After Prince Harry released his memoir Spare, it’s not surprising that the royals are on edge after learning that another family member is writing a book, especially one that has been marketed as “deeply personal.”
The Duke of Sussex’s memoir included plenty of dirt on the royals as Harry knew that would sell his book. He went after his stepmother Queen Camilla, insisting that she was “dangerous” and had “sacrificed [him] on her personal PR altar.”
Harry also claimed that Prince William physically attacked him, and that his sibling along with the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) are the ones who encouraged him to wear that infamous Nazi costume to a party.
So who’s writing a book now? Here’s the answer to that and what someone who used to work for King Charles thinks the family is feeling about its release.
The family member who is writing a book now
The person who has announced that they are writing a book is Princess Anne‘s son-in-law and Zara Tindall’s husband, Mike Tindall. And the royals are likely holding their breath since anything in a book involving the family can be taken in different ways and out of context.
Grant Harrold was King Charles’ butler from 2004 to 2011. During his time working for the now-monarch, his duties included that of valet, housekeeper, house manager, and driver as well. Harrold also looked after Prince William and Prince Harry whenever the brothers were staying at Highgrove House.
Speaking on behalf of Genting Casino, Harrold told Showbiz Cheat Sheet: “[Mike] certainly would have needed to get permission. He would have definitely spoken to Zara and his mother-in-law about it. I think you’ll find in that situation, it’s probably more likely that [Princess Anne] would have mentioned it to her brother. But Mike’s got a good relationship with the king as well, so it’s possible he would have gone to him and said, look, do you mind?”
The royals are a ‘bit nervous’ after ‘Spare’ for someone in the household to write a book
But just because Mike likely got permission, doesn’t mean the king and the rest of the family are completely comfortable with the release of another book by someone so close to them.
According to Harrold, “It’s a bit awkward if you are a member of the royal family or an extended member, and you choose to write a book. You want to let them know because you’re part of the family, and as we’ve seen in the past, books can go badly wrong. So you can guarantee he would have discussed it with his mother-in-law, and I have no doubt we would have discussed it with the king.”
The former royal butler added: “I think the problem is because of the Harry situation, they’re a little bit nervous when anyone wants to write a book, even members of the household. It’s always going to be a bit nerve-wracking as negative stuff in books makes them sell really well, so that will obviously make the family worry.
“There’s always that risk, but I don’t think the king would say no to anyone unless there’s a reason. But I can guarantee he’ll be liaising with the royal lawyers to make sure the media can’t pick anything up that can be misconstrued.”
Luckily for the royals, Mike’s new book was written with his close pals and The Good the Bad and the Rugby podcast co-hosts Alex Payne and James Haskell, and is believed to focus heavily on their Rudgy careers.
