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For years, Dickie Arbiter was partly responsible for Queen Elizabeth II’s image.
Remo BernetEditor People
For years, Brit Dickie Arbiter (82) was one of Queen Elizabeth II’s closest confidants († 96). As press spokesman, he controlled the almost flawless image of the British regent. He is now horrified to see how Prince Harry (38) is damaging the image of the royal family with his recently published biography “Reserve” – and advocates how the royals keep quiet about the serious allegations.
What do you think of Prince Harry’s memoir?
Dickie Arbiter: This is pure indictment from page 1 to page 507. I think the book is a disappointment to his family and the royals have every right to be angry with him. After all, he makes private conversations public.
Was it a mistake that he published the biography?
Harry did a lot of things with the book that he shouldn’t have done. He always demands privacy and now he has revealed conversations with his father and with William after his grandfather’s funeral. He also revealed that Prince William pushed him to the ground during an argument. These things should have stayed private. The book is all about him. But the errors bother me too.
What error do you mean?
Harry writes about learning of the death of his great-grandmother in his room one sunny day. But that’s not true: he was in Klosters at the time. He also talks about the Xbox that his aunt gave him for his 13th birthday. But the game console didn’t exist back then. So you have to be very careful with everything.
You can’t help it: Meghan and Harry lie so boldly on Netflix(03:03)
If the book is full of errors, why doesn’t the palace fight back?
If I were still in the press office, I would also choose the tactic of keeping quiet. If someone at the palace were to say on William’s behalf that the fraternal dispute at Nottingham Cottage didn’t happen that way, any good reporter would ask what really happened. That would end up having to comment on everything from the book and give the whole thing even more attention.
Why is Prince Harry even handing out?
Ever since Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan left the UK in early 2020 and announced they would become independent, they’ve had to make their own living – and it doesn’t come cheap. Now they have signed deals with Netflix, Spotify and a publisher and are estimated to earn over 100 million. So Harry only cares about the money.
Let’s talk about the ramifications for the allegations. Will Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan be allowed to attend Charles’ coronation next May?
Many people are hoping that Harry and Meghan won’t come to the coronation. One thing is clear: if they come, they will not play a role. It won’t be as big a spectacle as it was in 1953 when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned. The coronation should be much shorter. Only the Prince of Wales will probably pay homage to King Charles in it.
Would it be conceivable that they would also be deprived of their royal titles?
Losing titles is a very difficult question. The king can order the loss of certain titles. But the Duke of Sussex and his wife can only be deposed by Parliament. In this country we have enough problems with climate change, with the economy, with fuel prices and also with Russia.
If the two are so critical of the royal family, why are they keeping their titles?
If they weren’t the Duchess and Duke of Sussex, nobody in America would notice them. I therefore doubt that they will ever give up the titles.
Has Prince Harry finally lost his biography with the Royals?
Well, he’s said in interviews that he wants his father back and his brother and his family. He left royalty and made all these accusations against his family. He even calls on his family to apologize. I don’t see what they should even apologize for. After all, he’s the one who has criticized the royal family for the past two years. So Harry should have apologized. He should humbly ask for a meeting.
Would the royals agree to such a meeting?
The big question is: Can Harry be trusted? In the moment not. You have to expect that everything you discuss in confidence will end up in a new book, on TV or in the newspaper.