Prince Harry has firmly denied reports that he gave Prince Andrew “a bloody nose” during a family dispute in 2013, according to a report published by The Guardian over the weekend. The claim, the report said, had appeared in an excerpt from Andrew Lownie’s new biography, ‘Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York’, published by the Daily Mail on Saturday.
According to Lownie, the heated argument had turned physical after Andrew allegedly made disparaging remarks about Harry behind his back. “Punches were thrown over something Andrew said behind Harry’s back,” the author wrote. The biography suggests that Harry confronted Andrew, accusing him of being a coward for not saying it to his face, and that the scuffle allegedly ended with Andrew bleeding.
However, Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson issued a clear denial late Saturday, saying according to the British publication, “I can confirm Prince Harry and Prince Andrew have never had a physical fight, nor did Prince Andrew ever make the comments he is alleged to have made about the Duchess of Sussex to Prince Harry.”
Accusations about Meghan Markle
Lownie’s book also claims Andrew criticised Harry’s marriage to Meghan Markle, saying it “would not last more than a month.” It also alleges that Andrew called Meghan “an opportunist,” and thought she was “too old” for Harry, and accused his nephew of going ‘bonkers” for not investigating her background before their 2017 engagement, the report said.
In response to the biography, Harry and Meghan have reportedly sent a legal letter to the Daily Mail over what their spokesperson described as “gross inaccuracies, damaging and defamatory remarks.”
Royal family tensions and fallout
Prince Andrew’s reputation, reports suggest, suffered a massive blow following his 2019 Newsnight interview about his association with Jeffrey Epstein, a disgraced American financier and a convicted sex offender. Andrew was stripped of his royal and military titles in 2021.
Lownie’s book claims that both Harry and his brother, Prince William, had “problematic” relationships with Andrew for years. It also mentions Andrew’s alleged disparaging remarks about William’s wife, Catherine, the Princess of Wales.
While King Charles has allowed Andrew to remain at the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, he ended Andrew’s £1 million annual allowance last year, according to The Guardian. The book further suggests that the Prince of Wales wanted Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, evicted from the property.
Harry, who broke away from the royal family citing “toxicity” and alleged racism towards Meghan, moved abroad in 2020 and published his memoir Spare in 2022, revealing family strains. Notably, Prince Harry told the BBC earlier this year that he has forgiven his family and would “love a reconciliation.”
