From a conflict perspective, what was the point of airing the dirty laundry in Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare? Telling your own side of a story is a very common desire.  Perhaps his intention is to raise his standing (and Meghan’s) in the court of public opinion – which may be working or may be backfiring. Harry has said that he is open to a better relationship with his family. There may be a worse way to promote reconciliation than a gossipy memoir showcasing bad behavior by everyone else.  But it is difficult to think of what it would be.

Speaking of the family …. So far, it seems that silence is their official response.  Silence can provide a positive contrast when someone else appears to be acting undignified.  Perhaps Harry simply wants to take advantage of the opportunity – which may be fleeting – to make as much money as he can.

Of course, most of us don’t have the opportunity to air family dirty laundry with that sort of splash.  If we do choose to air dirty family laundry, we risk doing real damage to family relationships and to our own image.  If you need to talk it out, doing so privately greatly reduces those risks. 

Do you have comments or suggestions about a topic or guest? An idea or question about conflict management or conflict resolution? Let me know at [email protected]! And you can learn more about me and my work as a mediator and a Certified CINERGY® Conflict Coach at www.dovetailresolutions.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/janebeddall/.

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