Britain’s Prince Harry has recounted how his brother, Prince William, grabbed him by the collar and threw him to the floor during a heated argument over his wife Meghan Markle.
The Prince of Sussex said his brother physically “attacked” him during an argument in 2019, the Guardian reported on Wednesday.
In an excerpt obtained from his upcoming autobiography ‘Spare’, Harry recalls that the attack left him with visible injuries, including scrapes and bruises.
The argument allegedly broke out at his London home in 2019, during which William, the now Prince of Wales, is said to have branded Meghan 'difficult', 'rude' and 'abrasive' before tackling him to the ground.
Harry accused his brother of 'parroting the press narrative' about his wife before a screaming match ensued, ending in a physical altercation, the book claims.
In one dramatic extract, Harry writes that William 'grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and… knocked me to the floor'. The Duke of Sussex claims he was left with a visible injury to his back.
The brothers, according to Harry, had met to discuss 'the whole rolling catastrophe' of their relationship and struggles with the press.
But the heir to the throne, Prince William, arrived at Nottingham Cottage 'piping hot', Harry writes.
The Duke had been living in the home, known as Nott Cott and situated on the grounds of Kensington Palace, at the time of the alleged incident in 2019.
When they began arguing about Meghan, Harry claims William was not being rational, leading to a shouting match.
Harry said he told his brother he was unable to understand why he was not happy with being 'the spare', accusing his brother of acting like an heir. William told him he was trying to help him.
Harry said: 'Are you serious? Help me? Sorry – is that what you call this? Helping me?'
It was that comment, according to Harry, which infuriated William, causing him to swear while stepping towards him.
Harry said he was scared and retreated to the kitchen as William followed, Daily Mail reports.
He claims he gave William a glass of water and told him: 'Willy, I can't speak to you when you're like this.'
He writes: 'He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor.
'I landed on the dog's bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.'
It was then that William told his brother to hit him back, a reference to scraps they had as children, Harry writes.
Harry said he refused to retaliate and that William left, before returning 'looking regretful' and apologetic.
When the future king left for the final time, Harry claims he 'turned and called back: ''You don't need to tell Meg about this.'''
Harry says he responded with: 'You mean that you attacked me?'
He says William added: 'I didn't attack you, Harold.'
According to Harry, he did not initially tell Meghan of the fight but phoned his therapist.
He writes that he informed Meghan of the altercation only when she noticed 'scrapes and bruises' on his back, adding that she 'wasn't that surprised, and wasn't all that angry', but that she was 'terribly sad.'
The dramatic extract revealed just days before the book's official release is likely to see a surge in sales.
It comes as Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir ‘Spare’ is already No2 on Amazon's best-seller list in pre-sales in North America and the UK.
This comes as their father King Charles prepares for his coronation in May following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II at age 96 last September
Harry and Meghan, 41, revealed their experiences as members of the British Royal family in a Netflix docuseries last month, explaining their reasons for leaving for North America in 2020.
The couple accused the royal family of instigating racist media reports and harassment.