King Charles III could punish Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with the “nuclear option” in response to the new “outrageous” claims made by the Duke of Sussex, a royal expert has warned. Harry’s hotly-anticipated book Spare was not due for official release until Tuesday, but mistakingly went on sale early in Spain and contains several new bombshell accusations against the Royal Family. One of the more sensational claims is Harry alleging his older brother Prince William physically assaulted him in 2019 during a heated argument over the duke’s wife Meghan.
He also alleges the Prince of Wales called the Duchess of Sussex “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive”.
Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have so far declined to comment on the claims made in Harry’s book, but royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams has warned the Royal Family may be forced to act sooner rather than later.
He exclusively told Express.co.uk: “The Royal Family do not intend to respond to the allegations in Harry’s memoir. However, their hand may be forced, it’s too early to tell.
“The sheer outrageousness of the claims and the malign nature of the memoir will harm the Royal Family though a great many may wonder how rational Harry is.
“King Charles will hope the strategy of silence is sustainable. The Coronation is in May and will be magnificent and royal tours will undoubtedly be announced too.”
Mr Fitzwilliams warned King Charles III could turn to a “nuclear option” to effectively deal with the exploding situation.
He continued: “Harry and Meghan are royals who have gone rogue. There is no way the Palace can go point by point through the allegations.
“Removing their dukedom, if that option is considered, is a matter for Parliament. Reviving the accusations of bullying against Meghan which she has strongly denied would be a nuclear option.”
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Harry claims in his memoir that Prince William physically attacked him, accusing his older brother of grabbing him by the collar, ripping his necklace and knocking him to the floor during a heated argument in 2019.
The Duke of Sussex said he landed on a dog’s bowl, which cracked under his back, cutting into him.
He alleges his older brother urged him to hit back, citing fights they had as children, but Harry refused and William left before returning and apologising.
Harry claims William and his then-girlfriend Kate Middleton encouraged him to wear a Nazi uniform to a fancy dress party. The move sparked outrage after a photo appeared on the front page of a newspaper.
The duke alleges Meghan upset Kate, who had recently given birth, by accusing her of having a “baby brain” during a heated phone call leading up to the Sussex’s wedding in May 2018, according to The Sun.
He claims he and William told their father Charles they would welcome the now-Queen Consort into the family but only if he didn’t marry her. Harry alleges the now-King did not respond to their pleas.
The King also reportedly refused to allow Meghan to join him at Balmoral as the Queen was dying in September.
Harry said to his father: “Don’t ever speak about my wife that way,” according to the Telegraph.
