Prince Harry's Book Release May 'Widen The Rift' Within Royal Family, Commentator Says

Prince Harry's upcoming memoir might "widen the rift" between him and the royal family ahead of his father King Charles III's coronation in 2023, a royal commentator claimed.

The 38-year-old Duke of Sussex just announced that his memoir, titled "Spare," is set to hit shelves in January.

Ahead of its release, royal commentators and experts are already expressing their concerns about how the book may affect Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle's relationship with the royal family, which became more strained after they stepped back from royal duties and relocated to California in 2020.

"It was never a good idea for Harry, fifth in line to the throne, a Counsellor of State and only 38, to write a memoir which by its nature would be highly controversial," royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail.

He continued, "All of this will almost certainly be unhelpful to King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla, in the early months of his reign. It may well widen the rift between the royal family and the Sussexes in the pivotal period leading to King Charles's coronation."

Fitzwilliams suggested that the royal family would be "very concerned" by how the book was being promoted, including its controversial title and the focus of the narration of events. The book was said to be an "inspiring, courageous and uplifting human story" when it was first announced last year, but it is now being promoted as a "personal journey from trauma to healing," Daily Mail noted.

"It is a sensational title and implies that the writer was not valued or certainly that he did not feel at the center of events," the royal commentator explained to the outlet, before adding that the "raw, unflinching honesty" of the book teased by the blurb may cause concern within Buckingham Palace, especially since King Charles is still in the early months of his reign.

"'There will undoubtedly be interviews, [serialization], and endless speculation about this memoir, which in my view should have waited many years. Even Edward VIII, by then the Duke of Windsor, waited until 1951 before 'A King's Story' was published. The consequences of this will be far-reaching and may be highly destructive," Fitzwilliams continued, referring to the English monarch who voluntarily abdicated the throne in 1936 so he could marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

Prince Harry's 416-page memoir, which was initially supposed to be released this year, was rumored to have been delayed because the duke got "cold feet."

But publisher Penguin Random House has made it clear that the prince will not shy away from sensitive subjects and that the book was only delayed due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 8.

According to the Daily Mail, the Duke of Sussex could divulge details about how the royal family had encouraged him and his elder brother Prince William, 40, to walk behind their mother Princess Diana's coffin and reveal which member of the monarchy allegedly made racist comments about his then-unborn son, Archie, now 3.

The royal family was reportedly kept in the dark about the contents of the memoir and was not given a copy of the manuscript before its publication. Hence, they would have to wait until it hits bookstores on Jan. 10, 2023, with palace lawyers expected to be on standby.