HarperCollins pre-empts Lacey's inside story of Prince Harry and William feud

HarperCollins has pre-empted the inside story of Prince William and Harry's faltering relationship from biographer Robert Lacey.

William Collins publishing director Arabella Pike and Lisa Sharkey, senior vice-president of creative development at HarperCollins US, bought world English language rights from Jonathan Pegg. Battle of Brothers: William and Harry – the Friendship and the Feuds will be released in October.

The book will “address the unique and complex relationship at the heart of the royal family’s recent woes” while putting it in historical context.

Its synopsis explains: “Much reported on but little understood, Diana’s boys have lived under constant scrutiny since birth. Raised to be the closest of brothers, the last 18 months has seen a devastating breakdown of their once unbreakable bond. With an unrivalled knowledge of court life and access to impeccable sources, Robert Lacey investigates the untold reality of the brothers’ relationship, explaining what happened when two sons were raised for vastly different futures and showing how the seeds of damage were sown as their parents’ marriage unravelled. What parts have Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle played in helping their husbands choose differing paths? And what is the true story behind Harry and Meghan’s dramatic departure?

Pike said: “No one yet has looked in depth at the relationship between these royal brothers, nor put into historical context the inherent rivalries that exist between royal siblings – from Charles and Andrew to Edward VIII and George VI. With his skill as a historian and a vivid chronicler of human drama, in Battle of Brothers, Robert offers a sympathetic, behind-the-scenes account of the rifts, rows and friendships that have dominated this family for so long.”

Lacey pioneered a new genre in critical analysis of the House of Windsor with 1977's Majesty (1977), his ground-breaking Silver Jubilee study of Queen Elizabeth II, based on briefings with leading political figures, as well as with members of the royal family and household. He extended the same techniques to The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Sa’ud, his global bestseller. He is the also the author of a three-volume Great Tales from English History and since 2016 has been historical consultant to screenwriter Peter Morgan’s “The Crown”.

He said: "I have been astonished and sometimes moved to tears by the fresh details and insights I have discovered in researching this story of family conflict. It has been both enthralling and painful to trace this drama through the memories of close witnesses and some of the people most intimately involved. But it is more fundamentally an analysis of the British monarchy and how it works. These two brothers – once inseparable and now separated by much more than mere distance – have been acting out the contradictions that go back into their childhoods and even before that: into their parents’ ill-fated marriage. We have seen conflicts between heir and spare in every recent generation of the royal family – but nothing so profound as this.”

Sharkey said: “It’s been unsettling for the world to see these brilliant brothers, once known as the best of friends, to be separated by thousands of miles and an ocean of tension. As the official royal consultant to 'The Crown', Lacey’s impeccable credentials as a journalist, his inimitable writing style and the extraordinary length of time he’s been working on this historic narrative will make it the pre-eminent unbiased work that readers the world over will not be able to put down.”