"Spare" memoir by the Duke of Sussex (2023)

[TLLK]

There's another time which oddly clashes with one of William's recollections.

Harry describes chasing Zara and the accident, but not getting chewed out by the Queen, I think.

William describes all of this, but mentions being with Peter, not Harry.

Unless there were two separate incidents that involved chasing Zara, which is possible then I guess the only person who could confirm what happened would be Zara and possibly Peter too.

 

[Prinsara]

Unless there were two separate incidents that involved chasing Zara, which is possible then I guess the only person who could confirm what happened would be Zara and possibly Peter too.

Or just various people's memories: either Harry doesn't remember the part about the Queen's wrath for some strange reason, which is odd, but fits Harry's worldview of no consequences and William's narrative that she/other people are harder on him for his position and easier on Harry... but William doesn't remember Harry being there at all.

Or Harry is remembering something that happened to Will. Who knows?

 

[FigTree]

There's another time which oddly clashes with one of William's recollections.

Harry describes chasing Zara and the accident, but not getting chewed out by the Queen, I think.

William describes all of this, but mentions being with Peter, not Harry.

Describes chasing her where? She isn't mentioned in the book

 

[Lilyflo]

If you ask my adult children to recall events in their childhood, they'll often recount them differently from each other and from me (I'm right of course!). Memories can be skewed by emotions and perspective so aren't always 100% reliable.

 

[Prinsara]

Describes chasing her where? She isn't mentioned in the book

At Balmoral, into the lamppost, the only one around for miles, which came crashing down on her, she was lucky not to be hurt, yes she is. If not by name, as "one of my cousins".

 

[Prinsara]

If you ask my adult children to recall events in their childhood, they'll often recount them differently from each other and from me (I'm right of course!). Memories can be skewed by emotions and perspective so aren't always 100% reliable.

How would you not remember something like the Queen charging out and telling you off, though?

 

[Prinsara]

"Once, we chased our cousin across the lawn. We were on quads, the cousin was on a go-kart. It was all fun and games until she crashed head-on into a green lamppost. Crazy fluke–the only lamppost within a thousand miles. We shrieked with laughter, though the lamppost, which had recently been a tree in one of the nearby forests, snapped cleanly in two and fell on top of her. She was lucky not to be seriously hurt."

I knew exactly what he was talking about because I'd seen William's version...and he and William have two amazingly divergent perspectives on this.

H: "it was a fluke. She was lucky."
W:"we herded her into it, HM b*llocked me off and I thought I really should try not to kill my cousins"

 

[Granada]

Since Diana was then alive and an involved Parent at that time, (before the tragic accident that weekend) She would NOT have allowed Harry to get the "Cinderella" treatment in some pokey inferior bedroom, while William was in some luxurious bedroom setup. Neither would Charles.

Did Harry ever read what Charles Spartan existence was like at The Gordonstoun School in Northern Scotland? He attended for years too....
A morning run no matter what the weather followed by a cold shower. He slept on a camp bed IN A Dormitory, bullied mercilessly.
Oh, he was sent there at age 13 !


From everything I have read Diana was keen to make sure that "the boys" were treated as equally as possible. So I'm not buying another sob story about how Harry was again, 'slighted'. Its just another exaggeration.

Give us a break Harry, what kind of rooms were Zara and Peter in ? Or Beatrice and Eugenie ?

I'm sure all age appropriate, is the main key.
When I was growing up my elder sister had 'pride of place' as the eldest anyway. I got her hand me downs too, She ALSO ignored me at School. We are also 2.4 years apart in age.

Harry and his never ending jealousy and grievances sounds soooo high maintenance and tiring.

I've said it before, I wonder how he would feel about the whole "spare" issue if his second child had been another Son ? ONLY Archie can eventually inherit the Duke Of Sussex's Title.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid that his venom will increasingly be directed at the Wales Family. Future King George Vll and future Princess Royal Charlotte, in competition and comparison to Archie and Lili.

Harry ALREADY went " there".....saying he was "worried" that one of Williams kids would wind up like him.....A spare. He says he feels a "responsibility to protect them from the struggles he went thru". This must be infuriating to William.

Just hope this doesnt play out with the next generation. We know how the Sussex's are ALL ABOUT hierarchy, competing and receiving their due.

