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

[Nico]

Omid Scobie's article on 'Spare':
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/harry-boo...-charles-footsteps-omid-scobie-115905887.html

What to expect from the official mouthpiece who's laughing all the way to the Bank ?

I mean really ?

Scobie is very much a part of the problem from the very start.

 

[_Heather_]

I wonder if someone else he respects (and of course I don’t know who that may be) could help him see that he needs to put an end to this. A therapist he used to see? One of Diana’s sisters? Someone like Zara or Peter? I just don’t know but perhaps someone besides his wife has his ear.

I genuinely don't believe this is possible because I honestly don't think there's anyone that he has any respect for left apart from Meghan. Though I fully agree with the sentiment that it's much needed.

What I have concluded, and it is just my opinion, is that Harry (and Meghan) are having a very public temper tantrum that has lasted for 3 years. They are stomping their feet and screaming their heads off like two 4-year old children because they did not get their way. Queen Elizabeth said "no" to their HIHO plan. They wanted their cake and to eat it too, and she said "no". Harry, nor Meghan, likes being told "no". Well, most people don't, but by the time we are their age, we have matured enough to accept "no" as an answer. Harry and Meghan have not, for whatever reason. Harry is also someone who cannot be reasoned with because in his mind, he is always right. When Tom Bradby asked him about the hypocrisy of revealing personal information about others, he says that his family has been briefing the press. Harry will always have an excuse for why he is right and everyone else is wrong. I believe Harry and Meghan think at some point they will push far enough that they will manage to get a response from the Royal Family. I hope the Royal Family remains silent.

I agree. And I fully expect them to remain silent because they can see, just like we all can, just how badly this is coming off for Harry.

Kate ‘reluctantly’ lent Meghan her lip gloss in ‘awkward moment’: Harry

Maybe it's just me because I'm Asian (I'll wear mask without being told when I have cold), but in this case I can understand Catherine's reluctance. I may share lotion or sunscreen with my friend, but lip gloss? I don't think so. Especially with someone I don't live with. A bit unhygienic for me, but that's just me.

This is gross. Expecting Catherine to share personal beauty products? Ew. Lotion, sunscreen, maybe even nail polish, sure. Lip gloss? Not a chance.

I wouldn’t either. It’s not an American thing to this American. I’m getting tired of everything being explained as an American thing. Not so much.

Same. All of these things that she chalks up to "being an American" are not "American things" they're "Meghan things" and I'm really, really tired of that being her reasoning and excuse.

PS. Keeping mementoes from a deceased relative is only natural imo, and the keeping of a lock of hair is an old tradition, so i don't think we should scold him for that...no matter what we think of all the other stuff he does or doesn't do

Agreed. There's a lot to fault Harry for but this isn't one of them. I'm not entirely sure that I'd keep it on my bedside table but the fact that he's kept a lock of his mother's hair is not even remotely strange for me and certainly isn't something to fault him for.

While I agree that he does have increased influence over decisions made to determine the future of the BRF, his brother's wedding doesn't appear to me to be one of them. However his grandmother and father who were either contributing the necessary funds or granting permission to use the sites at Windsor Castle definitely would be major decision makers.

Agreed that William certainly has increased influence and has for a number of years now. However, this story in particular has made me wonder if, in fact, the rumors of changes made to the book after the Queen's death are true. It seems to me that there's a number of instances in which he goes after William or attributes to William an action, like this one, that would make much more sense to have come from Charles. I wonder if he might have gone through after her death and substituted William for Charles as a way to keep the story in the book but not directly attack the new King.

 

[Granada]

Another point that Harry made in the Book that got my attention was when they visited William and Kate's home at Kensington Palace together for the first time, after getting married.
Harry says that Meghan kept walking around murmuring "Wow" at the sight of gorgeous antiques and stunning Art work in William and Kates home.
Then complains that He and Meghan basically had to MAKE DO with IKEA furniture they bought using Meghan's Credit Card. Didn't Harry have a credit card ? Couldn't they afford something more up market than IKEA ?
Again, his story....his words.

Harry WAS a multi millionare, even back then. If he's trying to get sympathy for that ridiculous statement, that is a big fail.They were living temporarily in Nottingham Cottage, with the expectation that they would be moving to grander accommodations. That, then of course would have been appropriately furnished.

I think its just another dig at William and Kate, and their supposedly lavish lifestyle. Who by that time, had been married for over 7 years anyway.

FYI, from media reports I'm seeing and reading about here in The States, this Book is being slammed and Harry absolutely being taken to the woodshed over it.
ALL across the board too......

 

[Moran]

Didn't we get told over and over that Meghan was a millionaire? The only self-made millionaire in the RF? I remember seeing some pictures from her defuncted blog, the Tig, where she proudly posed with some 12857346 pairs of shoes. She who invests her millions in shoes has no place to complain that she doesn't possess art works.

And the IKEA thing was ridiculous. I'm far from millionaire but I'm planning to renovate my flat - with something a bit more expensive than IKEA. These two millionaires couldn't? I hear the sound of the world's tinies violin here.

 

[Marengo]

If these excerpts are all legit, it makes me wonder if Meghan read this and thought she truly is magical and sings like Snow White.

