Harry and Meghan news – live: Duke and Duchess respond to Jeremy Clarkson apology over Sun column

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have responded to Jeremy Clarkson’s apology for his “disgraceful” column in The Sun, claiming he was left feeling “sick” after the backlash.

Claiming to have emailed the couple to apologise on Christmas Day, the ex-Top Gear host claimed he was “profoundly sorry” for the language in his column, adding: “I really am sorry. All the way from the balls of my feet to the follicles on my head. This is me putting my hands up. It’s a mea culpa with bells on.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, however, insisted that Clarkson had written “solely to Prince Harry” and rejected the presenter’s claims to have written the column “in a hurry”, accusing him of a “longstanding pattern of writing articles that spread hate rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories and misogyny”.

In the article, the former Top Gear host said he despised the duchess on a “cellular level”, adding that he dreamt of the day she would be made to parade naked through Britain while a crowd chanted “shame” and threw “excrement” at her.

Key points

• Prince Harry and Meghan Markle respond to Jeremy Clarkson apology

• Ex-Top Gear host says he ‘felt sick’ over his column, in ‘mea culpa with bells on’

• Kate Middleton claims that ‘talking therapy’ doesn’t work for everyone

• King Charles III all smiles on first royal engagement since release of Spare

• Monarch ‘must be furious’ over son’s nicknames for royal aides

• Prince Harry denies boasting about Taliban kills, describing the spin as a ‘dangerous lie’

Sussexes respond to Jeremy Clarkson apology over Sun column

19:20 , Andy Gregory

The Sussexes have issued a response to Jeremy Clarkson’s statement of apology for his column in The Sun about Meghan Markle.

Appearing to contest a number of the former Top Gear host’s claims, the statement – reported by Omid Scobie of Yahoo – states: “On December 25, 2022, Mr Clarkson wrote solely to Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex. The contents of his correspondence were marked Private and Confidential.

“While a new public apology has been issued today by Mr Clarkson, what remains to be addressed is his longstanding pattern of writing articles that spread hate rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories and misogyny.

“Unless each of his other pieces were also written “in a hurry”, as he states, it is clear that this is not an isolated incident shared in haste, but rather a series of articles shared in hate.”

Royals ‘got to get a move on’ to reconcile with Harry and Meghan before coronation

18:54 , Andy Gregory

Buckingham Palace insiders have warned that the royal family has “got to get a move on” to reconcile with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle before King Charles’s coronation, my colleague Joe Middleton reports.

A royal source close to King Charles told The Times they believed a meeting between the warring royals could happen in the next few months, saying: “It’s going to take flexibility on all sides, but it can be done, it’s fixable.

“It needs Harry over here, in the room with the King and prince of Wales, a couple of other family members, some of ‘his people’ he trusts who always had his back, so he doesn’t think he’s being ambushed.

“Someone like Elf [Ed Lane Fox, Harry’s former private secretary] and Christopher [Lord Geidt, the late Queen’s former private secretary who advised the Sussexes]. Both sides need to hold their hands up and admit we didn’t get everything right, and we got a lot wrong, and we have to say to him ‘we understand the pain you’ve been through’. The King can do it.”

Royals ‘got to get a move on’ to reconcile with Harry and Meghan

Jeremy Clarkson references Harry Kane penalty in statement about Meghan Markle

18:19 , Andy Gregory

Jeremy Clarkson has referenced England football captain Harry Kane’s World Cup penalty miss in his statement about his Sun column, in which he claimed to hate the Duchess of Sussex “on a cellular level”.

His statement concluded: “Over the last 30 years, I have written very nearly five thousand newspaper and magazine columns, so it was inevitable that one day, I’d do a Harry Kane and sky one of the damn things. Which is what happened with the piece about Meghan.”

New royal on the block as Gabrielle Windsor stands in for Prince William at King Constantine’s funeral

17:50 , Andy Gregory

Lady Gabriella Windsor has taken her first strides into public life in the shoes of her cousin Prince William as his stand for the funeral of the former King of Greece, my colleague Emily Atkinson reports.

Accompanied by the Princess Royal, Lady Gabriella, 41, daughter of Prince Michael of Kent, was asked to represent the future king at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Athens.

It comes after King Charles hinted that both Prince Andrew, recently embroiled in a legal battle, and Harry would be sidelined indefinitely as working royals.

New royal on the block as Gabrielle Windsor stands in for Prince William at funeral

Watch: Caroline Flack's mother condemns Jeremy Clarkson's column against Meghan Markle

16:35 , Emily Atkinson

Recap: What did Jeremy Clarkson say about Meghan Markle?

16:25 , Emily Atkinson

Jeremy Clarkson has come under fire for his most recent comments about Meghan Markle, with a plethora of fellow celebrities criticising his “hateful” rant.

Over the past two years, Mr Clarkson has continued to give Markle the attention he has claimed she “craves so desperately” through a stream of online criticism and newspaper columns.

