Harry has received 20 million dollars for his autobiography. But as the insiders claim, there is a plan to publish a total of four books for which he is to earn as much as 40 million. To add to this revenues form films, meetings, interviews etc., it turns out that living in California and switching from the royal to the Hollywood style is very profitable.
“It’s very sad and I hate to say it but I am glad that the Queen’s not around to hear and see all this because I think it would have really hurt her” – said a man who doesn’t belong to the royal family but who was close to it as a butler of prince Charles, then heir to the throne. Most of the British must share his opinion, if prince Harry, the perpetrator of the whole fuss – misfortune, scandal, affair, whichever one prefers – fell to the very bottom of the royal family popularity ranking.
Grant Harrold, now the owner of a servants’ school and an etiquette expert (who doesn’t remember Carson’s butler from the “Downton Abbey” series, the palace authority on manners and style), said, among other things, that for Queen Elizabeth II, family was everything. Meanwhile, Harry, one of her grandchildren, not only rejected the family, but also disregarded the sacred royal motto: “Never complain, never explain”. He tells what is happening among the Windsors, reports private meetings and conversations and tears everybody to pieces. Only Meghan, his American wife, is flawless.
Should this be surprising? Not really. Harry has caused enough trouble for the Queen, Prince Philip, his father and family over the past two years, since he left the court and Britain with Meghan and son Archie. His autobiography – or, more precisely, a quasi-autobiography, because Harry only told stories, and the form of his accounts was given by the American journalist J.R. Moehringer – this is just the last straw that broke the camel’s back. The title “Spare” – literally: substitute – defines Harry’s place in the line of succession behind his brother William, but also his state of mind. The essence of the matter is perfectly reflected in the planned title of the Polish edition: “The Second One”.
Once with poison and dagger, today with words
History knows thousands of “those second ones” – princes like Harry, always one step behind their older brothers, heir to the throne. Many a one was consumed by great ambition, lust for power, envy or inferiority complex, many a one was driven to terrible deeds. Being a king nowadays is no longer that alluring as it used to be since it doesn’t mean real power but imposes many obligations. Dagger, poison, rebellion – the old-fashioned, effective ways of solving the problem are also gone. One can however use the word.
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It’s true that the last straw broke the camel’s back but, as it seems, only in the private sphere. Could it turn out to be a devastating tsunami for the monarchy? For now, there is no indication that Harry’s biography could shake the monarchy. People reach for a book, but more probably because it is an excellent opportunity to see what happens when the door is closed to them, not through the keyhole – which, after all, is offered almost every day by gossip tabloids – but through the wide open door. . Not only did Harry open it, he invited everyone inside. And as you can see, he hurt himself. This way, paradoxically, it can rather strengthen the position of prince William, who clearly gains in comparison to his younger brother. Just like king Charles against the backdrop of his younger brother – the glitz-hungry prince Andrew.
Read the whole article in TVP Weekly.
– Teresa Stylińska
– Translated by Dominik Szczęsny-Kostanecki
source:
TVP Weekly