Prince Harry has denied shocking claims in a new book that "punches were thrown" between him and Prince Andrew before the Duke of Sussex left the Royal Family. Author Andrew Lownie claimed in his book, Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, that tensions between the Duke and his youngest nephew reached a boiling point after Harry became aware of "something Andrew said behind [his] back", the book suggests, with the exchange leaving his uncle "with a bloody nose".

However, Prince Harry's team has denied the claims. In a statement to People magazine, a member of the Duke's staff said: "I can confirm neither of those things are true. Prince Harry and Prince Andrew have never had a physical fight, nor did Prince Andrew ever make those comments about the Duchess of Sussex to Prince Harry."

In extracts of the book serialised by the Daily Mail this weekend, the author describes Harry's relationship with Andrew as "problematic."

He also alleged that despite the incident taking place more than a decade ago, the two royals' relationship has not improved over the years.

Mr Lownie said that the Duke of York accused Harry of going "bonkers" after meeting the Duchess, allegedly warning him that his marriage would "not last more than a month".

The latest bombshell claims come amid efforts to mend Harry's ongoing rift with his royal relatives.

Harry's relationship with the Royal Family has been frosty since his exit from the Firm in 2020.

But this year the Duke has made it clear that he wishes to make amends, telling the BBC in May that he "would love a reconciliation".

Meanwhile, the Sussexes' chief communications officer, Meredith Maines, and Liam Maguire, who runs the Sussexes' PR team in the UK, were snapped on a balcony close to Clarence House in London last month chatting with Tobyn Andreae, the King's communications secretary.

The "secret peace summit" between the two camps was seen as a "first step" towards repairing their strained relationship.