Ella Kipling takes a look back at Mr Clarkson’s most controversial comments about Markle, whichcover everything from climate change and polar bears to calling Markle a “silly little cable TV actress”:

7 of Jeremy Clarkson’s most controversial comments about Meghan Markle

ITV and Amazon were ‘incandescent’ over Meghan column, says Clarkson

16:15 , Emily Atkinson

Jeremy Clarkson‘s statement also mentioned that ITV and Amazon, which air Who Wants to be a Millionaire and The Grand Tour respectively, were “incandescent” over his column.

He said: “The Sun quickly apologised and I tried to explain myself. But still, there were calls for me to be sacked and charged with a hate crime.

“More than 60 MPs demanded action to be taken. ITV, who make Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and Amazon, who make the Farm Show and the Grand Tour, were incandescent.

“I therefore wrote to everyone who works with me saying how sorry I was and then on Christmas morning, I e-mailed Harry and Meghan in California to apologise to them too.

“I said I was baffled by what they had been saying on TV but that the language I’d used in my column was disgraceful and that I was profoundly sorry.”

How did Harry and Meghan receive The Sun’s apology over Jeremy Clarkson column?

16:05 , Emily Atkinson

In continuation of our last post, how was the Sun’s apology received by the Sussexes?

In short, the pair attacked its statement as “nothing more than a PR stunt”.

Roisin O’Connor has more detail on the royal couple’s response:

Duke and Duchess of Sussex break silence over Jeremy Clarkson column

Recap: The Sun’s apology over Jeremy Clarkson column

15:54 , Emily Atkinson

The Sun has previously apologised for Jeremy Clarkson’s derisive column, admitting it regretted its publication.

In a statement, issued on 22 December, the newspaper said: “In last Saturday’s Sun, Jeremy Clarkson wrote a comment article about the Duchess of Sussex. It provoked a strong response and led to a large number of complaints to Ipso, the independent press regulator.

“In a tweet earlier this week, Jeremy said he had made a ‘clumsy reference to a scene in Game of Thrones’, which had ‘gone down badly with a great many people’ and he was ‘horrified to have caused so much hurt’. He also said he will be more careful in future.

“Columnists’ opinions are their own, but as a publisher we realise that with free expression comes responsibility. We at The Sun regret the publication of this article and we are sincerely sorry.”

The newspaper added that the article had also been removed from their archives as well as their website.

Duke warned Jeremy Clarkson’s ‘horrific’ article about Meghan incites violence

15:46 , Emily Atkinson

Prince Harry has previously said that Jeremy Clarkson’s “cruel” article in The Sun newspaper about his wife Meghan encouraged people around the world to believe it is an acceptable way to treat women.

During an interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby ahead of the publication of his autobiography Spare, the Duke of Sussex spoke at length about the accountability of the UK media.

“When we’re talking about accountability… the Jeremy Clarkson article… what he said was horrific and is hurtful and cruel towards my wife, but it also encourages other people around the UK and around the world, men particularly, to go and think that it’s acceptable to treat women that way,” he said.

Clarkson unsure if he can ‘move on’ from Meghan column

15:41 , Emily Atkinson

Jeremy Clarkson has said he is unsure if he can “move on” from the controversy sparked by his comments against Meghan Markle.

Looking to the future, he suggested in his apology to the Duchess of Sussex that his columns hereafter might focus instead on his becoming a grandfather,

He wrote: “Over the last 30 years, I have written very nearly 5,000 newspaper and magazine columns, so it was inevitable that one day, I’d do a Harry Kane and sky one of the damn things. Which is what happened with the piece about Meghan.

“So can I move on now? Not sure. It’s hard to be interesting and vigilant at the same time. You never hear peals of laughter coming from a health and safety seminar. But I promise you this, I will try.

“Who knows? Very soon now I shall be a grandfather, so in future, maybe I’ll just write about that.”

Clarkson bemoans failure to mention Game of Thrones reference

15:35 , Emily Atkinson

Jermey Clarkson said he had been picturing a scene from Game of Thrones when writing the disparaging column – but his failure to mention this had made it appear as if he were “calling for revolting violence to rain down on Meghan’s head.”

In the column, Mr Clarkson wrote that he lay in bed “dreaming of the day when she [Meghan] is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while the crowds chant ‘Shame!’ and throw lumps of excrement at her”.

Taking to Instagram today, he explained: “I knew what had happened straight away. I’d been thinking of a scene in Games Of Thrones, but I’d forgotten to mention this. So it looked like I was actually calling for revolting violence to rain down on Meghan’s head. I was very angry with myself because in all those controversial days on Top Gear, when I was accused of all sorts of things, it was very rarely sexism.

“We never did ‘women can’t park’ gags for instance. Or suggested that powerful cars were only for men. And I was thrilled when Jodie Kidd and Ellen MacArthur set fastest-ever laps in our reasonably-priced car. I’m just not sexist and I abhor violence against women. And yet I seemed to be advocating just that.”

