Palace Fears Prince Harry Will Target Camilla In Memoir, Royal Author Claims

Buckingham Palace is allegedly concerned about what Prince Harry might say about his stepmother, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in his upcoming memoir, a royal expert has claimed.

British journalist Phil Dampier — author of several books on the royal family, including "Royally Suited: Harry and Meghan in Their Own Words" — weighed in on Prince Harry's tell-all book, which is expected to be released later this year.

Dampier claimed to New Idea that the palace is worried that Prince William's younger brother would target his father Prince Charles' wife by unleashing his anger on Duchess Camilla in his "wholly truthful" memoir. International Business Times could not independently verify this information.

"Harry and William were equally devastated by their parents' divorce and Diana's death," the outlet quoted Dampier as saying. "The fear is that deep down Harry has never truly forgiven [Camilla] for being Charles' mistress and then wife."

Prince Harry has distanced himself from the royal family and aligned himself closer to his late mother Princess Diana since he and his wife Meghan Markle quit royal duties and started their new life in California in 2020, according to the author.

"As he grows older, Harry seems to see himself as his mum's defender. I'm sure he will settle a lot of old scores in the book," Dampier claimed.

However, Dampier said he believes it would be best for Prince Harry to "praise Diana in his book and leave out any direct criticism of Camilla." He predicted that the memoir won't help Prince Harry's relationship with the royals, especially with Prince Charles and Prince William.

"Camilla is quite a strong character and took a lot of stick for many years but has got through it. However, the book will not help matters with his father and brother," the royal expert told the outlet.

Dampier has been writing about the royal family for nearly four decades. He covered the royal beat for The Sun from 1986 to 1991. In the last 20 years, he has traveled to more than 50 countries following members of the royal family, and his articles have been published in various newspapers and magazines worldwide.

Rumors recently surfaced that the release of Prince Harry's book was delayed after it was not included in publisher Penguin Random House's list of upcoming releases.

However, an anonymous source confirmed to Page Six that the Duke of Sussex's $20 million book is still due to be released in the fall of 2022.

An unnamed New York publishing source told the outlet that the highly anticipated memoir will be "juicy." Another source claimed that the book will include "a lot of new stories about the past that Harry has not spoken about before" and some content that "should make his family nervous."

In a statement in July 2021, Prince Harry promised to give an "accurate" and "truthful" account of his life in his memoir.

"I'm writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become. I’ve worn many hats over the years, both literally and figuratively, and my hope is that in telling my story—the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned—I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think," he said at the time.