Prince Harry makes an explosive claim he was attacked by brother Prince William in his new memoir 'Spare'. AP
Prince Harry finds Prince William’s baldness “alarming”.
The 38-year-old prince, who stepped down from official duties in 2020 to start a new life in the US, recalled coming face-to-face with his brother after a long time away during a trip to England for their grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral in 2021.
He admitted he was shocked by how much his older sibling’s resemblance to their late mother, Princess Diana, had “faded”.
He wrote in his new memoir Spare: “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.”
The Duke of Sussex added he found his older brother’s thinning hair “alarming” and more “advanced than mine”.
He added: “My dear brother, my arch-enemy, how did we come to this? I felt overwhelming tiredness. I wanted to go home.”
The brothers’ exchange didn’t go well, especially when Harry and Meghan’s former home Frogmore Cottage came up for discussion. Harry was reported as saying: “Willy, this was supposed to be our house. We were going to spend the rest of our lives here.”
William argued: “You left, Harold”, to which his brother replied: “Yeah, and you know why.” But the Prince of Wales responded: “Honestly no, Harold ... not really.”
Prince Harry writes in his new book that he was shocked by his brother's hair loss when he returned to the UK for Prince Philip's funeral. Photo / Getty Images
Their father, King Charles, was also present and Harry said he was ”looking at me with an expression that said, ‘Me neither.’”
Harry also claimed William “ordered” him to shave before his wedding to Meghan Markle.
The 38-year-old prince sought permission from his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, to keep his facial hair for his nuptials and said his older sibling was “livid” when she gave him the ”green light” to do so.
Harry told William “his opinion didn’t really matter” because of the Queen’s decision but he said his brother “raised his voice” and accused him of putting their grandmother in an “uncomfortable position”.
Meghan and Harry's wedding photos shown in the trailer for part two of their Netflix series. Photo / Netflix
Harry claimed William told him: “She had no choice but to say yes.”
And the row continued for some time. Harry wrote: “He wouldn’t let it go. At one point he actually ordered me, as the Heir speaking to the Spare, to shave. Are you serious?”
The Prince believed William was so bothered because he thought the Queen had a “soft spot” for him, and also because the Prince of Wales “wasn’t allowed” to keep his “full beard” after returning from military duty, or be able to get married in a uniform of his own choosing, as Harry could.
He wrote in an extract obtained by Us Weekly magazine: “He hated the idea of me enjoying a perk he’d been denied.”
After growing tired of hearing William “complain bitterly”, Harry eventually put his foot down. He wrote: “Finally, I told him flatly and defiantly that his bearded brother was getting married soon, and he could either get on board or not. The choice was up to him.”
