“I’ve never seen such overwhelming support for one side. And it’s not just in Britain. It’s also in America, which is the traditional heartland of the Sussexes.”
PRINCE Harry’s book has “backfired” badly on him – especially in America.
That’s the view of leading Royal expert Rafe Heydel-Mankoo who says Harry’s relentless attack on the Royal Family had also been a ‘boom’ for William as the public came out in support of the future King.
Speaking to GB News he said: “We know from sources close to the Royal Family that they do feel as if they’re punching bags.
“They’re sitting ducks, and how many shots can you fire at a sitting duck? There’s a toll there’s obviously been being had here. But I actually think in a way, this book, I think this book has backfired very badly on Harry.
“But also, I think it’s been a boom for Prince William. I have never seen such expressions of support for Prince William. What sort of brother does that to another brother? I’ve never seen such overwhelming support for one side. And it’s not just in Britain. It’s also in America, which is the traditional heartland of the Sussexes. That’s their safe space. And now you have leading American TV hosts and presenters normally sympathetic, calling him a man baby describing the book as gauche and being openly mocked on late night television, which was very influential in America.
Commenting on the book in general he added: “There’s nothing classy about this book. And he’s come out as being very vulgar. Who divulges that they lost their virginity at the back of the dog and duck. It’s not something that you do. You know, this book is called shame is Spare. I think it should be renamed shame actually.”
His comments come after a decorated Royal Marines veteran also criticised Prince Harry’s decision to reveal how many Taliban soldiers he’d killed.
Ben McBean, who served in Afghanistan at the same time as Harry and was later described by the Prince as a “real hero”, said he was wrong to have disclosed the information.
Speaking to GB News, Ben, who lost an arm and a leg in battle, said: “He was an Apache pilot, and if you look at that machine, it’s a massive fighting machine and we called them in quite a few times for help. If you look at that helicopter you know what their job is and thank God they were there.
“When I was injured, I was taken back on a Chinook and they were supported by an Apache, and that’s what saved my life.
“When you look at what his job was, every Apache pilot has probably killed somebody because that was their job.”
Speaking to Alastair Stewart on GB News, he continued: “I don’t think revealing the body count was wise. Revealing certain information, I don’t think is wise and that’s what he’s done. Now, there is obviously a backlash off the back of it and that’s done him and his family no favours.
“You’d have thought he might have some kind of team, advising him. It means we’re talking about the book, but all for the wrong reasons. It’s not a good thing, but it’s too late now.”
The comments come a day after Ben tweeted his anger at Harry’s move. Writing on Twitter he said: “Love you #PrinceHarry but you need to shut up! Makes you wonder about the people he’s hanging around with. If it was good people, somebody by now would have told him to stop.”
Former veteran Robert Clarke went further in his criticism of Harry.
He told GB News: “He’s gone too far, absolutely. Harry making these incredibly intimate Revelations is a step too far. Many people I’ve spoken to over the last 36 hours can’t quite understand the motivation behind this. And I think it really sort of speaks to the state of mind that Harry’s been under for the last 12 months. It was mentioned how the book was initially potentially going to be pulled last Summer when he came back to visit the Queen for the Jubilee celebrations. Well, it’s a shame that nobody really in his circle advised him to do that. The fact that this has gone ahead, and he chose to keep those incredibly intimate details in, highlights the sort of the state of his mental health and the pressures he is going through. It is potentially some sort of inferiority complex he feels with his service, and his time in the military.”
Mr Clarke also said it was rarely possible to be able to say how many people you’ve killed in battle anyway.
“There will be a definite uncertainty as to those details,” he said during an interview on GB News Breakfast. “I mean, there was a widely held speculation within the military that he would have killed enemy fighters as an Apache gunner. But to have a particular number set is speculation. The need to reveal it in such detail to the world is bordering on grotesque, to be perfectly honest.”