 

[Granada]

Just something else I was thinking about as I watched the video clip of William, and thanks for posting.
How magical IS Balmoral ?????Especially for a teenage boy.....Harry ? Hello !!!!!
Are you ever appreciative for the many unbelievable privileges your hitting the "birth lottery" with your Father brought you ? ANY appreciation ?

Quads, Go-Karts, Horseback riding, Hunting, Fishing ALL ON A CASTLE GROUNDS ? I looked up on line and it says there is a Pool too.

Chefs, Maids, ect too.... Just unbelievable. I just can't get over Harry's arrogance and entitlement.
The millions you have earned from Spare and The Netflix Series are based upon one act. You selling your Family Connections AND selling out your Family.

I am hoping Charles takes a harder line with you. You also better hope the all the stress and angst you and your wife are causing him doesn't effect his health.
Because William won't put up at all with your dirty tricks. The "door" will be firmly shut. And locked down and bolted.

 

[silverstar]

Whats next..... Spare ...the Movie... a Hollywood Blockbuster !


Is there a red headed actor out there ready to take on the role ?

 

[Mbruno]

I can't believe Harry complains that his older brother had a bigger room and this is a sign of how difficult his life is. Has he never talked to other people? Older siblings tend to get the bigger room, only room etc. This has nothing to do with the firm and everything to do with family dynamics. It seems he's just desperate for things to whine about.

Not to mention how it sounds to ordinary folk when a grown-up complains about the room he got in his grandmother's 50-bedroom house, or about being shuffled to a former "servant's area" in another similar-sized house. I mean, sometimes I think Harry doesn't realize the struggles normal people face.

 

[HighGoalHighDreams]

Harry did hold Charles’s hand for a while while the family moved outside the gates of Balmoral to look at the flowers. It was filmed by TV crews at the time. Harry mentions it in his book.

Ah yes, another stunningly detailed telling of events in the book by Harry of an event that... did not happen.

 

[Denville]

Ah yes, another stunningly detailed telling of events in the book by Harry of an event that... did not happen.

what are you talking about? It did happen. You can see it on film, where Harry puts his hand out to Charles who holds it....

 

[Meee]

My library came up with a quick-loan copy yesterday, so I started reading, got about 220 pages in, then wanted to take a look at the Meghan parts.

I will give Harry this: context is, of course, everything; it's not badly written, and reading the actual book makes him sound like much less of a clueless prat or troubled soul than any set of quotes or review. So that's either a credit to Harry or the ghostwriter. It's also amusing, the points where he says "the media were saying this, they were completely wrong, it was actually this". I imagine any public figure has probably wanted to do that, even if Harry's costs were quite pricey here.

The parts with Meghan start out all right, but get icky fast. (Art mirroring life.). For the degree more sympathy I feel for Harry from the first two parts, I'm still not sure I believe him as a reliable narrator and I do notice places he seems to be contradicting himself throughout (exhibit A: they had to share that bedroom at Balmoral; William had the bigger half.... but William wasn't in the room when Charles told him about Diana.....and Harry makes no point at all of William being told first. Huh??), and I would say it's very easy to believe Meghan edited the places she appears and anything having to do with her. With cake frosting and sprinkles.

Subject to change if and when I actually finish, but that's my take so far.

This was another point I meant to raise. I actually rewound it, thinking that I must have heard wrong when the inconsistency came up. I thought it odd that they’d have been told separately so don’t know what to believe with regards to August 1997. Didn’t he also suggest they were having a great time with Diana and Dodi (I had thought the princes’ opinion of the holiday to be quite the opposite prior.) He also says Diana had bought him an X Box in Paris before her death, but they didn’t come out until 2001.

I think it was around the 60% mark that I felt it was going downhill, with the final part featuring Meghan starting at about 66%. It became a bit I’ve started so I’ll finish, and I did fall asleep with it on a few times. I think the audiobook said I’d been listening for 3 days when it’s actually ~16 hours long.

 

[Somebody]

From the book (he describes Balmoral as paradise).


The nursery must have had a dividing wall between the two halves because a few paragraphs later he describes being told his mother had died and that William had already been told "in the other room".

He is clearly lying that he didn't care - if he didn't, it wouldn't be in the book.