Clarkson blames ‘horrible’ column on being home alone when filing

15:30 , Emily Atkinson

Jeremy Clarkson alleges he had been alone and unable to run his controversial column by anybody before filing.

The former Top Gear presenter describe his column, full of disparaging and sexist remarks about the Duchess of Sussex, as “horrible”, asking: “Had I really said that?”

As part of a lengthy apology shared on his Instagram, Mr Clarkson said: “Usually, I read what I’ve written to someone else before filing, but I was home alone on that fateful day, and in a hurry. So when I’d finished, I just pressed send. And then, when the column appeared the next day, the land mine exploded.

“It was a slow rumble to start with and I ignored it. But then the rumble got louder. So I picked up a copy of The Sun to see what all the fuss was about.

“We’ve all been there, I guess. In that precise moment when we suddenly realise we’ve completely messed up. You are sweaty and cold at the same time. And your head pounds. And you feel sick. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Had I really said that? It was horrible.”

‘Had I really said that? It was horrible’: Jeremy Clarkson’s apology to the Duchess of Sussex in full

15:25 , Emily Atkinson

Jeremy Clarkson has said he is “profoundly sorry” for a column he wrote for The Sun, in which he made a number of disparaging remarks about Meghan Markle.

Posting to Instagram on Monday 16 January, the TV presenter said he had written to the Duchess of Sussex to apologise, and shared a lengthy statement with his followers.

Click the link below to read his statement in full:

‘Had I really said that?’: Jeremy Clarkson’s apology to the Duchess of Sussex in full

Clarkson says own daughter denounced him over comments

15:20 , Katy Clifton

Clarkson insisted he is not sexist in his apology and said close friends were furious with his over the column.

He added his own daughter “took to Instagram to denounce me”, after she wrote last month: “I want to make it very clear that I stand against everything that my dad wrote about Meghan Markle.”

Clarkson wrote: “I knew what had happened straight away. I’d been thinking of a scene in Games Of Thrones, but I’d forgotten to mention this. So it looked like I was actually calling for revolting violence to rain down on Meghan’s head. I was very angry with myself because in all those controversial days on Top Gear, when I was accused of all sorts of things, it was very rarely sexism.

“We never did ‘women can’t park’ gags for instance. Or suggested that powerful cars were only for men. And I was thrilled when Jodie Kidd and Ellen MacArthur set fastest-ever laps in our reasonably-priced car. I’m just not sexist and I abhor violence against women. And yet I seemed to be advocating just that.

“I was mortified and so was everyone else. My phone went mad. Very close friends were furious. Even my own daughter took to Instagram to denounce me.”

Jeremy Clarkson apologises to Meghan Markle

15:13 , Katy Clifton

Jeremy Clarkson has claimed that he’s emailed Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to apologise over his controversial column in The Sun about the Duchess of Sussex.

In the column, published on 16 December following the release of the second part of the royal couple’s Netflix documentary, Clarkson shared his thoughts on Meghan.

The former Top Gear host wrote that he despised her on “a cellular level” and dreamt of the day that the duchess would be made to parade naked through Britain while a crowd chanted “shame” and threw “excrement” at her.

‘A mea culpa with bells on’: Jeremy Clarkson shares apology letter to Meghan

Saturday 14 January 2023 20:07 , Natalie Crockett

We’re pausing our live coverage for the evening. We’ll bring you the latest updates on this story at independent.co.uk

Prince Harry says that taking hallucinogenic drugs helped him accept Princess Diana’s death

Saturday 14 January 2023 19:00 , Furvah Shah

Prince Harry has spoken out about taking ayahuasca and how it helped him cope with the death of his mother, Princess Diana.

The Duke of Sussex addressed how he once took the psychedelic drug with a professional during a recent interview with The Telegraph, which was published days after he released his new memoir, Spare.

Ayahuasca is “a plant-based psychedelic,” which “can alter a person’s thinking, sense of time and emotions,” according to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation.

During his conversation with journalist Bryony Gordon, the Duke said that the drug helped him come to terms with his mother’s death and “be happy” with his life like Diana wanted him to do.

Amber Raiken has the full story:

Prince Harry says that doing ayahuasca helped him accept Diana’s death

Spare’s first draft was twice as long, Prince Harry reveals

Saturday 14 January 2023 18:30 , Furvah Shah

The first draft of Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir, Spare, was twice as long.

The Duke of Sussex has said he had enough material for two books, but he held back because he does not think his father and brother would “ever forgive” him.

In an interview with The Telegraph, he said: “It could have been two books, put it that way.”

The journalist wrote that Harry told her the first draft was 800 pages, double the final manuscript which comes in at just over 400 pages.

He also revealed that there were things he revealed to ghostwriter JR Moehringer “for context”, but there was “absolutely no way” they would be included in the book.

Prince Harry says royal family may thank him ‘in five or 10 years’

Saturday 14 January 2023 18:00 , Furvah Shah

Prince Harry has suggested that the royal family may thank him “in five or 10 years time” after sharing revelations about the family and its close relationship with the press in his tell-all memoir, Spare.

