Prince Harry to have 'intimate' livestream to promote memoir Spare

Prince Harry will take part in ‘intimate’ livestream chat next week to promote his memoir Spare and talk about ‘living with loss’ with author Gabor Mate in return to spotlight as his popularity in the US slumps

• The Duke of Sussex’s memoir has caused a major rift within the royal family 
• The livestream will take place next Saturday and attendees can submit questions
• It follows new data showing Harry and Meghan Markle’s popularity is dropping

Prince Harry is to take part in an ‘intimate’ livestream chat with author Gabor Maté next week to promote his memoir Spare, as he returns to the stage after another drop in his popularity in the US.

More than a month after the release of the book royal fans can sign up to watch the Duke of Sussex discussing it with Mr Maté, and will also receive a free copy of Spare as well as the opportunity to submit questions to the prince.

The event, organised in collaboration with Harry’s publishers Penguin Random House, will take place at 5pm UK time on Saturday March 4.

The pair are expected to talk about ‘living with loss and the importance of personal healing’, followed by a live Q and A.

It comes at a fragile time for Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle, who have seen their popularity ratings in the US drop significantly since the release of Spare last month – and now face a decision over whether to attend Charles’ coronation. 

Prince Harry will sit down for his first public conversation since his media blitz for the launch of his memoir Spare

The livestream costs £17 and comes with a free hardback copy of the Duke’s memoir

The livestream comes at a tricky time for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have seen their approval ratings plummet since December

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s popularity has slumped to an all-time low in the US, where they are now less popular than the disgraced Prince Andrew, a shock poll has found.

Since December last year, Harry has sunk 48 points and Meghan 40, giving them net approval ratings of -10 and -17 respectively, according to a survey by Redfield & Wilton for Newsweek, conducted on February 19.

While Andrew is still viewed negatively following his New York civil trial against his sex accuser Virginia Roberts – which he settled out of court – his net approval rating sits at -2, with 26 per cent of Americans saying they like him compared to 28 per cent who do not.

The Sussexes’ nosediving popularity across the pond comes just days after they were mocked by South Park – a satirical cartoon famed for having its finger on the pulse of American culture.

But the latest survey suggests the increased attention and scrutiny of the Sussexes, brought on by their six-part Netflix docuseries, Harry’s memoir Spare and a spate of bombshell interviews, has only turned larger portions of the public against them.

This week’s poll shows that 18 per cent of US respondents felt neither favorably nor unfavorably about Harry, while 7 percent replied ‘don’t know’. Some 20 percent were on the fence about Meghan and just 8 percent did not have an opinion.

The figures mean that only 25 per cent of respondents expressed no strong feelings either way about the duke, and 28 percent about the duchess.

Respondents were also asked if they felt positively or negatively towards Harry, Meghan and Andrew, with the results likely making sober reading for the couple.

Some 32 per cent felt positively about Harry, compared to 27 per cent about Meghan and 26 per cent about Andrew.

However, 44 per cent held a negative sentiment towards Meghan, compared with 42 per cent for Harry and just 28 per cent for Andrew.

New data from the US shows the drop in the couple’s approval ratings over the last three months

Gabor Maté is a Hungarian-Canadian best-selling author and physician who specialises in addiction and childhood development

Who is Gabor Maté?

Gabor Maté, 79, is a Hungarian-Canadian author, public speaker and physician.

Mr Maté has 20 years of experience working with patients suffering from addiction and mental illness.

He is best-known as an addiction specialist, but also has expertise in stress and child development.

 Mr Maté’s works include: In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, Close Encounters With Addiction, When the Body Says No, The Cost of Hidden Stress and Scattered Minds: The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder. 

He has received the Civic Merit Award of the City of Vancouver and the Order of Canada, both for his work on addiction and other mental health-related contributions. 

Prince Harry may be hoping to start turning these ratings around by engaging with the public over the bombshell content of his book, in which he made a series of damaging allegations about other members of the royal family and revealed deeply personal details. 

Tickets for UK purchasers cost £17 plus a booking fee, or £40 plus a booking fee if viewers wish to also purchase Mr Maté’s book, The Myth of Normal.

They will then receive a Vimeo link, which will broadcast the livestream, but recording is strictly forbidden. 

Gabor Maté, a Hungarian-Canadian best-selling author and physician, is an addiction, stress and childhood development expert who speaks internationally and has previously been awarded the Order of Canada.

The choice of Mr Maté for Prince Harry is another sign of the importance he seems to place on therapeutic healing, having candidly discussed his own therapy in his and wife Meghan’s Netflix docuseries.

This will be the first major appearance for the prince since his publicity blitz in January to promote Spare ahead of its publication.

It comes as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex face a major decision over whether to attend King Charles’ coronation this May amid the ongoing split between them and the rest of the family.

Prince Harry previously demanded an apology from his brother Prince William and father to him and wife Meghan over allegations he set out in Spare.

Among these allegations were an incident in which Prince William reportedly insulted the Duchess, before hitting Prince Harry so hard he ended up on the floor.

The Palace declined to comment on these allegations at the time.

With just two weeks to go until invitations are issued, and 70 days until the big day itself, it was revealed last night that neither Prince William or King Charles are prepared to offer any apology prior to the coronation.

Sources sympathetic to the royals’ predicament have described the situation as a ‘toxic stalemate’.

‘There is still a huge amount of ill will boiling over in the family,’ one said.

‘Save the date’ cards are set to be sent out in two weeks to the 2,000 guests who have been chosen to attend the pared-down spring ceremony.

Numbers have been drastically reduced from the 8,251 guests who attended Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation to make the event more streamlined amid the cost of living crisis.

Formal invitations to those who have indicated they will accept will not be posted until three weeks before the event itself.

One well-placed source says Harry has made it clear that he wants a private ‘apology’ of some sort from both Charles and William before he will attend.

It is unclear whether Meghan will attend the ceremony if Prince Harry chooses to do so, but as the date chosen for the King’s coronation also falls on their son Archie’s fourth birthday, there are doubts she will be present regardless of the ongoing family feud. 

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