Queen Elizabeth's royal aide seeks apology over misrepresentation in Prince Harry's Spare
Dickie Arbiter, the late Queen's former aide, has spoken out about claims made in Prince Harry's new autobiography, Spare
Sign up to our free daily email for the latest royal and entertainment news, interesting opinion, expert advice on styling and beauty trends, and no-nonsense guides to the health and wellness questions you want answered.
Thank you for signing up to Woman & Home. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
The Queen's former press secretary, Dickie Arbiter, has claimed that Prince Harry's newly released autobiography, Spare, suggests that he used aggressive language about the Prince and Meghan Markle.
- Prince Harry's autobiography, Spare, was released on January 10, 2023.
- The book made a number of claims about members of the Royal Family, and the employees working for the family.
- In other royal news, Prince Harry’s ghostwriter had something to say about all the alleged factual inaccuracies in Spare.
In one section of Prince Harry's new autobiography, the Prince made reference to the 'Fleet Street Jury' that appeared in an article for the Daily Mail. The article collected opinions from a variety of sources - some who had worked within the Royal Households - and asked them about their opinions when it came to Harry and Meghan's decision to step back as senior royals in 2020.
In his book, Prince Harry said, "Among [the jury] was the Queen’s ex-press secretary, who concluded, with his fellow jurors, that we should hereafter "’expect no mercy’. I shook my head. ‘No mercy’. The language of war?"
This reference from the Prince suggests that it could have been Dickie Arbiter, te Queen's ex-press secretary who made these comments in the article. While Dickie was included in the article, he did not make these comments. Similar comments were made by another contributor, Trevor Phillips, but he was not at any point the ex-press secretary to the Queen.
What are @penguinrandom going to do about correcting this allegation against me - I never said anything of the sort. How about a public apology pdq? https://t.co/9mFI7oIqNlJanuary 12, 2023
Speaking to The Independent, Dickie has made it clear that he wants an apology, "While I am not mentioned by name - referencing ‘the Queen’s ex-press secretary’ – it is by association that by being the only former courtier regularly contacted by the media, the author is pointing the finger at me."
"I wish to make it abundantly clear I was not asked to be a part of ‘jury’ and I certainly would not use words like ‘expect no mercy’. I am therefore seeking an acknowledgement from Penguin Random House for their recognition of this misrepresentational error," added Dickie.
The former aide also repeated this statement and requested a public apology in a comment made to another British newspaper. "I think as a number of people have interpreted the quote as coming from me, when clearly it wasn’t, that an apology is in order,” Arbiter told The Times. “There are a number of errors in the book and future copies should be corrected.”
Once again on Twitter, the aide asked, "What are @penguinrandom going to do about correcting this allegation against me - I never said anything of the sort. How about a public apology pdq?"
A number of other people and commentators have highlighted potential inaccuracies in Prince Harry's autobiography, and many have criticized the Prince and the publishers for not ensuring fact-checkers interrogated all of the claims made by the Prince.
woman&home newsletter
Sign up to our free daily email for the latest royal and entertainment news, interesting opinion, expert advice on styling and beauty trends, and no-nonsense guides to the health and wellness questions you want answered.
Laura is a news writer for woman&home who primarily covers entertainment and celebrity news. Laura dabbles in lifestyle, royal, beauty, and fashion news, and loves to cover anything and everything to do with television and film. She is also passionate about feminism and equality and loves writing about gender issues and feminist literature.
Laura loves drinking and eating and can often be found trying to get reservations at London's trendiest restaurants. When she's not wining and dining, Laura can also be found travelling, baking, and hiking with her dog.
-
-
A piece of royal history is up for sale, and it has a dubious past Princess Anne would rather forget
A car driven by Princess Anne and depicted in Netflix’s The Crown will go up for sale
By Jack Slater Published
-
Adele shares shock health news at latest Vegas show, as she reveals her team had to pick her ‘whole body up off the floor’
Adele has been struggling with a health condition and revealed she recently collapsed backstage
By Jack Slater Published
-
Prince Harry set to return to UK ahead of Queen's death anniversary
Reports have suggested that Prince Harry is set to return to the UK next month
By Laura Harman Published
-
Meghan Markle’s reported friendship fallouts were likely caused by this relatable issue that everyone has experienced with old pals
An expert believes Meghan 'outgrew' certain friendships after developing 'different values'
By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse Published
-
Prince Harry's latest Netflix project unveils brand new trailer - and fans can't wait, 'we need more documentaries like this!'
Prince Harry's latest Netflix project has fans excited as the streaming giant releases the new trailer for this heartfelt series
By Laura Harman Published
-
The two royal family members Prince Harry is still 'best of friends' with
Prince Harry is said to still have a close-knit bond with two of his cousins
By Caitlin Elliott Published
-
Prince Harry's desire to move to a new country revealed during conference
Prince Harry's desire to move to a new country was revealed as the Duke of Sussex spoke about his sense of wanderlust during a conference
By Laura Harman Published
-
Prince Harry’s title receives low-key update by palace three years after major decision was made
Prince Harry's title has reportedly undergone a recent change on the Royal Family website in line with Duchess Meghan's
By Emma Shacklock Published
-
Prince Harry and Meghan make a romantic purchase that's set to shake up their careers
Prince Harry and Meghan have made an interesting career move as they purchase the rights to the novel, Meet Me at the Lake
By Laura Harman Published
-
As Meghan Markle turns 42, a celebrity astrologer predicts ‘romantic misunderstandings’ but a career ‘bounce back’ for the duchess
Meghan Markle celebrated her 42nd birthday on August 4
By Jack Slater Published