In a new interview with The Telegraph, he shared that “ any chance of reconciliation” with his family “is unlikely at the moment.”

He said: “What I’ve realised is that you don’t make any friends, especially within your family, because everyone has learned to accept that trauma [as] part of life. How dare you, as an individual, talk about it, because that makes us all feel really uncomfortable?

“So right, you may not like me in the moment, but maybe you’ll thank me in five or 10 years time.”

Prince Harry opens up about death of ex-girlfriend, Caroline Flack

Saturday 14 January 2023 17:30 , Furvah Shah

Prince Harry has opened up about the suicide of his ex-girlfriend, Caroline Flack.

The Duke of Sussex and Ms Flack, a TV and radio presenter, dated in 2009 and she sadly took her own life in 2020.

In an interview with The Telegraph, he said: “I feel like this is my life’s mission, to right the wrongs of the very thing that drove [Meghan and I] out. Because it took my mum, it took Caroline Flack, who was my girlfriend, and it nearly took my wife. And if that isn’t a good enough reason to use the pain and turn it into purpose, I don’t know what it is.”

Americans welcomed Prince Harry with open arms. Will ‘Spare’ spoil the love story?

Saturday 14 January 2023 17:00 , Furvah Shah

A generation of American teens dreamt of marrying Prince Harry and then watched, rapt, as the fairytale they imagined came true before their eyes. Two years later, the nation welcomed the royal combat veteran after he cut his privileged ties for the love of an LA-born actress.

But in the aftermath of Prince Harry’s book release and media blitz, journalist Sheila Flynn asks: Can he keep America on his side?

Read more:

Americans welcomed Prince Harry with open arms. Will ‘Spare’ spoil the love story?

Prince William ignores questions from reporters about Prince Harry’s memoir

Saturday 14 January 2023 16:30 , Furvah Shah

Prince William ignored questions about brother Prince Harry’s book during his and Kate Middleton’s first public outing since the release of the tell-all memoir.

On Thursday, the Prince and Princess of Wales made their first public appearance following the release of the Duke of Sussex’s memoir, Spare, on 10 January. They travelled to Merseyside, where they visited the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and the Open Door charity.

During the outing, Prince William was faced with multiple questions from reporters about his brother’s memoir, including whether he was “hurt” by the book.

Chelsea Ritschel has the full story:

Prince William ignores questions from reporters about Prince Harry’s memoir

Prince Harry worries about other ‘spares’ in Prince William’s family

Saturday 14 January 2023 16:00 , Furvah Shah

Prince Harry has shared his concerns for the other “spares” in the royal family, including the Prince of Wales’ three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

In an interview with The Telegraph, the Duke of Sussex said: “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.”

Meredith Clarke has the full story:

Prince Harry says ‘at least one’ of Prince William’s children ‘will end up like me’

ICYMI: ‘Spare’ is fastest-selling non-fiction book of all time

Saturday 14 January 2023 15:30 , Furvah Shah

Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir, Spare, has become the fastest-selling non-fiction book of all time.

The Duke of Sussex’s autobiography hit the shelves in the UK on Tuesday, 10 January and surged into the record books with 400,000 hardback, e-book, and audio format copies being snapped up, according to his publishers.

“We always knew this book would fly but it is exceeding even our most bullish expectations,” Transworld Penguin Random House said.

‘I’d like an apology to my wife,’ says Prince Harry to royal family

Saturday 14 January 2023 15:00 , Furvah Shah

Prince Harry has said he would like an apology be made by members of the royal family to Meghan Markle.

In an interview with The Telegraph, he said he decided against sharing some of the details of his relationship with his brother, Prince William, and father, King Charles III as they may deem it “unforgiveable”.

“But the way I see it,” he said, “is I’m willing to forgive you for everything you’ve done, and I wish you’d actually sat down with me, properly, and instead of saying I’m delusional and paranoid.

“Actually sit down and have a proper conversation about this, because what I’d really like is some accountability. And an apology to my wife.”

“This is not about trying to collapse the monarchy, this is about trying to save them from themselves,” says Prince Harry

Saturday 14 January 2023 14:30 , Furvah Shah

Prince Harry has shared that he does not wish to tar the monarchy but rather “save them from themselves.”

He said that he feels it is his “life mission” to “right the wrongs” that drove himself and Meghan Markle out of the royal family.

“This is not about trying to collapse the monarchy, this is about trying to save them from themselves,” he said in an interview with The Telegraph.

“I feel like this is my life’s mission, to right the wrongs of the very thing that drove us out. Because it took my mum, it took Caroline Flack, who was my girlfriend, and it nearly took my wife. And if that isn’t a good enough reason to use the pain and turn it into purpose, I don’t know what it is.”

Prince Harry says reconciling with the royal family is “unlikely"

Saturday 14 January 2023 13:52 , Furvah Shah

Prince Harry has said that reconciling with the royal family is “unlikely at the moment”.

In an interview with The Telegraph before the release of Spare, the prince said: “What I’ve realised is that you don’t make any friends, especially within your family, because everyone has learned to accept that trauma [as] part of life.

