📖 Novel of the Week: Battle of Brothers by Robert Lacey

 

Prince William and Prince Harry's collapsing relationship has been the talk for most of 2019 and reached its peak during the famous "Sandringham Summit" where the two brothers, along with their father Prince Charles and the Queen, met to talk about the 'revolutionary' turn Prince Harry wanted to give to his and Magan's lives.

I started reading this book for the same reason I read Finding Freedom: I was curious if there were other unknown reasons behind the rupture of their once strong bond. Spoiler alert: no, there weren't.

Everything written in this book is already well-known thanks to the almost maniacal coverage the British press put on the matter but it was still interesting to read the perception of the writer and British people on the various acts of the story.

I fail to see the benefit of the first 4/5 chapters explaining Charles and Diana's tragic relationship: yes, the boys reacted differently to their parents very public war in blaming one another in the last years of their marriage but was it really necessary to go over all Prince Charles' ex-girlfriends and Diana subtle feud with Camilla Parker Bowls? Methinks not.

Still, there are some interesting parts, such as the author's purpose to highlight the many shades of Prince William's characters that have been so cunningly kept in the dark in order to portray him as the perfect heir while Harry was the rebellious, hot-headed, ginger 'spare'.

The author (and me) isnìt saying that Prince William is a villain in disguise but it's not a secret anymore that he, too, can be sneaky or selfish. He has his part in some of Harry's most questionable moments but everyone was pointing fingers only at the younger brother.

Prince Harry most definitely isn't the poor victim: Prince or not, you cannot possibly think it's a good thing to wear a Nazi uniform at a masked party, come on! But in that case as well William should have acted as the older brother he is and talked Harry out of that idea.

Siblings fight, it's not a groundbreaking revelation. And yes, some siblings fall apart, royals or not. So why the public was so surprised when it was clear something about their relationship was off?

Probably because they were so close when they were young and supported each other when their mum died. But as they grew older and set their lives on different paths, it was inevitable for them not to always agree with each other's choices.

The only statement with which I totally disagree with the author is when he describes Harry and Megan's story as a "deeply flawed fairy tale". Personally, I don't see it that way as we are now conscious that the Windsors are anything but perfect, and the Sussex relationship is probably the last reminder of that: you can try as hard as you wish, but no family on this planet is without spots.

I'd prefer a real relationship, with all its ups and downs, instead of a staged and fake one. Who's with me?

A rupture of this proportion wasn't aspected but the author doesn't exclude that the two of them will eventually reconcile and bring their brotherhood on an equal base where they forget their institutional roles and be just brothers.

Ph: goodreads.com