When Prince Harry published his memoir Spare in 2023, he provided fans with an unparalleled glimpse behind palace walls into the realities faced by members of the royal family, from himself and wife Meghan Markle, to his father, brother and even nephews and niece.
One previously unknown revelation in his book was Harry's response to a 2019 tabloid story that claimed the flower crown worn by Princess Charlotte as a bridesmaid at his wedding a year earlier had the potential to have poisoned her.
The story broke, he revealed, as he and Meghan announced three major lawsuits against the tabloid press. Meghan sued Associated Newspapers Limited over the publication of a private letter she had written to her father (a case she later won) and Harry sued Mirror Group Newspapers and News Group Newspapers over allegations of historic unlawful information gathering.
The tabloid story drew a link between Meghan and the floral crowns, and its connection to his then 4-year-old niece emboldened Harry in his decision to press ahead with litigation against publishers, he revealed.
Here, Newsweek looks at everything Prince Harry said about the 2019 tabloid story concerning Charlotte.
'I Felt Energized'
In his memoir, Harry revealed the decision-making process behind an announcement that was made in October 2019 revealing that he and Meghan were suing publishers of the tabloid press.
The statement was issued in Harry's name on October 1, while the couple were enjoying a successful tour of South Africa. In it, Harry drew a line in the sand over Meghan's treatment by the press, writing: "My wife has become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences—a ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son."
The couple faced a critical response to their lawsuits by the media and, according to Harry's memoir, from high-profile figures within the monarchy.
When on October 13, the Express newspaper's website published an article with the headline "How Meghan Markle's flowers may have put Princess Charlotte's life at risk," the prince said he felt "energized" by his litigation decision.
The story highlighted the inclusion of the flower "lily of the Valley" in the headdresses worn by Meghan's bridesmaids at the royal wedding a year earlier, noting that if ingested the plant can have a deadly effect.
Prince Harry in Spare
"Shortly after announcing our lawsuit I felt energized by a ghastly story in the Express. 'How Meghan Markle's flowers may have put Princess Charlotte's life at risk.'
"This latest 'scandal' concerned the flower crowns worn by our bridesmaids, more than a year earlier. Included in the crowns were a few lilies of the valley, which can be poisonous to children. Provided the children eat the lilies. Even then, the reaction would be discomfort, concerning to parents, but only in the rarest cases would such a thing be fatal."
'The Story of Meghan the Murderess'
Harry suggested to his readers that the story was an example of a piece of tabloid sensationalism and that its hysterical response was not raised when Princess Kate or Princess Diana included lily of the valley in their bridal arrangements.
"Never mind all that," Harry wrote. "The story of Meghan the Murderess was just too good."
Prince Harry in Spare
"Never mind that an official florist put together these crowns. Never mind that it wasn't Meg who made this 'dangerous decision.' Never mind that previous royal brides, including Kate and my mother, had also used lilies of the valley. Never mind all that. The story of Meghan the Murderess was just too good.
"An accompanying photo showed my poor little niece wearing her crown, face contorted in a paroxysm of agony, or a sneeze. Alongside this photo was a shot of Meg looking sublimely unconcerned about the imminent death of this angelic child."
Kensington Palace, the private office that acts for Prince William and Kate, did not respond to comments made by Harry in Spare. This was in line with a blanket "no comment" position adopted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
