Spare
By Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex Ghostwritten by J. R. Moehringer
416 pages
Short Summary
The controversial tell-all memoir/autobiography in which Prince Harry at long last offers his own gossipy tales of his dysfunctional family.
What’s it about?
Addressed to Charles and William, Harry tries to explain in writing (after his many attempts to talk have failed) the impossibility of his situation that inevitably led him to renounce his title and leave Great Britain. Numerous bombshells are dropped in this record-correcting version of events in which Harry addresses, among other things, the shattering death of his Mummy, his military service, his controversial marriage to Meghan, the frictions in his family relationships, and the parasitic relationship between the media and the palace. Camilla, William and Kate are not kindly portrayed. Charles’s occasional tender side emerges, but so does his general ineffectualness and detachment (and, sometimes, self-serving pettiness).
What did it make me think about?
The obvious stuff: The precarious status of the monarchy in the modern world. The devastating effect of the unscrupulous tabloid media. The extraordinary emotional damage to the royal family from its mandate to protect the crown at all costs. But also, reader as armchair psychologist: Harry as a source of sympathy, maybe even pity, as a boy, who, after his mother’s death at least, had to raise himself without the emotional tools and support typically given by decent parents to their children. The way Harry’s immaturity, naivete and neediness manifested themselves in his choice of a wife, and this (often self-righteous and petty) account. Is Meghan really a manipulative viper, playing out a premeditated long game?
Should I read it?
Decide for yourself. So, yes, read it. It’s an unparalleled exposure of the royal family by one of its own. If nothing else, Spare’s reception has been a fascinating cultural phenomenon that makes it worth a look.
Quote.
“The Heir and the Spare—there was no judgment about it, but also no ambiguity. I was the shadow, the support, the Plan B. I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy. I was summoned to provide backup, distraction, diversion and, if necessary, a spare part.”
Related Books.
The Palace Papers
Megan’s Review
Short Summary
The controversial tell-all memoir/autobiography in which Prince Harry at long last offers his own gossipy tales of his dysfunctional family.
What’s it about?
Addressed to Charles and William, Harry tries to explain in writing (after his many attempts to talk have failed) the impossibility of his situation that inevitably led him to renounce his title and leave Great Britain. Numerous bombshells are dropped in this record-correcting version of events in which Harry addresses, among other things, the shattering death of his Mummy, his military service, his controversial marriage to Meghan, the frictions in his family relationships, and the parasitic relationship between the media and the palace. Camilla, William and Kate are not kindly portrayed. Charles’s occasional tender side emerges, but so does his general ineffectualness and detachment (and, sometimes, self-serving pettiness).
What did it make me think about?
The obvious stuff: The precarious status of the monarchy in the modern world. The devastating effect of the unscrupulous tabloid media. The extraordinary emotional damage to the royal family from its mandate to protect the crown at all costs. But also, reader as armchair psychologist: Harry as a source of sympathy, maybe even pity, as a boy, who, after his mother’s death at least, had to raise himself without the emotional tools and support typically given by decent parents to their children. The way Harry’s immaturity, naivete and neediness manifested themselves in his choice of a wife, and this (often self-righteous and petty) account. Is Meghan really a manipulative viper, playing out a premeditated long game?
Should I read it?
Decide for yourself. So, yes, read it. It’s an unparalleled exposure of the royal family by one of its own. If nothing else, Spare’s reception has been a fascinating cultural phenomenon that makes it worth a look.
Quote.
“The Heir and the Spare—there was no judgment about it, but also no ambiguity. I was the shadow, the support, the Plan B. I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy. I was summoned to provide backup, distraction, diversion and, if necessary, a spare part.”
Related Books.
The Palace Papers