And I guess I should take this up with my parents as although I was the eldest, when my sister and I shared a room, her half had both the window and the wash basin...

 

[HighGoalHighDreams]

what are you talking about? It did happen. You can see it on film, where Harry puts his hand out to Charles who holds it....

Denville, did you read this passage of the book? Harry makes very specific reference to being taken to do a walkabout on the day of Diana’s death, which is where the story about the hand holding comes from.

Perhaps my recollection varied, but he was not made to do a walk about that day.

 

[noc]

Reading through some of these comments makes me think that perhaps, I chose well in not indulging in this reading. I understand that Harry wants to break apart from the family but some of these excerpts, paint him in a negative light. Again, as some commented it seems he has no idea as to the realities some families face. Especially now when Brexit has ruined the UK economically and the people are striking in the largest walkout in 12 years. On the other hand, who can blame him for trying to set the record straight given the numerous tabloid reports?

 

[Prinsara]

Also, the third/final part is titled "Captain of My Soul" (not "Master of my Fate". Guess he's not, still). And all I can think is..."is Meghan". (???)

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

Whats next..... Spare ...the Movie... a Hollywood Blockbuster !


Is there a red headed actor out there ready to take on the role ?

Oh my, please spare us (pun intended)

 

[FigTree]

Denville, did you read this passage of the book? Harry makes very specific reference to being taken to do a walkabout on the day of Diana’s death, which is where the story about the hand holding comes from.

Perhaps my recollection varied, but he was not made to do a walk about that day.

They came out of Balmoral gates to look at flowers. When I don't know. Possibly not the day itself but maybe was. Can't remember.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

He is clearly lying that he didn't care - if he didn't, it wouldn't be in the book.

And I guess I should take this up with my parents as although I was the eldest, when my sister and I shared a room, her half had both the window and the wash basin...

You really should - that wasn’t fair to you! EVERYONE knows that the eldest sibling gets the best room - or the best half of the room. ? Thus speaks the older sister she got the window???

 

[Denville]

Denville, did you read this passage of the book? Harry makes very specific reference to being taken to do a walkabout on the day of Diana’s death, which is where the story about the hand holding comes from.

Perhaps my recollection varied, but he was not made to do a walk about that day.

it was not a walkabout, but they did get out of the car and walked around and looked at the flowers, I dont think it was the day of Diana's death as Charles was in Paris later that day, but it was perhaps the day after. He did hold Charles' hand....

 

[HighGoalHighDreams]

They came out of Balmoral gates to look at flowers. When I don't know. Possibly not the day itself but maybe was. Can't remember.

It wasn’t, and that’s also not what Harry recalls (it is what actually happened, though- them coming out of Balmoral, that is).

He recalls that after the church service, on the day of her death, they were told they had to stop before returning to (inside) Balmoral to do the walk about. It’s actually it’s own little chapter, this drive back from church where they stop to look at flowers. Again, this is not what happened.

It’s similar to his recollection of The Queen Mother’s death- he has the events wrong.

I suppose you could ask why it really matters, except it goes to show both that his recollection of major events is skewed and that this book was not subject to even the most basic of fact checking.

Personally I don’t think either of those things is true. I think certain things were presented the way they were because they were more sympathetic in his retelling. Even the most basic royal watchers who followed the family in 1997 and 2002 know Harry’s recollections were wrong here, but they are retold, just ever so slightly skewed, to make him look more sympathetic, yet close enough to what actually happened to claim that he misremembered and so that most people wouldn’t notice.

And it should make people wonder about everything else in the book, and what liberties he is taking in telling “his version” of events from behind closed doors.

 

[Denville]

Im not sure when it was, but it is a fact that the car stopped at the gates of Balmoral for them to look at the flowers, the royals did not as far as i can remember talk to the public, but they did stop and look at flowers and Harry did hold out his hand to his father who held it. so Im not sure what you are arguing about. It wasn't a walkabout, in the sense of talking to the people, but there was a stop, the day after Diana died or perhaps a day or 2 later, for them to look at the flowers and it is at that time that Charles and Harry did hold hands and its on tv.

 

[Alison H]

I think it matters quite a lot when it claims to be a factual book. How can it be taken seriously when some things have been proven to be untrue?