“How dare you, as an individual, talk about it, because that makes us all feel really uncomfortable? So right, you may not like me in the moment, but maybe you’ll thank me in five or 10 years time.”

Family threaten legal action after ‘racial discrimination’ at Windsor Castle

Saturday 14 January 2023 11:23 , Sam Rkaina

A Sikh family has accused two soldiers of racially discriminating against them at Windsor Castle.

Rapinder Kaur, 36, says she, her turban-wearing husband and two-year-old child were subjected to abuse by guards during a visit.

Now they are threatening legal action against the government.

Ms Kaur said as the family were walking alongside the castle’s wall, two soldiers standing in a palace window made inappropriate ‘we are watching you’ gestures, laughing and showing them the middle finger.

They made complaints to the Royal Collection Trust, which operates the palace, and the Ministry of Defence which bears responsibility for the guards.

Click here for our reporter Nadine White’s full story.

Spare’s first draft was twice as long

Saturday 14 January 2023 09:15 , Sam Rkaina

The Duke of Sussex has said he had enough material for two books, but he held back because he does not think his father and brother would “ever forgive” him.

Harry‘s memoir became the fastest selling non-fiction book ever when his tell-all tale lambasting the royal family was finally published this week.

The headline-grabbing autobiography Spare, which hit the shelves on Tuesday, includes claims that the Prince of Wales physically attacked him, and that the King put his own interests above Harry‘s and was jealous of the Duchess of Sussex and the Princess of Wales.

In an interview with Bryony Gordon of The Daily Telegraph, Harry said: “It could have been two books, put it that way.”

Gordon writes that Harry told her the first draft was 800 pages - double the final manuscript which comes in at just over 400 pages.

Harry told Gordon that there were things he revealed to ghostwriter JR Moehringer “for context”, but there was “absolutely no way” they would be included in the book.

The duke said it is impossible to tell his story without referring to family members.

Meghan ‘was in floods of tears as she breast-fed Archie'

Saturday 14 January 2023 07:00 , Jane Dalton

Harry has revealed one of his darkest moments was in 2019, when the media had reportedly been given certain stories about Meghan.

“I was coming back to Frogmore after Archie was born, and I would walk into the nursery and there she [Meghan] was in floods of tears, tears dripping on Archie while she was breast-feeding him.

“That was a breaking point for me. And she is someone who doesn’t read the stories. She would be dead if she was reading the stories.”

Analysis: Why do oversharers insist on telling us everything?

Saturday 14 January 2023 06:00 , Jane Dalton

For Harry, his memoir seems to be a rebellion against a lifetime of silence – with a therapeutic purpose. Experts reveal why some people can’t help but overshare:

Why do oversharers like Prince Harry insist on telling us everything?

Taking hallucinogenic drug helped prince accept Diana’s death

Saturday 14 January 2023 05:00 , Jane Dalton

Prince Harry has spoken out about taking ayahuasca and how it helped him cope with the death of his mother, Princess Diana.

Prince Harry says that doing ayahuasca helped him accept Diana’s death

Harry claims family use privilege to ‘lie’

Saturday 14 January 2023 04:00 , Jane Dalton

Harry has defended his tell-all memoir by claiming the royals have used their privilege to tell “lies” through the media.

“But I always say: ‘What’s the difference between airing lies about your family through the British press, or airing truth through a book?’ In my case, this is all contained in one place where I hold myself entirely accountable and responsible for what I am saying.

“I don’t see why it’s so ingrained [in society] that whatever happens in your family, you should never talk about it. That no matter what’s happened, I can’t do this.

“But they [the royal family] can? Because of who they are and what they represent?

“The way I was brought up is that, as a member of the royal family, you lead by example. So you shouldn’t be able to use that privilege to get away with more things.

“No institution is immune to criticism and scrutiny, and if only 10 per cent of the scrutiny that was put on me and M was put on this institution, we wouldn’t be in this mess right now,” he said in his Telegraph interview.

Therapy made Harry think Diana wanted him to cry

Saturday 14 January 2023 03:00 , Jane Dalton

The Duke of Sussex says thanks to therapy, “I started to confront the idea that mummy wanted me to cry”.

After his mother’s death, before therapy, he shed tears only twice – once at her burial at Althorp, and then years later on a skiing holiday with his girlfriend at the time, Cressida Bonas.

“I convinced myself that she [Diana] must have wanted me to cry, that that was the only way I could prove to her that I still miss her,” he says in his interview.

He took ayahuasca, a psychedelic, with a professional as there is some research that the plant has positive effects on mental wellbeing. “After taking ayahuasca with the proper people, I suddenly realised – wow! – it’s not about the crying. She [Diana] wants me to be happy.”

Family reconciliation unlikely right now, says Harry

Saturday 14 January 2023 02:00 , Jane Dalton

Harry says he accepts any chance of reconciliation with the King and his brother William is unlikely at the moment.

