Royal biographers are trying to poison the well ahead of Prince Harry’s memoir

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The Telegraph ran an interesting and bitter column from Celia Walden this week. Her column was all about Prince Harry’s memoir, which has become the British royal commentators’ favorite late-summer worrystone. Because those commentators don’t want to do a deeper dive on the Cambridges’ marriage and separate living situation, we’re getting this: endless made-up drama about what Harry’s memoir might cover. This isn’t just British people telling on themselves ahead of the memoir, they’re also trying to poison the well. They did the same thing in advance of the Oprah interview, only that smear campaign was thrown together in a matter of days and weeks (although they had prepared the oppo dump ahead of time). These people are trying to toxify everything about and around Harry to the point where the audience will be too exhausted to buy or read Harry’s book. They’re being incredibly obvious about it. Walden’s Telegraph column is sh-tty across the board, but she did drop in some news about how royal commentators are trying to publish some books ahead of Harry’s.

The release of Harry’s memoir: Which means Penguin is going for a “shock drop” game plan that, like a firework finale against a clear night sky, will involve a tantalising radio silence… followed by a bombardment of Hazza revelations so breathtaking that consumers will be dazzled into spending £16.99 on Yet Another Royal Opus (how’s that for a title?).

The other royal books: There’s a problem with this strategy, highlighted by a report in this paper at the weekend about the string of “insider accounts” being rushed out between now and the publication of Harry: Fear And Loathing In Kensington Palace. The tone has been set by Tom Bower, the author of last month’s headline-grabbing Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors, and in a fortnight’s time bestselling writer Catherine Mayer will publish an updated version of her Prince Charles biography – Charles: The Heart of a King – promising readers “previously unpublished details” around “Harry and Meghan’s exit”.

Valentine Low is doing a book too: In September, another esteemed journalist will provide new insight into the Duke’s last period of royal life. Valentine Low broke the story about the Duchess of Sussex being accused of bullying staff while at Kensington Palace in 2018 (Meghan’s team have always vigorously denied the accusations) and his sources in Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown are likely to be impeccable.

Katie Nicholl & Angela Levin are doing books too: In November, comes a double whammy from two well-known royal experts. Katie Nicholl will publish a forensic examination of the firm in The New Royals, while Angela Levin will publish a biography of the Duchess of Cornwall. Again, both are expected to include versions of Megxit and, given Levin’s criticism of the Sussexes and rumours that Harry’s autobiography (My Journey to Me-Ville) will contain criticism of his stepmother, hers is unlikely to be favourable in their regard.

Harry Fatigue is what they’re aiming for: It’s enough to make me feel a stab of pity for the prince. Imagine having “your truth” drowned out by a load of other people, all telling different versions of that truth, all collectively prompting Harry Fatigue? And what if the other versions are – whisper it – more compelling? It wouldn’t be fair. Your own story should always be the most colourful and entrancing one out there, surely. But it’s also not beyond the realms of possibility. After all, the prince does now behave as though someone has suctioned every last vestige of charisma out of him with one of those nasal aspirators for babies. And the problem with worthiness is that it’s terribly boring to read about.

[From The Telegraph]

I honestly didn’t know that Katie Nicholl, Valentine Low and Catherine Meyer will all have books out this fall. The Meyer book is likely a sanctioned biography of Charles, endlessly preparing the nation for his kingship and trying to avoid the blame for Sussexit and everything else. Nicholl’s book will be heavy, HEAVY on the Middleton propaganda, because that’s Nicholl’s bread and butter. Nicholl has always had sources deep within Camp Middleton. Valentine Low’s book will be fascinating and probably quite horrible for the Sussexes, likely a high-level coordinated campaign against them. Low has sources deep within the Tory network, aka the men who are managing Prince William as their convenient idiot. As for Walden’s column… imagine believing that Tom Bower’s idiotic book did anything.

Also: Walden and the royal book writers have made a fundamental miscalculation. Yes, those books will get a lot of play… in the UK. Within the British media. Their mistake is that they believe Harry’s audience is the same as Valentine Low’s audience. That’s not the case. Same with the Oprah interview – the audience was America and the world. These people can’t shake their parochial, nativist worldview.

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