Rupert Everett claims that he knows the identity of the mystery older woman in the loss of virginity/bottom spanking chapter, and that what Harry says is inaccurate, but I don't know how he can say that unless he was hiding behind a bush and watching.

 

[Denville]

I think it matters quite a lot when it claims to be a factual book. How can it be taken seriously when some things have been proven to be untrue?

Rupert Everett claims that he knows the identity of the mystery older woman in the loss of virginity/bottom spanking chapter, and that what Harry says is inaccurate, but I don't know how he can say that unless he was hiding behind a bush and watching.

why would you believe Rupert Everett?

 

[Mbruno]

I think it matters quite a lot when it claims to be a factual book. How can it be taken seriously when some things have been proven to be untrue?

Rupert Everett claims that he knows the identity of the mystery older woman in the loss of virginity/bottom spanking chapter, and that what Harry says is inaccurate, but I don't know how he can say that unless he was hiding behind a bush and watching.

My understanding is that the woman in question told Rupert Everett the details of her encounter with Prince Harry and that her story doesn't match Harry's. If that is the case, however, it is impossible to say whose version is the accurate one. From what I read though, Rupert Everett seems pretty sure that Harry's account of the facts is incorrect.

 

[BritishRoyalist]

The part about the Xbox was baffling and didn't make sense. The two common/popular Video Game Consoles at the time were Playstation and Nintendo. The Xbox did not come out until 2001.

I think Harry meant one of the other two (Playstation or Nintendo) and called it an Xbox which can be a generic term for all video consoles. So it is not correct to call them all that either way. There was a new version of PlayStation that came out in 1995 and a new version of Nintendo that came out in 1997. I believe Prince William had a Playstation at one point but don't know when he had it.

It also doesn't make sense why Diana would buy either in Paris to bring back as a birthday gift when she could have bought it in London somewhere. If she bought it in Paris it would have been in French language and codes. I doubt she would buy something like that in Paris.

It is more likely Diana's sister went out and got it for her (as it would have been difficult or Diana to do it herself) to give to Harry as a present before Diana left for her holiday.

 

[Denville]

My understanding is that the woman in question told Rupert Everett the details of her encounter with Prince Harry and that her story doesn't match Harry's. If that is the case, however, it is impossible to say whose version is the accurate one. From what I read though, Rupert Everett seems pretty sure that Harry's account of the facts is incorrect.

And of course Rupert would know all this would he? What nonsense he goes on iwht.

 

[HighGoalHighDreams]

Im not sure when it was, but it is a fact that the car stopped at the gates of Balmoral for them to look at the flowers, the royals did not as far as i can remember talk to the public, but they did stop and look at flowers and Harry did hold out his hand to his father who held it. so Im not sure what you are arguing about. It wasn't a walkabout, in the sense of talking to the people, but there was a stop, the day after Diana died or perhaps a day or 2 later, for them to look at the flowers and it is at that time that Charles and Harry did hold hands and its on tv.

I guess I’m not being clear, for which I apologize. I made a flippant comment to our fellow poster Curryong that Harry’s description of getting out of the car on the way home from church on the day of his mother’s death to look at flowers was yet another detailed description of an event that never happened (at least in the way he recalls).

I was poking sarcastic fun at the fact that, as he did throughout the book, Harry “recalled” an event in great detail in a way in which it simply did not happen. Harry did not pull over on the way home from church on the day his mother died to look at flowers, talk to the public, or hold Charles’ hand.

He is conflating the day she died with an event some days later, in which he, his brother, and father came out of Balmoral to greet the public and the famous image was taken of him, in what I’ve always thought was an endearing and heartbreaking manner, instinctively reaching for Charles’ hand.

The jab here is that Harry “recalls” in astounding detail and provides biting commentary and assigns blames for factual and historical events that simply did not happen the way he tells them.

I’ve since gone on to say that it makes one wonder what other events and conversations he is conflating or tweaking if he is doing so with events that are so well known and can be easily disproven.

Others obviously disagree with me, but I consider it a pretty big deal if the writer of an autobiography takes the liberty to move events around and ascribe them to other actors as he has done on several noteworthy occasions, yet asks the reader to take his word on events that happened behind closed doors. It’s all of course my opinion only.