Former head of royal protection brands Prince Harry a ‘fool’ for detailing palace layouts in memoir 

Prince Harry has been branded a ‘fool’ for detailing the layouts of various palaces and official residences in his tell-all memoir.

Dai Davies, the former head of royal protection, told The Telegraph the Duke of Sussex had compromised the safety and security of his family.

Even his own personal protection detail could be at heightened risk after Harry wrote in excruciating detail of the palace interiors in his best-selling memoir, Spare.

In recounting the introduction between Meghan Markle and the King and Queen Consort at Clarence House, Harry went into minute detail about its interior.

Clarence House in London

He wrote: ‘They led us down the long corridor, past the big paintings and gilt-edged mirrors, along the crimson carpet with the crimson runner, past the big glass cabinet filled with gleaming porcelain and exquisite heirlooms, up the creaky staircase, which rose three steps before jogging right, up another twelve steps, then jogged right again,’ he said.

‘There, at last, on the landing above us, stood Pa.’

The vivid passages, written with the help of a ghost writer, paint a picture of life inside the palace walls for readers. 

But Mr Davies said he was filled with great concern upon reading this passage, and several others which are just as detailed.

He told the publication: ‘It makes the job of protecting him, whether privately or otherwise, problematic. Only a fool would reveal this kind of detail about the royals’ inner sanctums.

‘Whether they are fixated individuals with mental health problems or terrorists, this information could prove very useful.

‘There is a reason Buckingham Palace never discusses any detail about its security operations, big or small. It would never expect someone with such an intimate knowledge of private royal residences to disclose such information.’

Elsewhere, Harry counted the stairs one would need to travel down to reach his old hideout in Highgrove – a former bomb shelter he dubbed ‘Club H’.

Balmoral Castle in Scotland

Harry described the interior Clarence House while describing the introduction between Meghan Markle and the King and Queen Consort

He described travelling down sleep flights of stairs, walking through dewy corridors with an arched roof and ‘past several wine cellars, wherein Camilla kept her fanciest bottles’.

Harry says the doors to his hideout were painted green, with brass handles.

He separately detailed the layout of the latte Queen’s ‘favourite’ home, Balmoral – sharing with his readers everything from the colour of the granite steps and carpets to the pattern of the wallpaper.

Mr Davies’ comments come amid furore among military veterans, who also claim his revelation that he personally killed 25 Taliban insurgents will further paint him as a target.

Questions are now being raised about whether Harry has ‘shot himself in the foot’ and made himself a bigger target with his startling revelation.

Meanwhile the Taliban taunted the Duke as a ‘big mouth loser’ who ‘fled Afghanistan and hid in his grandmother’s palace’ and his confession sparked protests at a university in Helmand province.

The Duke – who is currently in a legal battle with the Home Office over security in the UK – also faces allegations that he wrote about his kill count in a tactical bid to get police protection when he visits Britain.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: ‘This may, of course, be a tactic to get the security he feels he needs when he visits Britain, but it is surely irresponsible. Who is advising him, one wonders.’