As Prince Harry sharpens his quill for his first “intimate and heartfelt” memoir, sources have told The Daily Mail that the royal family have some “very real fears” that the book could hurt the monarchy by undermining the reputation of his dad, Prince Charles.
Harry announced last week that he was about to unveil an “accurate and wholly truthful” account of his life, but the news has left Buckingham Palace courtiers angry and disappointed, according to a royal insider.
The courtiers are reportedly concerned for the Queen, who has just departed for Balmoral for her annual summer holiday – her first without her late husband Prince Phillip. She's said to be anxious about the book's content, although the palace hasn't released a public comment.
The Daily Mail also claimed that Harry’s publishing deal will cover not one but four books, including a wellness-type guide by his wife Meghan.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth greets her grandson Prince Harry at the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show 2015 in London Monday May 18, 2015
© AP Photo / Julian Simmonds
To add to Buckingham Palace's worries, the Duke of Sussex has reportedly demanded that the second of his purported books only be released after the Queen’s death. The reports have sparked fears about what Harry intends to write and the impact his "truth-bombing" could have on Prince Charles' transition to the throne.
Lawyers for Harry and Meghan have denied the “false and defamatory” claims about the "Queen postmortem" book deal, saying that the duke currently only has one book in the pipeline.
Penguin Random House, who will publish the duke’s first memoir, has also declined to confirm the four-book series.
However, just one book release is considered damaging enough for Prince Charles, who has been struggling to increase his popularity following Harry’s scandalous interviews with American media. The red-haired royal has previously accused his father of leaving his kids to "suffer" after Prince Diana’s death and cutting him off financially after Megxit.
According to Prince Harry, he will write his first biography “not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become."
All the earnings from the book are expected to go to charity.