The Duke of Sussex has given fans a fresh look inside his relationship with his stepmother Queen Consort Camilla for the first time in his memoir, Spare.
In the book, Prince Harry candidly discusses the first time he formally met Camilla after she and his father King Charles went public with their romance following Princess Diana's tragic death in 1997. He described the Queen Consort as "the Other Woman", a reference to Charles and Camilla's affair during his marriage to Diana, but added that she wasn't "like all the wicked stepmothers in storybooks."
WATCH: The key revelations from Prince Harry's book Spare
According to the Duke, William had been summoned from Eton for a "high stakes private meeting" first, before it was Harry's turn. So what were his first impressions? "I told myself: No big deal. Just like getting an injection. Close your eyes, over before you know it.
"I have a dim recollection of Camilla being just as calm (or bored) as me. Neither of us much fretted about the other’s opinion. She wasn’t my mother, and I wasn’t her biggest hurdle. In other words, I wasn’t the Heir. This bit with me was mere formality," he said.
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The Duke of Sussex revealed neither he nor Camilla were worried about each other's opinion
He added that he could not recall their conversation, but believed it was likely about their shared interest in horses. Overall, he felt "real gratitude" for the fact that she wasn't mean and he wanted his father to be happy.
"Yes, Camilla had played a pivotal role in the unravelling of our parents’ marriage, and yes, that meant she’d played a role in our mother’s disappearance, but we understood that she’d been trapped like everyone else in the riptide of events. We didn’t blame her, and in fact we’d gladly forgive her if she could make Pa happy," Harry explained.
King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla got married in April 2005
The Duke also discussed how he thought Camilla was "dangerous" in her quest to rehabilitate her image, and revealed he believed Charles and Camilla's wedding on 9 April 2005 was unnecessary, given the renewed media interest in their relationship it caused.
The couple were first photographed together in 1999 and went on to announce their engagement in February 2005. Two months later, they got married in a civil ceremony at Windsor's Guildhall followed by a service of blessing at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
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