Princess Kate’s Uncle Reportedly Writing a Memoir of His Own to “Set the Record Straight” on Claims Made in Prince Harry’s ‘Spare’

Gary Goldsmith at Pippa Middleton's wedding, 2017

Gary Goldsmith at niece Pippa Middleton's wedding

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 1 November 2023

The chances of the Prince or Princess of Wales writing a memoir of their own—a response, if you will, to Prince Harry’s bombshell Spare, released earlier this year—is approximately zero percent. But will Kate’s uncle “set the record straight” for them?

Multiple outlets report that is exactly what’s happening as the Princess of Wales’ uncle, Gary Goldsmith—the youngest brother of Kate’s mother, Carole (Goldsmith) Middleton—is preparing to reveal “private family details” in a new book. Tatler reports that the book is “said to want to give the Middleton family ‘a voice’ in the midst of accusations and criticism pointed at the House of Windsor by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.” Basically, adhere to “Never complain, never explain”—but have your uncle speak for you?

A source speaking to OK said that Goldsmith wants to “set the record straight” and have his book be the answer to Spare and the Harry & Meghan Netflix docuseries. “When Harry was originally compiling his book, his publisher was confident William wouldn’t comment, because it wouldn’t be fitting for a future king to do so,” they said. “Harry wouldn’t have anticipated such a comeback from Kate’s family.” He then added that the Sussexes “won’t like it one bit.”

A memoir has apparently been a long-held goal for Goldsmith, who first spoke about writing a book back in 2013 (and who has been involved in enough controversy on his own in the past for his story to be an interesting read, with or without the royal icing on the cake). “Initially, he said the book would not engage with any royal secrets that could potentially embarrass his niece, the Princess of Wales, or her husband,” Tatler reports. “Now, though, it appears he could have changed his mind. Still, he has promised that the princess and her mother, Carole, will have the final say on the manuscript.”

Kate Middleton and Carole Middleton at Royal Ascot 2017

“He did originally plan to focus the book on himself and his journey to becoming a millionaire, but he will now add in some private family details,” they said. “But it could be a good way of putting a Middleton voice out there to set the record straight over some of the things Harry wrote about in Spare.”

No potential release date for Goldsmith’s book have been shared as of yet. We’ll see what happens.

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

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