THE SPARE: HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PRINCE HARRY'S MEMOIR 

Did you know that the officially released memoir titled 'Spare' written by Prince Harry of the British royal family has become the United Kingdom's fastest-selling nonfiction book ever?

Prince Harry has made several explosive revelations about the British royal family in his book. In summary of the book, Harry writes about losing his mother, his crumbling relationship with his older brother, William, and how his wife, Meghan, and he were treated by the Royal Family. Harry also delves into details of his drug habit, his stint in Afghanistan with the British armed forces, and losing his virginity.

Here are some of the revelations in the book:

The book got its title 'Spare' from the fact that Harry was always seen and treated as the “spare” to his older brother and Crown Prince, William. Harry writes that he was around 20 when he heard a joke his father, Charles, had made to his mother, Diana, during his birth... Harry’s sense of always being second fiddle to his older brother comes off in the memoir. He writes that he was “a shadow, a Plan B” and nothing more. In fact, the whole book seems to be his response to a lifetime of being made to feel expendable and unimportant. 

Secondly, Harry’s decaying relationship with his brother William is another major theme, mirroring his deeply held feelings of neglect. One of the most shocking claims of the memoir details an incident between the brothers in 2019 that led to him being assaulted. The two were having a loud row over Harry’s then-girlfriend Meghan whom William allegedly called “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive”. Initially, Harry only confided to his therapist about the incident but Meghan found out when she noticed his injuries. “She was terribly sad,” writes Harry.

Thirdly, Harry’s decision to leave the Royal Family was thus born out of years of trauma that he had endured as well as the treatment his wife, Meghan, received, he says. In the couple’s famous interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan had alleged racist behaviour from unnamed royals who wondered “what colour skin” her then soon-to-be-born child would have. Meghan had described feeling trapped and not wanting to be alive anymore. Scared of seeing history repeat itself (drawing parallels to his late mother), Harry decided to break away from the family... There was no empathy for him or his wife from his own family, he claims.

Fourthly, a major influence on Harry’s life and psyche was the death of his mother, Diana, in a car accident. Harry describes his father breaking the news to him while he sat on his bed at Balmoral Castle. He writes that his father did not hug him at the moment, even though he was thirteen and absolutely devastated. In his book, Harry also talks about various ways in which he has tried to get closure from the incident, but unfortunately, failed to do so. Replicating Diana’s last car journey only left Harry “questioning the official cause of her death.” According to his memoir, Harry and William wanted a thorough investigation into the matter but were dissuaded by “those who decided”. Harry also describes how his sorrow over his mother’s death led him to a woman who “claimed to have powers.” He attempted to speak to his late mother various times through this medium.

Fifthly, just like the loss of their mother was a matter that brought the two siblings together, so was their father’s decision to marry Camilla. Harry writes that he and William begged their father not to marry Camilla. William felt “tremendous guilt” over “the other woman” whom he had “long harboured suspicions about,” writes Harry. However, the two did not ultimately stand in the way of his father and Camilla’s relationship, despite Harry wondering on more occasions than one if the now Queen Consort was like the “wicked stepmother” from fairy tales.

The book also includes quite graphic details about how he lost his virginity to an older woman in a field behind a bustling pub. The unnamed woman treated him like a “young stallion,” sending Harry away with a “spank” after the deed was done. Harry also details his experiences with drugs throughout his life. He first dabbled with cocaine when he was 17 and often smoked cannabis “ in the gardens of Kensington Palace and at Eton school.” He also claims to have experimented with psychedelics, both recreationally and as therapeutic devices, to get help “seeing the truth.”

Lastly, one startling claim in the book was about Harry’s time in Afghanistan as a helicopter pilot for the British forces between 2012-13. Harry claimed to have participated in six missions which led to 25 Taliban fighters killed. According to Harry, “It wasn’t a statistic that filled me with pride but nor did it leave me ashamed. When I found myself plunged in the heat and confusion of combat I didn’t think of those 25 as people. They were chess pieces removed from the board, Bad people eliminated before they could kill good people," he writes. The Taliban has since lambasted Harry and accused him of “killing innocent civilians” as it recorded no casualties on the said time of the killings.

According to its publisher Penguin Random House, the memoir 'Spare' sold 400,000 copies across physical, e-book and audio formats on the first day of its release in the U.K. While U.S. numbers remain unknown, the book is currently on top of Amazon’s list of best-selling books. Several excerpts from the autobiography leaked last week after Spanish-language copies of the book briefly went on sale early before being pulled. 

The book’s release comes just weeks after Netflix released a six-part documentary series called Harry & Meghan where the royal couple opened up about the anguish and pain they felt due to the British press’ negative portrayal of them—especially Meghan. Harry has appeared in multiple interviews this week to promote his book, including CBS News’ 60 Minutes which garnered 11.2 million viewers.

Sources:

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-global/what-does-prince-harrys-new-memoir-spare-say-8367331/lite/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/01/11/dangerous-lie-harry-accuses-press-of-misrepresenting-his-comments-about-killing-25-taliban-fighters/