britain before moving to the U.S. with Meghan Markle as being: "Trapped, but I didn't know I was trapped."
He later added, during his interview with Oprah Winfrey, that he was "trapped within the system, like the rest of my family are."
"It should surely be borne in mind that he is still haunted by what happened to his mother, as a read of his memoir 'Spare' makes clear and he has been in therapy for years," Fitzwilliams commented.
"This is a burden that Charlotte and Louis, who know they are not destined to be future monarchs, will avoid and there is no comparison."
On the prospect of a royal reconciliation that Harry has said in interviews that he is desirous of, Fitzwilliams observes that it is unlikely to be forthcoming while the prince is in his current headspace.
"Harry's mental attitude is part of the problem, not the solution," he said. "Any reconciliation is not likely to occur when he is publicly so critical of his father, brother and stepmother. It is not up to him to intervene unilaterally because he perceives something to be wrong."
In Spare, Harry recounts the story of another famous royal "spare" who was given a difficult time by the press, which compared her unfavorably to her older sibling, the heir. This was Princess Margaret, the only sister of Queen Elizabeth II.
The prince could model himself after another royal spare, closer to his own generation, Fitzwilliam explained, though is unsure how the future will play out.
"The likes of Princess Anne, who knew she would never be Queen, created her own role and did do extremely well," he said. "This is what Harry appeared to be doing with Invictus Games and Sentebale in Lesotho. Now he seems bitter and revengeful, wanting an apology from the palace. One wonders, with trepidation, what is next."
Spare was published on January 10 and broke sales records in both the U.S. and U.K., where its contents were leaked ahead of time when media outlets obtained unauthorized copies.
A large focus in Spare is on Harry's relationship with his brother, Prince William, and how the pair were perhaps not as close as the public have been led to believe over the years.
One standout inclusion in the book is a detailed account of a physical altercation between the brothers in 2019 in which Harry alleges William knocked him to the ground at Kensington Palace, causing bruising.
Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace have not commented on Spare or any of the claims made within it.
Newsweek approached representatives of Prince Harry and Kensington Palace for comment.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more