William’s And Harry’s Fight Over Meghan Markle Takes Top Billing, For Now

As predicted , it was inevitable that details of Spare, Prince Harry’s hotly-awaited as-told-to, would leak. In fact, given Fleet Street’s amazing number of coursing dogs on the royal beat, it’s an amazing accomplishment that, through the writing and editing process of the last couple of years, that the dike held as long as it did. Apparently the security around the operation of the pub-date drop is extreme, what with sealed, trackable pallets of books and a tight circle of those with cosmic clearance to have copies. But, a week out from publication, it was not enough.

Last night a correspondent for the Guardian, Martin Pengelly, launched quite the trove of detail about a row between William and Harry at “Nott Cott” — aka Nottingham Cottage — where Harry and Meghan were staying at the time. To say that it was a ‘row’ is perhaps too diplomatic. It was 2019 — months before Harry and Meghan began calling it quits by heading to Canada. Brothers being brothers, the discussion got a little out of hand: William wound up grabbing Harry by the collar and tossing him to the floor. Harry landed on the dog bowl, which broke and cut up his back a bit. William left, then returned to apologize, then asked Harry not to tell, in Harry’s words, “Meg.”

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Here is the longest passage of Harry’s quoted in the Guardian:

“He set down the water (that Harry had offered William before he began hurling imprecations), 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.”

Apparently, being a properly-raised English boy, William, in a sort-of acknowledgement to the Marquess of Queensbury boxing rules, then asked that Harry rise and hit him as when they were fighting as boys. There’s nothing not to love about that bit of fraternal familiarity. By definition, dangerous or not, all fights are at some point ridiculous, and fights between brothers are, often, more ridiculous than that. So, according to Harry, that was William’s wholly believable ridiculous moment.

Summed up, it was a spirited fraternal dialogue that will, definitely, find its way to some sort of screen, even if it is a a simple Saturday Night Live satire of the doings — which is not a half-bad idea, should any of the beleaguered writers of the weekly in their customary jail over in 30 Rock be thrashing around for trashy, ripped from the front page skit notions.

But the “fight scene” — which at the crack of dawn on Fleet Street today began making headlines in London — belies the real news in the section, which has to do with the origins of Williams visit, and his — according to Harry — “piping hot” anger. The real news is in what William said before the tussle: Again, in this, Harry’s, telling, William alleged that Meghan Markle had been “rude” and “abrasive.” It will help the reader to remember that this was the point in time that palace staff in Harry’s and Meghan Markle’s employ were constantly leaving their posts at a higher than usual rate. Charges of Meghan Markle allegedly “bullying” staff were leaked. William’s job, as his father’s right hand — in 2019 as Charles was the de-facto regent — was to protect the palace. William went over to see Harry in that capacity. And, also, as a brother.

It didn’t reach Shakespearean proportions, and the event has certainly been papered over — if not exactly or wholly by the brother/actors, then certainly by time and the river. With whatever sort of chill or pall in the air, William and Harry have come together several times since. But in this version of the narrative at least, the story does buttress several long-assumed facets of the far larger altercation between Harry and his storied family, namely: that emotions were running high on both sides of the Windsor fence; that Meghan Markle’s “honeymoon” in the royal family was, by 2019, definitely over; and not least, that for all of Harry’s recent claims in promotion of Spare that he wants his brother and his father “back,” Harry’s going to have to deal with the effects of his book on his family, starting today.