Battle Royale: Harry recounts how William assaulted him, called Meghan 'rude'

In revelations that could rock Britain's royal family, Prince Harry, in his highly anticipated autobiography, 'Spare' says he was physically attacked by his brother William, now Prince of Wales, as their relationship fell apart over the younger prince's marriage to the American actor, Meghan Markle, reports The Guardian newspaper, after seeing excerpts from an advance copy of the book.

Describing a confrontation at his London home in 2019, Harry, the Duke of Sussex, says William called Meghan "difficult", "rude" and "abrasive," which Harry calls a "parrot[ing of] the press narrative" about his American wife, 'The Guardian' notes.

The confrontation escalated, in Harry's words, until William "grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and ... knocked me to the floor." Harry and Meghan now live in California and have constantly been revealing details about the royal family, first with their interview with Oprah Winfrey and then in their Netflix series.

In both instances, they suggested that the royal family was not only racist, but also orchestrated the barrage of negative media stories on Meghan, which they cited as the main reason for them to move out of Buckingham Palace and then go to America.

The extraordinary scene recounted in 'Spare,' which Harry says resulted in a visible injury to his back, is one of many in the autobiography, which will be published worldwide next week and is likely to spark a serious furore for the British royal family, according to The Guardian.

Harry, The Guardian adds, writes that William wanted to talk about "the whole rolling catastrophe" of their relationship and struggles with the press.

But when William arrived at Nottingham Cottage -- where Harry was then living, in the grounds of Kensington Palace -- he was, according to Harry, already "piping hot."

After William complained about Meghan, Harry writes, Harry told him he was repeating the press narrative and that he expected better. But William, Harry says, was not being rational, leading to the two men shouting over each other.

Harry, The Guardian adds, then accused his brother of acting like an heir, unable to understand why his younger brother was not content to be a spare.