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Prince Harry's former ghostwriter reveals the actual truth behind what he wrote: ‘It was hardly illuminating’

Jan 16, 2025 08:05 AM IST

Mark McCrum, who ghostwrote for Prince Harry on Walking With the Wounded, shared he never met the Duke during the process.

Author Mark McCrum, who ghostwrote for Prince Harry in the 2011 book Walking With the Wounded, has made a surprising claim about the royals.

Prince Harry's former ghostwriter received a video from the Duke but remains unsure if Harry read the final chapter, contrasting it with J.R. Moehringer's tougher experience on Spare. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)(Getty Images via AFP)
Prince Harry's former ghostwriter received a video from the Duke but remains unsure if Harry read the final chapter, contrasting it with J.R. Moehringer's tougher experience on Spare. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)(Getty Images via AFP)

McCrum was responsible for writing Harry's foreword in the book, which tells the story of four wounded soldiers trekking to the North Pole. Despite Prince Harry’s name glittering on the cover, McCrum revealed that he never actually met the Duke of Sussex during the process.

“When I ghost-wrote for Prince Harry on the bestselling book Walking With the Wounded, about four wounded soldiers who trekked across the ice to the North Pole, I didn’t meet him,” he told the Daily Mail. Notably, at the time, the Duke was in Tromsø, Norway, preparing to join the soldiers featured in the book. To provide McCrum with some context, a video of the prince was sent to him.

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“In the end, I was sent a video of him out on the ice, enthusing about the beauty of the landscape and the bravery of his companions. For 15 minutes, Harry trekked across the ice grinning a lot in full polar kit. It was recorded just for me but hardly illuminating. The word ‘amazing’ featured a lot, I remember,” McCrum explained.

“This was worked up into a thoughtful chapter, which then had to get copy approval from Clarence House. Whether Harry read it himself, I have no idea,” McCrum said.

McCrum compares experiences with Moehringer on Harry's Memoir

McCrum also contrasted his experience with that of J.R. Moehringer, who ghostwrote Harry’s explosive memoir Spare. “J.R. Moehringer, who said he was ‘exasperated’ ghost-writing Harry’s memoir Spare, clearly had a tougher challenge and a longer struggle.”

“If you do end up sitting down with your ‘subject’ (as we ghosts call our celebrity clients), they can be engaging and delightful, especially when they’re talking about themselves.”

“Once the tape is off, though, you may have to brace yourself for all kinds of bad behaviour, from them immediately ignoring you and catching up on their emails, phoning their celebrity chums or collecting the phone numbers of the beautiful people who approach them in cafes,” McCrum poured frustration in Daily Mail copy.

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Spare, released two years ago, detailed Harry's life and made damning accusations against Prince William, King Charles III, and many others.

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