Harry’s claim that William assaulted him may backfire with people tired of ‘whining’ and sordid tales of private family strife

By describing in painful detail how Prince William insulted his American wife and allegedly assaulted him in his Kensington Palace kitchen, Prince Harry should probably be enjoying an outpouring of global sympathy and hailed as a hero for revealing the true villainous character of the future head of the British monarchy.

As Harry tells it, the 40-year-old future king is a raging, out-of-control bully and family abuser, at a time when enlightened people expect their leaders to always keep a level head and treat others with respect.

Still, Harry’s description of the alleged attack, in his explosive new memoir, “Spare,” is leaving many with opposite reactions. Instead of sympathy or support, people say they feel sad, weary, annoyed, frustrated, puzzled, weary or skeptical of his motives. The “#ShutUpHarry” hashtag continues to trend on social media.

Those reactions aren’t just coming from the usual royal supporters and Harry and Meghan critics in the U.K media and in U.S. conservative circles. These views are being shared in response to reports and social media posts about the confrontation published on major U.S. news sites– some of which are said to lean progressive and which have offered the Duke and Duchess of Sussex positive coverage in the past.

For example, a Washington Post story headlined, “Prince Harry memoir describes attack by brother,” brought in more than 2000 comments as of Thursday afternoon, and a large number were critical of Harry, as well as his American wife Meghan Markle. While some commenting on the Post story and elsewhere on social media have asked why “a tussle” between brothers is news, others argue that William, in theory, could have been arrested and say people should be troubled by an adult man who supposedly can’t exercise better self-control.

But other most-“liked” comments on the Washington Post story raise questions about whether the confrontation happened the way Harry describes it in “Spare.” The Guardian, which obtained an advance copy of the book, said that Willam arrived for the 2019 encounter in Harry’s cottage already “piping” mad. According to the book, William grew increasingly out of control as he hurled insults at Meghan, the two brothers shouted over each other and William “came at me.”

“It all happened so fast,” Harry said, according to The Guardian. “So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace.”

But one reader sarcastically proclaimed, “So much drama,” while observing, “Harry’s depiction of the assault reminded me so much of my children’s righteousness as they ratted on each other over the latest disagreement. Every detail had to be included so that Judge Mom could see the outrageous assault.”

Indeed, the details about William allegedly ripping Harry’s necklace and knocking him to the kitchen floor, where he said he was cut by a broken dog bowl, have inspired online memes and jokes. Some of the more abrasive memes mock Harry’s masculinity, saying he should have put up a better fight because he’s British army veteran who says in the book that he killed 25 Taliban fighters during his service in Afghanistan.

Other comments take on a macho tone, saying they wish William had hit a “whining” Harry harder. “A nation stands disappointed,” said one person. “The least we would have expected from our future king would have been a well placed right jab.”

Others ask why Harry continues to raise the ante on the royal secrets he reveals, with his stories growing more sordid and embarrassing with each new interview or media opportunity. Washington Post story writer William Booth agreed that Harry’s revelations “may all feel a little sordid and intrusive, but it sells. Preorders of the book on Amazon have already boosted it to the No. 2 bestseller.”

Some Washington Post readers said they once liked Harry and sympathized with how he lost his mother at a young age and grew up in a dysfunctional family. They also said they supported his and Meghan’s choice to leave royal life, especially because they found the monarchy to be racist, and have followed their efforts to start a new life  in the United States. Some of these people also said they are no fans of the monarchy and even wonder why it still exists in the 21st century.

“I can imagine the royals being the “family” from hell, but this is getting tiresome, and I don’t think it is helping Harry and Meghan’s image at all — they are coming off as whiney attention seekers,” another said.

Some also said they are getting tired of the couple always portraying themselves as victims — first in their Oprah Winfrey interview, then in their recent Netflix docuseries and now in Harry’s memoir. They criticized the Sussexes for appearing unwilling to take any responsibility for their part in the family breakdown.

“We only have one half of the story, and of course it is always Harry’s and Meghan’s half and they are always the victims,” said one person, who pointed out that the royal family’s motto of “never complain, never explain” means they are not likely to respond to Harry’s assault allegations.

People also expressed a growing discomfort with anyone who continues to air “dirty family laundry,” especially when they are being well compensated to detail private family moments. It’s also difficult to keep reading about the breakdown Harry and William’s once-close brotherly bond, they said.

“I was all for the Harry and Meghan union, got up at 4 am to watch (their wedding) live on TV, had a postcard of them (on) my fridge, etc.,” another person said. “Now I am just disgusted at their narcissism, lack of discretion, hypocrisy and venom. They want to profit off the royal connections (because what else would make this banal and self-centered couple of has-beens interesting?) while spurning and dissing the royal family.”

Harry and Meghan indeed face a growing chorus of accusations that they continue to trash the royal family because that’s the only way they can make millions of dollars from book and streaming deals in order to support their wealthy lifestyle in Montecito.

“We (Harry and Meghan) will do anything for a dollar!” one person said. “Sell a personal story about any royal family member to live in our million dollar mansion. We hold nothing sacred, no institution sacred, and especially we don’t hold our family sacred!”

People also said they were mystified by Harry’s statement in a TV interview, which will air ahead of “Spare’s” publication on Tuesday, that he wants to reconcile with his brother.

“Contrary to what they say, it’s clear that Harry and Meghan don’t want to reconcile with their family in the U.K.,” another commenter said. “If they did, they would never publish private family stories (even if they’re true). … If a family member published our disagreements, it would be a breach of trust from which we wouldn’t recover.”

Many said they believe that Harry, a well-known advocate for mental health and therapy, appears to still need to do more healing — both from his mother’s death and from his unhappy role as the “spare” in his family.

This term, which also is the title of Harry’s book, comes from old saying in royal and aristocratic circles: The first-born son is the heir to titles, power and fortune, while the second-born son becomes the “spare,” available to step in should anything happen to the first-born.

“Being called a ‘spare’ should not be affecting Harry’s life the way it is,” one person said, while another concluded, “If, as Harry says, his book is about ‘the man I have become,’ well then he is clearly still a work in progress. … His bitterness and hatred towards his brother is breathtaking and using the press as his own bully pulpit is shameful.”