“What I’ve realised is that you don’t make any friends, especially within your family, because everyone has learned to accept that trauma [as] part of life. ‘How dare you, as an individual, talk about it, because that makes us all feel really uncomfortable?’

“So right, you may not like me in the moment, but maybe you’ll thank me in five or 10 years time,” he told The Telegraph.

Harry vows to keep standing up for Meghan 'and other women’

Saturday 14 January 2023 01:01 , Jane Dalton

Harry has admitted he did not understand why it was considered so “shocking and outrageous” for him to tell his own “truthful” side of the story, but vowed to continue “the good fight” in standing up for Meghan “and other women” and encouraging other men to do the same.

“If you don’t lead by example, what is the point in living?” he asked.

He said he had tried to explain to his family that their decisions would reflect badly on them, not least when it came to his wife.

“I couldn’t get through to them,” he said. “It wasn’t that I gave up, but I do feel as if I failed in that instance, trying to bring them with me.”

Relating events was painful and eye-opening, says prince

Saturday 14 January 2023 00:01 , Jane Dalton

Recounting events to his ghostwriter was definitely cathartic, Harry has said.

“It was painful at times. It was eye-opening,” he told The Telegraph.

In his autobiography, he talks about “the wall”, a mental block in his brain that divides his life before and after his mother died.

“There were memories that I managed to pull up and over the wall that I had forgotten about, that I didn’t even know existed. And there were times when I scared the s*** out of myself as well,” he says.

French publisher prints 130,000 extra copies of Spare

Friday 13 January 2023 23:00 , Jane Dalton

Strong orders for the French version of Prince Harry‘s tell-all memoir led Paris-based publishing house Fayard to print 130,000 extra copies only two days after the book went on sale.

A company spokesperson said: “This comes on top of the 210,000 copies initially printed,” and added even more could be printed depending on orders.

'I wish my family had properly talked to me’

Friday 13 January 2023 22:30 , Jane Dalton

The prince wished his brother and father had said down with him and talked “properly”, he says.

Explaining why he cut the original draft of his memoir in half, he said: “Now you could argue that some of the stuff I’ve put in there, well, they will never forgive me anyway.

“But the way I see it is, I’m willing to forgive you for everything you’ve done, and I wish you’d actually sat down with me, properly, and instead of saying I’m delusional and paranoid, actually sit down and have a proper conversation about this, because what I’d really like is some accountability. And an apology to my wife.”

William ‘shut down’ over Diana’s death

Friday 13 January 2023 22:00 , Jane Dalton

As Prince William grew older, he “went completely silent and completely shut down” over their mother’s death, Harry has claimed.

For his part, he said it was only after taking ayahuasca, a psychedelic drug, that he realised it did not matter that he had not cried and that his mother just wanted him to be happy.

“So this weight off my chest was not the need to cry, it was the acceptance and realisation that she has gone, but that she wants me to be happy and that she’s very much present in my life,” he told Bryony Gordon.

“And now, as two brothers, if one of you goes through that experience and the other one doesn’t, it naturally creates a further divide between you. Which is really sad.”

Harry has claimed that William thinks therapy has made him delusional.

Harry refused to believe mother was dead for 10 years

Friday 13 January 2023 21:29 , Jane Dalton

For 10 years after his mother’s death in 1997, Harry’s brain went into a state of complete shock, he said, refusing to believe that she was actually dead.

Instead he engaged in a kind of magical thinking most often seen in people with severe obsessive compulsive disorder or psychosis.

For that decade, his grief was buried so deeply that he believed his mother had gone into hiding, that she would return to him and his brother at any moment. He refers to it throughout his memoir as “the disappearance”.

Royal family’s silence ‘like abuse'

Friday 13 January 2023 20:55 , Jane Dalton

The prince has likened his family’s silence on the furore over their relationship to abuse.

He said he genuinely wanted his brother and his father back in his life, and his “technique”, he suggested, was to completely curtail the relationship between the royal family and the press to protect them.

“When you’re trying to change an institution, and fundamentally the media landscape, that is not a small task,” he added.

“The scale of the challenge is enormous, and I have to be able to protect myself mentally and emotionally throughout that process.”

He suggested that although his family might not like him at the moment, they would thank him in a few years for talking so openly about trauma.

Harry demands apology for Meghan from his family

Friday 13 January 2023 20:25 , Jane Dalton

The Duke of Sussex has demanded the royal family apologise to Meghan, using an interview to tell them: “Because you know what you did, and I now know why you did it.

“And you’ve been caught out, so just come clean and then we could all move on.”

He told The Telegraph that “if people had listened” when he had raised the alarm they would not be in this position, adding: “That’s the saddest part about it – it was all so avoidable. But they just couldn’t help themselves.”

Prince Harry worries about other ‘spares’ in Prince William’s family

Friday 13 January 2023 19:54 , Jane Dalton

Prince Harry has claimed he felt a “responsibility” to reform the monarchy for the sake of his brother William’s children.

