Prince Harry's Friends Are Reportedly Asking Him Not to Write About Them in His Memoir

Some of Prince Harry's friends from Eton and the military are reportedly asking him not to write about them in his memoirs for fear it could hurt their careers.

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(Image credit: KOEN VAN WEEL)
  • When news broke that Prince Harry plans to release a memoir in late 2022, reports immediately circulated that the royal family was worried about the book's contents.
  • Now, the Daily Mail is reporting that some of Harry's friends from his time at Eton and in the military are also concerned and that some have even asked the royal not to write about them.
  • "There is a fear that he’s going to reveal details of his hedonistic youth which some worry will play havoc with their careers and personal lives," one friend said.

Prince Harry's recent announcement that he'll publish a memoir late next year has royal fans white-knuckling with excitement. Members of the actual royal inner circle, however, are getting stressed AF, apparently.

It was immediately reported (and just assumed by most people who follow the royals) that the royal family was concerned about what revelations Harry might include in the book, but that cloud of worry is also hanging over some of Harry's oldest and closest friends, according to the Daily Mail.

"It feels very hypocritical given Harry chucked people out of his friendship group for talking to the press," a friend told the Mail of the possibility of Harry sharing personal details involving them in the book. "There is a fear that he’s going to reveal details of his hedonistic youth which some worry will play havoc with their careers and personal lives."

That "hedonistic youth" is, of course, referring to Harry's wilder days, when he made headlines for things like being photographed naked in Las Vegas and wearing a Nazi uniform to a costume party. That version of Harry seems approximately a million miles away now, but it stands to reason that not every act of youthful debauchery made it into the news and the friends who were his partners-in-crime at the time would understandably rather not have potentially unflattering stories about them on the royal record.

If the Daily Mail's sources are correct, some of Harry's friends would consider it a dealbreaker if he wrote anything that could damage their current-day reputations.

"Harry’s mates have remained loyal to him…so far," one friend ominously told the Daily Mail, implying that all bets could be off in terms of Harry's inner circle keeping his confidences in the future.

Another source was less oblique, saying, "If Harry slams any of his old school and military buddies in his new book they have pledged to break ranks to tell their story."

The report alleges that some of Harry's friendships have been strained in recent years already, with some friends not making the cut for the reception guest list at his and Meghan Markle's royal wedding in 2018 and most having much less contact with Harry in general since his move to California.

According to one of the Mail's sources, "friendly emails have gone unanswered, which hasn’t instilled much confidence" in members Harry's inner circle.

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Contributing Editor at Marie Claire

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.