After the content of Prince Harry’s autobiography ‘Spare’ was leaked ahead of its publication, the fallout is strong in the UK.
The autobiography details not only his personal life, such as his first sex and his use of drugs, but also stories between his mother, the late Princess Diana, and his father, King Charles. The title of the book, ‘spare’ (plus), refers to the second son of the British royal family. The autobiography was due to be officially published on the 10th (local time), but as some Spanish bookstores began secretly selling it on the 6th, British and European media scrambled to deliver the content.
In an autobiography of more than 400 pages, the most controversial part is the part where Prince Harry, who took part in the war in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter pilot in 2008, mentioned that he “killed 25 people.” “It’s not a record I’m proud of, but I’m not ashamed of it,” said Prince Harry. “I didn’t think of those 25 people as people. It was like removing a piece from a chessboard.” He also expressed it as “the bad people are eliminated before they kill the good people.”
In response, a spokesman for the British Ministry of Defense said, “We will not comment on the details of the security-related operation.” The British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, also said only, “I am very grateful to our military” when asked. Former Colonel Richard Camp, who served as deputy commander of the British Army in Afghanistan, said in an interview with the BBC, “I think Prince Harry made a mistake.”
The Taliban regime, which took over Afghanistan, protested that Prince Harry should stand trial for war crimes. Khalid Jadran, a Taliban police spokesman, said: “These crimes will one day be brought to international courts. A self-confessed criminal like Prince Harry should stand trial before the international community.
Controversy surrounding Prince Harry’s personal history is also growing. Prince Harry recalled in his autobiography that he snorted cocaine for the first time when he was 17 and did it a few more times afterwards, saying it was “definitely a different feeling”. He also revealed that he had his first sexual relationship with an older woman in a field of the same age. He also said that he visited a psychic because he wanted to meet his mother somehow, and that he and his brother, Prince William, begged King Charles not to marry Queen Camilla.
The British royal family has not made an official statement. Jonathan Dumbleby, a royal aide who wrote King Charles’ autobiography in 1994, told the BBC on the 7th that “(Prince Harry’s autobiography) is a revelation worthy of a ‘B-level celebrity’.” ” he said.
Cairo = Correspondent Seonghwi Kang yolo@donga.com
