Relatives discussing the skin color of an unborn child, a brawl with the Crown Prince and a frozen penis. Prince Harry has not fulfilled any official duties within the British royal family for three years, but it is unlikely that his relatives have already forgotten him. The man never misses an opportunity to share controversial anecdotes from the internal kitchen of Buckingham Palace.
Tabloids worldwide feast on the family feuds, especially since Harry’s revelations ensure that the stream of stories never stops. After a six-part series on Netflix, with Spare this week a biography of the expatriate Briton in the shops. European royalty connoisseurs agree that Harry’s airing of his family’s dirty laundry is unprecedented. Still, some rebels with blue blood cleared the way for him.
When members of royal families talk about internal feuds in public, the reason often lies with love. In his memoirs, Britain’s King Edward VIII expressed frustrations at having to abdicate in order to marry a divorced woman. In addition to frustrations about the attitude of his family feud, he also criticized the strict hierarchy behind the palace walls. Princess Margaret, the niece of Edward VIII and sister of Elizabeth II, was also a front-page tabloid fixture in the 1950s. Her relationship with divorced photographer Peter Townsend was widely discussed as with Harry and Meghan. Although she eventually let it be known that she preferred her royal obligations to love and afterwards she no longer grumbled publicly about it.
Within the lines
It is striking that kings, queens and their immediate successors to the throne rarely speak negatively about their public function. It is more difficult for those further down the line of succession to the throne. “They sometimes want to lead completely different lives than what is expected of them,” says royal family expert and emeritus professor Mark Van den Wijngaert. “It is inevitable that in such extended families there will be someone who does not want to color within the lines.”
In his own country, Prince Laurent likes to play the victim role with claims that his family and the government are sticking sticks in his wheels. It remains a big step for many people with blue blood to leave public office, although public controversies can help.
The Belgian king Leopold III was sidelined by the government after various scandals during World War II, while the Norwegian princess Märtha Louise resigned after there was a fuss about her marriage to shaman Durek Verrett. Neither of them shared as many juicy stories as Harry after they left.
According to royalty expert Flip Feyten, the only person who can measure up to Harry’s candor is his mother. Princess Diana also spoke negatively about the British royal family. “She said that Charles was not fit for royalty and that the family was not warm enough for the people.” She told her story via audio recordings to journalist Andrew Morton, which resulted in a controversial biography. “Harry and Diana share the same unlimited openness,” says Feyten. Although Diana never used the stories as a vehicle to make money.