Prince Harry Addresses Rumor James Hewitt Is His Father
It is no surprise that Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, which was released on January 10 in the UK, has become the fastest-selling non-fiction book ever.
As soon as the book was released, short excerpts from it started hitting the internet. People were fascinated by the lives of the royals and wanted to get juicy tidbits about the most prestigious family in the UK.
And this book, Spare, offers everything that people have been looking for. Nothing seems to have been spared, from the Prince’s early years to the death of his mother, his bond with his brother Harry, to his marriage to Meghan Markle.
One of the things that has captured the attention of many is Harry’s paternity.
If you don’t know what this is about, here’s a quick recap. Harry’s paternity has been questioned for decades, as people have speculated that his real father was James Hewitt, Princess Diana’s former riding instructor and lover.
And all this time, Prince Harry has been aware of it. In his book, he remembers how his father would make cruel digs at his expense. He writes, “Pa liked telling stories, and this was one of the best in his repertoire.” He further adds that his father would say, “Who knows if I’m really the Prince of Wales? Who knows if I’m even your real father? Maybe your real father is in Broadmoor, darling boy!”
The prince recalls his father laughing uncontrollably at his unfunny joke, as there were rumors that the real father of the prince was Mummy’s former lover: Major James Hewitt.
Harry says, ‘One cause of this rumor was Major Hewitt’s flaming ginger hair, but another cause was sadism.’ He further continues, ‘Tabloid readers were delighted by the idea that the younger child of Prince Charles wasn’t the child of Prince Charles. They couldn’t get enough of this “joke” for some reason. Maybe it made them feel better about their lives that a young prince’s life was laughable.’
Throughout his life, the rumors have resurfaced many times—sometimes, with more seriousness. Harry recalls that the media had gone very far, tracking his DNA to verify his identity.
He further goes on and puts the rumors to rest once and for all: ‘Never mind that my mother didn’t meet Major Hewitt until long after I was born, the story was simply too good to drop.’
Earlier in 2002, James Hewitt himself had talked about the rumors and denied being the prince’s father. He said, “There really is no possibility whatsoever that I am Harry’s father. I can absolutely assure you that I am not. Admittedly, the red hair is similar to mine, and people say we look alike. I have never encouraged these comparisons, and although I was with Diana for a long time, I must state once and for all that I’m not Harry’s father. When I met Diana, he was already a toddler.”
Early on and even now, the royals have refused to discuss anything about the issue. When contacted by NBC News, Buckingham Palace refused to comment on any allegations made in the book.
In his book, Harry also shares how he lost his virginity to an older woman, did cocaine as a teenager, and more.
