Were it not for the extraordinarily detailed account of his own self-confessed furious jealousy of his brother, as described in his memoirs Reserveit would be an easy claim to dismiss.
These are not ordinary times though, and given that at one point Prince Harry noted in his book that his brother had a nicer bedroom than him with “a wardrobe with mirrored doors” (not at the top of most 12-year-olds’ wish lists), the claim that Harry was jealous of William getting more sausages for breakfast than he did when they were kids has to be seriously believed.
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The suggestion that pork products played a role in Harry’s childhood trauma was floated by Princess Diana’s former butler, Paul Burrell, who said he once witnessed Harry being given two sausages by a nanny while William was getting another.
Burrell told the British tabloid the Sun that Harry objected, “How come he gets three and I only get two?”
Burrell said their nanny replied, “William needs more than you.” One day he will be king.”
Burrell said: “Looking back now, I think I may have glimpsed the dynamic that was at play… Harry would go quiet and soak it up, but he had to contend with that, even in his own home. “
The Sun headlined the story “Bangers and Clash”, using the slang for the famous British comfort food dish of sausages (bangers) and mashed potatoes.
In his book, Harry’s description of William’s superior room foreshadows a later scene where he contrasts his and Meghan’s living quarters as shabby compared to William and Kate’s palatial abode. He fails to mention that he and Meghan have only just got married while William and Kate have three children, and that £2.4 million (about $3 million) of taxpayers’ money would be spent fixing up another home for him and Meghan .
Burrell, who was Diana’s closest servant, worked for her from 1987 until her death in 1997.
He was famously called “my rock” by the princess.
Burrell said it was “difficult” for Harry to live up to “William’s standard”.
He said, “William was smarter than Harry and was going to be king one day, how can you compete with that?”
Burrell, who wrote a book about Diana, could be accused of lacking impartiality and having an ax with Harry, as he was singled out for assault in Harry’s book. Harry said Burrell’s decision to write a book made his “blood boil” and dismissed it as “a tell-it-all that didn’t really tell anything. It was just one man’s self-righteous, self-centered version of the events.
Some have suspiciously suggested that Harry’s critique of Burrell’s book might equally apply to Reserve.
Burrell said Harry’s book was “sad and silly”, and repeated claims that the Queen was “upset in the months before she died” by the allegations Harry made.
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