Prince Harry's ghostwriter recalls 2am row over Diana passage

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Prince Harry's ghostwriter JR Moehringer has revealed the passage from the duke's recent memoir that the two of them fought over. Harry's tell-all book, Spare, was released in January earlier this year, sparking a media storm over his numerous claims and revelations about the royal family.

In a new piece written for The New Yorker, Moehringer recalled butting heads with Harry over a part about his military training. In the excerpt in question, Harry is subjected to terrorism training by military personnel posing as insurgents. "At last, Harry's captors throw him against a wall, choke him, and scream insults into his face, culminating in a vile dig at Princess Diana," Moehringer wrote.

The insult was so egregious that once the training is over, one of the officers apologised to Harry for it. According to Moehringer, the duke wanted to end the chapter with the comeback he told his captors, which the author found an "unnecessary, and somewhat inane" addition.

Prince Harry's ghostwriter (left) describes working with the Duke of Sussex (Getty)

"Good for Harry that he had the nerve, but ending with what he said would dilute the scene's meaning," the author wrote.

In a 2am Zoom call with the royal, Moehringer said Harry lost his cool over the line's omission. "It felt as if we were hurtling toward some kind of decisive rupture, in part because Harry was no longer saying anything. He was just glaring into the camera," he wrote.

The ghostwriter said that Harry explained that he wanted the line included because "all his life, people had belittled his intellectual capabilities, and this flash of cleverness proved that, even after being kicked and punched and deprived of sleep and food, he had his wits about him". Despite understanding his reasoning, the author refused to include the line, which the duke eventually conceded to in good humour. He did not clarify what the comeback was.

Elsewhere in The New Yorker piece, Moehringer described how Meghan Markle made him feel comfortable during stays at their home.

The duke returned to the UK for the first time since Spare's release this week for the coronation of his father, King Charles III.

Harry's visit was notably brief; he arrived a day before the coronation ceremony and then returned to California shortly after the crowning concluded.