Prince William Asked If He Was ‘Hurt’ by Harry’s New Memoir at First Public Appearance Since Its Release

Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, have made their first public appearance since the release of Prince Harry’s book, Spare. The Prince and Princess of Wales attended the opening of The Royal Liverpool University Hospital on Thursday. According to Entertainment Tonight, during this outing, William was asked whether he felt “hurt” by his younger brother’s memoir. 

Soon after William and Kate arrived at the hospital, a reporter called out to ask whether the heir to the throne was “hurt” by what his brother has said in Spare. ET noted that it’s unclear whether William heard the question, as it was especially windy at the location. Nonetheless, he did not respond. Later on in the day, when William and Kate were leaving the Open Door Charity, they were once again asked for their thoughts on Harry’s book. A reporter asked them twice whether they had a chance to read the book, but they simply continued on and ignored the question. 

While Buckingham and Kensington Palace have not commented on the allegations that Harry made in Spare, ET did share that a source opened up about how the royal family is feeling. The source, who is supposedly close to the royal family, said that William feels as though Harry “crossed a line” with what he’s had to say recently. They said, “The family is appalled that Harry has revealed such private and lurid details which are completely inappropriate.” The insider continued, noting that the royal family did not expect Harry to share this much information, “He’s gone about dealing with it the wrong way. The problem is no family conversation can ever take place because Harry claims he and [his wife] Meghan Markle are opposed to leaks and then he and Meghan share extremely private family matters with the public.”

Spare features Harry opening up about his experiences with the members of the royal family. Even though he opened up about his relationships with his father, King Charles III, and his stepmother, Camilla, many of his allegations concerned William. One of the biggest bombshells alleged that William was physically violent with him back in 2019. Harry wrote that the incident took place at his home in London and that it came after William allegedly called Meghan Markle “difficult,” “rude,” and “abrasive.” He described how he tried to get a handle on the situation by stepping into another room, but that William allegedly then became physical. 

“Willy, I can’t speak to you when you’re like this,” Harry 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. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.” You can now read Harry’s anecdotes for yourself in Spare, which was officially released on Tuesday.