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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Alana Calvert

Prince Harry saw ‘red mist’ in William during alleged physical attack over Meghan Markle

PA Wire

The Duke of Sussex has said he saw a “red mist” in his brother William during an alleged confrontation between the pair in a row over Meghan Markle.

The revelation came in a newly-released clip from ITV’s forthcoming interview with Harry, where the duke said he described his brother as being spoiling for a fight during the incident which reportedly took place in 2019.

“He wanted me to hit him back, but I chose not to,” he says of his brother who he earlier claimed in his book had physically attacked him – as was first reported by The Guardian.

In the clip, released early on Friday morning, Harry tells Tom Bradby: “What was different here was the level of frustration, and I talk about the red mist that I had for so many years, and I saw this red mist in him.”

The duke first recounted the confrontation in his autobiography Spare – an extract from which was leaked by The Guardian on Thursday.

The newspaper reported the book claims the Prince of Wales grabbed Harry’s collar and knocked him to the floor, ripping his necklace and shattering a dog bowl under his back.

The short clip from the ITV interview, which is due to be aired on Sunday, also had Harry addressing the drug use detailed in Spare.

Mr Bradby tells the duke: “There’s a fair amount of drugs (in the book). Marijuana, magic mushrooms, cocaine. I mean, that’s going to surprise people.”

The duke appears to agree and says it was “important to acknowledge”.

The royal also states he wants to reconcile with his family – something which he says cannot happen without “some accountability”.

“I want reconciliation,” he says, “but, first, there needs to be some accountability”.

The duke also states: “The truth, supposedly, at the moment, has been there’s only one side of the story, right? But, there’s two sides to every story.”

It comes after Harry reportedly alleged in his book William had called his American wife Meghan “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive” – comments which the younger brother said parroted “the press narrative” about his wife.

The Guardian, which first reported the dispute, said it was able to obtain a copy of the book, due to be published on January 10, despite strong security measures around its release.

In an earlier-released teaser of the ITV interview, Harry says he is publishing his memoirs because he does not know “how staying silent is ever going to make things better”.

There's a lot that can happen between now and then but the door is always open, the ball is in their court.
— Harry, on attending his father's coronation

The full ITV interview is due to be broadcast two days before publication and, in a trailer, Mr Bradby asks: “Wouldn’t your brother say to you, ‘Harry, how could you do this to me after everything? After everything we went through?’ Wouldn’t that be what he would say?”

Harry replied: “He would probably say all sorts of different things.”

Mr Bradby, a former royal correspondent and current presenter of ITV News at Ten, is a friend of the Sussexes and has previously interviewed them for a documentary about their 2019 Africa tour.

He told Harry: “Some people will say you’ve railed against invasions of your privacy all your life but the accusation will be here are you invading the privacy of your most nearest and dearest without permission, that will be the accusation.”

Harry answered: “That will be the accusation from people that don’t understand or don’t want to believe that my family have been briefing the press.”

Asked if he will attend his father’s coronation later this year, he said: “There’s a lot that can happen between now and then but the door is always open, the ball is in their court.

“There is a lot to be discussed and I really hope they are willing to sit down and talk about it.”

Harry said he still believes in the monarchy but asked when asked if he believes he will play a part in its future he said: “I don’t know.”

The show, called Harry: The Interview, will be broadcast on ITV1 and ITX at 9pm on January 8.

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