A former chaplain to the Queen has said he suspects some people within the royal household are glad that she is not “able to experience” the release of Prince Harry’s book.

The Duke of Sussex has been making the media rounds to promote his new book, Spare, in which he discusses his life as a royal in eye-opening detail.

In interviews ahead of the book’s release, Prince Harry has said he never intended to “hurt” his brother and father.

Many believe, however, that the tell-all will cause severe damage to the reputation of the monarchy.

Reflecting on his time with the late monarch Queen Elizabeth II, former chaplain to Her Majesty Gavin Ashenden said: “She would have been profoundly distressed.”

“She did everything she could within the limitations of the imprisonment of being a member of the royal family, and she did it.

“One of the reasons why I think we people loved her is because she had a loving relationship with God; God worked on her character through the Holy Spirit.”

The now-Roman Catholic clergyman served as a chaplain to Her Majesty from 2008 to 2017.

He continued: “She would have been deeply pained. I guess some people would be pleased that she's not able to experience what's going on.”

However, Steve Chalke, founder of the Oasis Foundation – who has met both Prince Harry and Prince William multiple times – believes the fury towards the Duke of Sussex is unfair, considering the difficult childhood he had.

Speaking to Premier, he said drawing comparisons between the brothers is not helpful to the conversation: “Both of these boys are traumatised by their mother dying, and their mother being talked about to the world.

“Both of them felt powerless. No two brains are the same, we know that now. We know it scientifically. We all react to the stresses and anxieties of our past differently.

“So you can't judge Harry's reaction by William's reaction, or by Charles's reactions in all of this. I think we need to show compassion for all of them.”