Referring to Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, he told The Telegraph: “I know that out of those three children, at least one will end up like me, the spare. And that hurts, it worries me.”

Regardless, he said he liked to “fix” things and was approaching his mission with “long-term, strategic thinking”.

Prince Harry says ‘at least one’ of Prince William’s children ‘will end up like me’

Prince Harry says he held back some bombshells from book

Friday 13 January 2023 18:56 , Liam James

Prince Harry has revealed that he has enough material to fill another book after cutting stories from his memoir that he believes the King and Prince William would not ever forgive him for if made public.

He said Spare, his ghostwritten tell-all which made an enormous splash when it was published worldwide this week, was 800 pages long at first draft before he cut it down by half for publication.

He admitted to difficulty in deciding which stories to cut from the book, which included revelations of rows with his brother and urging his father not to marry Camilla, Queen Consort.

Read more below:

Prince Harry ‘has enough for another book’ with ‘unforgivable’ stories

Prince Harry and Meghan less popular than Andrew among over 65s, new poll shows

Friday 13 January 2023 17:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Prince Harry and Meghan are now less popular than disgraced royal Prince Andrew among over-65s after making bombshell revelations in Spare, a new poll has found.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have seen polling numbers plummet after Harry used his new memoir and TV interviews to discuss the ongoing row with the Royal Family.

A fresh survey by YouGov found that 73 per cent of over-65s in Britain have a “very” negative view of Harry. Some 69 per cent had the same view of the Duchess.

This compares with 60 per cent for Prince Andrew, who was stripped of his military titles and patronages in January over allegations of sexual assault, which he denies.

Prince Harry and Meghan less popular than Andrew among over 65s, new poll says

Late Queen’s royal aide demands apology over ‘errors’ in Prince Harry’s memoir

Friday 13 January 2023 16:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A former palace aide has demanded a public apology from Prince Harry over a passage written in his new memoir, Spare.

Dickie Arbiter, 82, who was assistant press secretary to the late Queen Elizabeth, has claimed a passage in the Duke of Sussex’s book has been misattributed to him.

Though Arbiter is not named in the book, he says a quote in the book could be interpreted as if it was him, and he would like the publisher to apologise.

In Spare, Prince Harry discusses an article published by the Daily Mail in 2020, in which a group of royal commentations, the “Fleet Street jury” shared their opinions on Harry and Meghan’s decision to step back from royal duties.

Ellie Muir has more:

Late Queen’s royal aide demands apology over ‘errors’ in Prince Harry’s memoir

Prince Harry reveals how Diana’s perfume helped him cope with her death

Friday 13 January 2023 16:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Prince Harry has revealed how the smell of Princess Diana’s perfume helped him cope with her death.

In his new memoir, Spare, which came out on 10 January, the Duke of Sussex expressed his feeling of grief after his mother died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, at the age of 36. Harry was 12 years old at the time of Diana’s death.

He went on to note how his therapist urged him to reflect on what he remembered about his mother, including “bedtimes in Kensington Palace,” when he’d go from “inhaling her perfume” to then “lying in bed”.

“We’re breaking through,” Harry’s therapist told him. “Let’s not stop there.”

Prince Harry reveals how Diana’s perfume helped him cope with her death

Prince Harry’s Taliban kill claim could help ex-soldiers, psychologists say

Friday 13 January 2023 15:29 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Some traumatised ex-soldiers may be helped by Prince Harry’s revelations about how he killed 25 people in Afghanistan, according to psychologists.

They say speaking out about what he has gone through, the Duke of Sussex is “validating” his feelings.

The prince writes in his newly published memoir, Spare, that he killed 25 Taliban fighters while serving as a soldier in Afghanistan – but in interviews has denied “boasting” about it, saying that was “very dangerous spin”.

Harry’s military comrades said they were dismayed at his “unnecessary” claim, arguing it made him a much greater security risk, and also put his family in danger.

But the prince hit back in an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in the US, saying he hoped talking about it would help other army veterans, and especially help prevent suicides.

Jane Dalton has more:

Prince Harry’s Taliban kill claim could help ex-soldiers, psychologists say

‘Introducing Sussex Class’: Air New Zealand makes dig at Harry and Meghan after Spare claim

Friday 13 January 2023 14:32 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Air New Zealand has appeared to make a dig at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after the former included a reference to the airline in his explosive new book, Spare.

“Introducing #SussexClass,” the Kiwi flag carrier posted on its social media pages, followed by a crown emoji.

“Apparently coming soon.” The post concluded with the side-eye emoji.

The tweet and Facebook post was seemingly in response to Harry writing in his memoir that Meghan paid for a first-class flight on Air New Zealand from Mexico to the UK for her father, Thomas Markle.

‘Introducing Sussex Class’: Air New Zealand makes dig at Harry and Meghan

Prince Harry’s memoir Spare ‘is being shared for free on Whatsapp’

Friday 13 January 2023 14:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Prince Harry’s new memoir Spare is reportedly being shared on WhatsApp for free, Lucy Skoulding writes.

