Prince Harry says in leaked extract of new book that William physically attacked him

Prince Harry has accused his brother, Prince William, of physically attacking him during an argument over his marriage to Meghan, The Guardian reported Thursday.

The British newspaper said it had obtained an advance copy of Harry’s much-anticipated memoir, “Spare,” which is due to be published Tuesday.

Harry says in the book that William “knocked him to the floor” during an argument at the Sussexes’ London home in 2019 as the brothers’ relationship spiraled, The Guardian reports.

The forthcoming book looks set to escalate Harry and Meghan’s feud with the British royal family, as the couple seeks to present their side of a story pitting celebrity against the centuries-old institution.

NBC News has not yet obtained or seen a copy of the book. Representatives for Harry declined to comment on the record; the publisher, Penguin Random House, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The title of the book is an apparent reference to Harry being a royal “spare,” not the first in line to the throne. William, Prince of Wales, is the next in line to their father, King Charles III.

According to The Guardian, the book describes “intensely private scenes and conversations” that cover everything from Harry’s early childhood to his marriage to the former actress Meghan Markle. This includes details on Harry’s relationship with his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in 1997, his father and his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. 

Kensington Palace, which represents William, and Buckingham Palace, which represents Charles, declined to comment on the allegations made in the book. 

The Guardian article focuses on the alleged attack in Harry and Meghan’s former London home at Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace in 2019. 

Harry reportedly says in the book that William had complained about Meghan and called her “difficult,” “rude” and “abrasive.”

The confrontation then escalated with the brothers yelling and insulting each other, the book recounts according to the newspaper. Harry reportedly says that he was scared of his brother, who was furious and following him around the house. Harry writes that William then grabbed him by the collar and ripped his necklace before knocking him to the floor, the Guardian reports.

“I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed,” Harry writes in the leaked passage of the book published by The Guardian. Harry then reportedly told his brother to leave, which he did after initially urging Harry to hit him back, according to the newspaper. 

William later returned and apologized, the newspaper reports, though the extract says that he suggested Harry not tell Meghan about the alleged altercation. 

“‘You mean that you attacked me?’ Harry writes that he responded, according to the newspaper. “‘I didn’t attack you, Harold,’” he reportedly recounts William calling back.

Harry writes that he initially only spoke to a therapist about the alleged incident, according to the leak. But when Meghan noticed “scrapes and bruises” on his back, he told her what had happened, The Guardian quotes the book as saying.