Prince Harry 'hurt' Camilla after he called her 'dangerous' and a 'villain'

The royal family has remained mum on the claims Prince Harry lobbed against them in his memoir "Spare" but according to a close friend of Queen Consort Camilla, she was bothered by his criticism of her.

The Duke of Sussex called his stepmother a "villain" and a "dangerous" person because of her connections with the British press. He also accused her of leaking stories to the tabloids in her attempt to rehabilitate her image from being known as his father's mistress.

The accusations bothered her, according to the Marchioness of Lansdowne, a long-term friend of the Duchess of Cornwall and her recently appointed "Queen's Companion." The Times on Sunday quoted Lansdowne as saying, "Of course, it bothers her, of course, it hurts. But she doesn't let it get to her. Her philosophy is always, 'Don't make a thing of it and it will settle down—least said, soonest mended.'"

The publication also cited an unnamed "aide" who said Queen Consort Camilla's reaction to Prince Harry's claims "was much more of an eye-roll response" rather than the "stamping of feet or gnashing of teeth."

The Times added that a "former courtier" had called the 75-year-old smart for having friendly relationships with members of the press saying that "she was always more like a politician, thinking, 'How do I make this work for me?'"

The former courtier said of Camilla's connections with the press, "She's been smart and set out to win them over, including her critics, and she achieved it, not with sly tricks, just by taking an interest in their lives and being at ease with them in a way other members of the family aren't."

None of the royal family members have spoken publicly about "Spare" since its release on Jan. 10, 2023. Instead, they have stuck to the royal decree of "never complain, never explain" and continued to perform their public duties.

In his memoir, Prince Harry wrote that he and his brother, Prince William, were against their father marrying the Duchess of Cornwall. But they eventually learned to accept her as their stepmother when they saw that she makes their "Pa" happy.

Yet he also accused his stepmother of sacrificing him on her personal PR altar. Explaining what made her dangerous, the 38-year-old told Anderson Cooper on CBS' "60 Minutes" that she was "dangerous because of the connections that she was forging within the British press. And there was open willingness on both sides to trade of information."

He added that "there was gonna be people or bodies left in the street" with the royal family built on hierarchy, and his stepmother on the way to being Queen Consort. He said that over the years, he was "one of those bodies."

As to why he wrote about Queen Consort Camilla in his book, Prince Harry told ITV's Tom Bradby in January, "There's no part of any of the things that I've said are scathing towards any member of my family, especially not my stepmother. There are things that have happened that have been incredibly hurtful—some in the past, some current."

Meanwhile, in his interview with Michael Strahan on "Good Morning America," the Duke of Sussex admitted that "there's a lot" that he "can forgive, but there needs to be conversations in order for reconciliation, and part of that has to be accountability."

Prince Harry would have to set aside his ill feelings towards the royals following news that he will be at King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla's coronation. Buckingham Palace confirmed that he will attend the ceremony in London's Westminster Abbey on May 6 while his wife, Meghan Markle, will remain in California with their children.