The Duke of Sussex’s book, released on Tuesday, has already become the fastest-selling non-fiction book ever, according to its publishers Transworld Penguin Random House.

But a number of Twitter users have said they have been sent a PDF of the memoir on the social messaging app, potentially costing the prince lost sales, and it is not uncommon for books to be shared on illegal torrenting sites after publication.

Prince Harry’s memoir Spare ‘is being shared for free on Whatsapp’

Prince Harry recalls ‘painfully awkward’ first kiss with Cressida Bonas in memoir

Friday 13 January 2023 13:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Prince Harry has recalled his “painfully awkward” first kiss with Cressida Bonas in his memoir Spare.

On Tuesday (10 January), the Duke of Sussex’s long-awaited autobiography finally hit the shelves.

You can follow The Independent’s blog for updates here.

In the book, Harry details how he came to meet Meghan Markle, as well as his past relationships.

These include the late Caroline Flack and actor Bonas, who he was introduced to by Princess Eugenie and dated from 2012 to 2014.

Read more here:

Prince Harry recalls ‘painfully awkward’ first kiss with Cressida Bonas in memoir

Prince Harry was right to tell his story – but he still has a lot to learn about racism

Friday 13 January 2023 13:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Prince Harry was wrong to suggest that there’s a substantive difference between “unconscious bias” and racism. There isn’t, Nadine White writes.

During an ITV interview that aired on Sunday, Prince Harry denied accusing the royal family of racism in his Oprah interview in March 2021, after Meghan revealed an unnamed family member raised concerns about how dark their unborn son Archie’s skin would be.

“No I didn’t... the British press said that... did Meghan ever mention that they’re racist? There was concern about his skin colour,” the duke told interviewer Tom Bradby. When Bradby asked: “Wouldn’t you describe that as essentially racist?” Harry replied: “I wouldn’t, not having lived within that family.”

Instead, the Duke of Sussex went on to suggest that unconscious bias was to blame for his relative’s worry about how Black his unborn child would be. Harry added: “Going back to the difference between what my understanding is because of my own experience, the difference between racism and unconscious bias, the two things are different.”

Opinion: Prince Harry still has a lot to learn about racism

The Bee, The Fly and The Wasp: Harry’s acid outburst against the grey men in the palace

Friday 13 January 2023 13:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Now that Spare by Prince Harry has been leaked, spun, translated to and from Spanish, and commanded at least four “exclusive” TV interviews with the renegade royal – and now that it has been officially published across print and digital media worldwide, reported, and digested – it’s clear who comes off worst. Prince William, Charles and then Camilla, in that order, Sean O’Grady writes.

Only the reputation of the late Queen emerges intact – he wouldn’t dare, though, would he? – while Prince Andrew gets off lightly with just the one routine condemnation, and only because Andrew got to keep his security.

But there is also some collateral damage inflicted on “The Bee, The Fly and The Wasp”. These three insects are believed to be the private secretaries of the senior royals at the time: respectively, Edward Young, who acted for the Queen; Simon Case, who worked for Prince William and Harry; and Clive Alderton, who worked for the then Prince Charles.

Harry’s acid outburst against the grey men in the palace | Sean O’Grady

King Charles reportedly 'planning on inviting Harry and Meghan to coronation'

Friday 13 January 2023 12:48 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

King Charles III is reportedly planning on inviting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to his coronation in May.

The 74-year-old monarch will be crowned in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

A royal expert believes that Prince Harry, who has been openly critical of his father in his new autobiography Spare, will be invited to the occasion with his wife Meghan Markle.

“My sources close to the king say that he will be extending that olive branch and will be inviting Meghan and Harry to the coronation,” Katie Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight.

King Charles reportedly 'planning on inviting Harry and Meghan to coronation'

Prince Harry recounts awkward 'fab four' reconciliation

Friday 13 January 2023 12:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

JR Moehringer grew up with a love of The Prince and the Pauper. Now he’s written Prince Harry’s memoir

Friday 13 January 2023 12:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Prince Harry’s ghostwriter, JR Moehringer, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning feature writer whose own memoir about his absent father was adapted into a George Clooney-directed film.

Now he’s turned his hand to ferreting out the most intimate details of royal life and familial intrigue, writes Sheila Flynn.

JR Moehringer, the ghostwriter who helped Prince Harry tell his story

Man told police he threw egg at King Charles because visit ‘was in bad taste’

Friday 13 January 2023 11:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A man has admitted to throwing an egg at King Charles during a walkabout in Luton.

Harry May, 21, has pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court to throwing an egg toward the King during a walkabout in Luton in December.

Prosecutor Jason Seetal said police had detained May after seeing him hurl a projectile toward the monarch, which landed on the floor nearby as the King spoke with members of the public.

The King was temporarily steered away from the crowds outside Luton Town Hall by his security staff shortly after arriving. He then resumed shaking hands with members of the public after being moved to a different area.

Thomas Kingsley reports:

Man told police he threw egg at King Charles because visit ‘was in bad taste’