Books, basketball and a very royal garden
The royal news cycle has been unusually lively this week and, interestingly, much of it hasn’t come from palace announcements at all but from publications, appearances and the extended family doing what they do best, carrying on regardless while history gets rewritten around them.
If it feels like the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex have suddenly returned to the front pages this week, it isn’t random and it isn’t a slow news cycle – it’s a publishing schedule. Daily Mirror royal editor Russell Myers has begun serialising revelations from his forthcoming book and, unlike the usual anonymous “sources say”, these extracts read very much like the palace perspective finally entering the historical record after Sparedominated the narrative.
One of the most striking claims is that the breakdown between the brothers began far earlier than the public has generally believed. According to the book, tensions escalated while Meghan was still Harry’s girlfriend when he pushed for taxpayer-funded police protection for her after abusive online coverage intensified. Palace aides rejected the request because she was not yet a working royal and security decisions sat with the Home Office, not the family. Harry then appealed directly to both Charles and William to intervene, but they declined, reportedly seeing it as inappropriate to influence a government matter involving public funds. From Harry’s perspective this appeared a failure to protect the woman he intended to marry; from William’s side it was adherence to rules the institution could not bend for personal reasons.
The situation worsened after Harry issued his unprecedented public statement condemning racist press coverage of Meghan without consulting senior family members first. The book claims William and Charles viewed the move as breaking agreed protocol, while Harry interpreted their reaction as confirmation they did not support him. What emerges is less a sudden personal falling-out and more a clash of expectations, Harry prioritising immediate protection and public defence, William prioritising procedure and precedent which steadily hardened into mistrust.
Myers also challenges one of the most famous moments from Spare, the alleged physical altercation in Nottingham Cottage that ended with Harry falling onto a dog bowl. According to the new account, William strongly disputes that version of events and believes the confrontation has been exaggerated. It is rare to see such a direct contradiction appear in material linked to palace briefings, and its inclusion suggests this book is intended not simply as commentary but as a counterweight to Harry’s memoir.
The book goes further by revealing how differently William and Catherine viewed the Sussex departure altogether. William was reportedly deeply saddened, believing it marked a permanent fracture in their relationship, while Catherine took a more pragmatic view and felt the outcome was almost inevitable because of the fundamental difference between the roles of heir and spare. She was therefore less focused on persuading Harry to remain within the working royal structure, recognising that he was unlikely to be content with a supporting position long-term.
The timing is notable. Harry told his story first and in extraordinary detail; several years later a well-connected royal editor is presenting the alternative interpretation piece by piece across multiple publications. Rather than ignoring the Sussex narrative, the institution appears to be shaping its own long-term account of what happened. Whether readers see this as clarification or rebuttal will depend entirely on where their sympathies already lie, but it does confirm one thing that the feud is no longer just a family dispute, it is now a competing version of history being written in real time.
While Britain dissected old arguments, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were photographed courtside at the NBA All-Star weekend looking very much like a couple aware they were being watched but entirely comfortable with it. Their Valentine’s outing was full of affectionate moments and easy body language, the kind of appearance that inevitably generates almost as much commentary as a speech.
The most analysed detail was not the hand-holding but Meghan’s jewellery. She wore a large diamond ring on her right hand, prompting speculation about whether her engagement ring had been altered again. Jewellery experts noted she has previously reset the stone after Archie’s birth, and the placement on the opposite hand suggested an addition rather than a replacement. It fits neatly into the Sussex approach to publicity respond to heavy headlines not with statements but with images of normal life in California, projecting stability while discussions about the past continue elsewhere.
Back in Britain, the Prince of Wales used the school half-term period to release a new update about the Earthshot Prize, signalling that it is evolving beyond an annual awards ceremony into a long-term funding network for environmental solutions. The initiative is gradually becoming less of a televised event and more of an operational foundation, supporting projects after the cameras leave rather than simply celebrating them on stage.
It is a typically William approach. His projects tend to centre on practical outcomes – homelessness initiatives, mental health programs and environmental investment – areas where a future monarch can demonstrate impact without stepping into political debate. As his responsibilities continue to expand during the King’s treatment, the steady continuation of Earthshot reinforces the sense of a heir preparing for permanence rather than moments.
Elsewhere in the extended royal orbit, Zara Tindall attended the Saudi Cup racing festival following in the international footsteps of her cousin the Prince of Wales. Unlike working royals she travels without constitutional expectation, which makes her a particularly effective ambassador for British sport. Her equestrian credentials come first and the title second, allowing appearances that feel natural rather than ceremonial.
Her choice of an Australian-designed Zimmermann outfit inevitably drew attention, but the real significance lies in the pattern emerging across the wider family. Sporting events have become a safe form of soft diplomacy, creating presence without politics. Where senior royals open conferences, Zara chats at the track and sometimes the latter travels just as far.
To end the week on something calmer, a former royal gardener has been speaking about working with King Charles and the stories confirm what environmental groups have long said: his interest in sustainability was never a passing enthusiasm. Decades before organic farming became fashionable he was converting land at Highgrove, experimenting with soil health and banning pesticides despite widespread scepticism at the time.
Staff describe a monarch happiest discussing planting plans and biodiversity rather than ceremony. Many of the practices once dismissed as eccentric compost systems, pollinator habitats and regenerative agriculture now sit comfortably inside mainstream environmental policy. The modern conversation has, in many ways, caught up with him.
In a week filled with competing versions of the past, it is oddly reassuring that at least one royal habit has remained consistent. Governments change, heirs grow into their roles and memoirs argue over memory, but somewhere a King is still paying attention to the garden and perhaps that steadiness explains why the institution endures as long as it does.
If this week has proven anything it’s that royal history is now being written as fast as we can read it. One brother has a memoir, another has a book answering it, and the rest of the family are out handing out prizes and inspecting roses while the world picks sides over who remembers what correctly. As ever with the Windsors, the truth probably sits somewhere in the middle but that won’t stop the next chapter arriving soon. Until then, we’ll keep the tea hot and the ears open.
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