A new book claims that Prince William was sick over remarks made by Prince Harry in his 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Author Christopher Andersen, who previously penned several royal family books including The King: The Life of Charles II, Brothers and Wives, Game of Crowns, and William and Kate, has released a new book detailing the life of Kate Middleton.
The book titled Kate! The Courage, Grace and Power of the Woman Who Will Be Queen reveals that the Princess of Wales worried about her husband in the week leading up to Harry and Meghan Markle’s interview. Page Six shared an excerpt from the non-fiction work.
Andersen wrote that William was physically ill before the interview aired in March 2021. He wrote that Kate “could hear her husband retching in the bathroom.” The future king was reportedly “too distracted to think of food.”
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This story appears to back up claims as reported in 2023 by Charlotte Griffiths, editor-at-large for the Mail on Sunday, who said the same thing about William. The Mirror reported those claims.
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She said, “What I find quite surprising, and I’ve heard this for a long time now from many different sources, is that in the lead-up to that Oprah interview, William was quite literally sick with worry.”
“He was not eating, and he became not reclusive, but he definitely was hiding away. He went to a royal residence for a period of time to cut himself off from the world. He was just in bits basically,” Griffiths claimed.
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She concluded, ” And what Kate was doing was standing by her man. Kate was like: ‘I’ve got to stick up for this guy and protect him. He’s being destroyed by this,’ and that probably made her quite steely, even though she has this reputation for being shy. But when it comes to protecting her husband, she’s going to step in and protect him.”
During the interview, Harry and Meghan claimed that they experienced racism from the press and within the royal family, and Meghan shared her mental health struggles. These elements, among others, led to the couple’s decision to leave their roles as senior royals and move to the United States to create a life away from the House of Windsor.
Prince William followed up his brother’s remarks with one statement, as reported by Decider in 2021. “We are very much not a racist family,” William said, adding that he hadn’t spoke to Prince Harry after the interview.
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “HOME” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or visit their website.
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This story was originally published by Parade on May 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.