Wasn't it Ariel the mermaid who was singing to the seals? It is beyond odd to me, but then I am not a very sprititual person so I understand that for some such experiences will feel very real.

--
What I do not understand is that they accuse the palace of twisting and leaking negative stories. They accused William of it. And at the same time the duke now writes that William believed the negative stories in the press. So what this would entail is that William first makes up these stories. Then they get leaked to the press. And once they are printed William starts to believe that these made-up stories are true? This does not make any sense.

Another surprising angle is that if the relationship between the couples was already bad during the wedding preparations and afterwards. Why is it so? The jealousy supposedly only started after the Australian tour, where Meghan's Diana-like appeal supposedly became evident. Perhaps he will elaborate more on that in the interviews and in the book itself, but do not think I have seen any explanation for it yet.

As with the Netflix show, the Oprah interview etc, it seems nothing is ever their own fault. And by the amount of times his relatives are apologising to him in the book one wonders what there is left to apologise for.

It will be interesting to read when William stops answering to his text messages in the book. In the Netflix show they gave the impression that he was still sending them text messages. As the Duke has no qualms in sharing many details and private conversations with his father and his brother we can only expect that the content of that supposedly shocking text message will be shared too.

And the IKEA thing was ridiculous. I'm far from millionaire but I'm planning to renovate my flat - with something a bit more expensive than IKEA. These two millionaires couldn't? I hear the sound of the world's tinies violin here.

I imagine they were able to decorate Frogmore cottage with other things then IKEA furniture. Not that I mind furniture from that brand, I had a lot of it when I was a student. Complaining about not having wallnut bookshelves does not make the story very relatable. Especially as he also confessed he has only liked one book and its main attractionw as that it was very short.

Didn't William and Kate also start out in Nottingham Cottage btw?

 

[SirGyamfi1]

What to expect from the official mouthpiece who's laughing all the way to the Bank ?

I mean really ?

Scobie is very much a part of the problem from the very start.

And Carolyn Durand who hardly speaks. Scoobie is just a messy boots little pet who thrives on the scraps of his masters and instigating trolls on Twitter for the Sussexes. Somehow he has been able to contribute to Harpers bazaar, vanity fair and yahoo news? He’s truly risen to heights as their little lapdog

 

[TLLK]

Another point that Harry made in the Book that got my attention was when they visited William and Kate's home at Kensington Palace together for the first time, after getting married.
Harry says that Meghan kept walking around murmuring "Wow" at the sight of gorgeous antiques and stunning Art work in William and Kates home.
Then complains that He and Meghan basically had to MAKE DO with IKEA furniture they bought using Meghan's Credit Card. Didn't Harry have a credit card ? Couldn't they afford something more up market than IKEA ?
Again, his story....his words.

Harry WAS a multi millionare, even back then. If he's trying to get sympathy for that ridiculous statement, that is a big fail.They were living temporarily in Nottingham Cottage, with the expectation that they would be moving to grander accommodations. That, then of course would have been appropriately furnished.

I think its just another dig at William and Kate, and their supposedly lavish lifestyle. Who by that time, had been married for over 7 years anyway.

FYI, from media reports I'm seeing and reading about here in The States, this Book is being slammed and Harry absolutely being taken to the woodshed over it.
ALL across the board too......

Since Meghan and Harry knew that Nottingham Cottage was just going to be temporary, I can understand why they'd go with something that wasn't too expensive. Also Ikea has more furniture options for homes that are small and compact like NC. Harry appears to want to gloss over the fact that the Wales managed to live in NC as their London base until Apartment 1A was ready for them to move in to.

 

[Clematis]

I can't believe Harry wrote this kind of book... how he can't see how bad it reflects on him (and Meghan) is beyond me.

He comes off as a dramatically childish and immature person, to say the least, and it makes me think he should ask for some help to overcome his obsessions and start realizing he needs to take responsability of his own actions instead of always blaming others for what happens to him.

Here is a middle aged man saying he talks to his dead mother via medium, his wife sings to seals and they sing back to her - oh, how magic! - narrating his first sexual experience including tacky and cringy details, violating other people's privacy, making accusations knowing the accused will never be able to reply and so on.

Worst of all, doing it for money. How hypocritical is it to throw the BRF under the bus when it is thanks to this institution that he and his wife can afford their luxurious lifestyle? Would they ever have landed multi-million deals with Netflix had they been Mr. and Mrs. Nobody? Would they live in such a mansion, appear on tv shows, receive awards of any kind?

They seem to loathe everything connected with the "Firm" but, at the same time, have not proven - so far - to be able to make a living without it.
If I remember correctly, Harry had said that his father and brother were "trapped" in their roles; but I really wonder who's more trapped.

 

[SirGyamfi1]

Didn't we get told over and over that Meghan was a millionaire? The only self-made millionaire in the RF? I remember seeing some pictures from her defuncted blog, the Tig, where she proudly posed with some 12857346 pairs of shoes. She who invests her millions in shoes has no place to complain that she doesn't possess art works.

And the IKEA thing was ridiculous. I'm far from millionaire but I'm planning to renovate my flat - with something a bit more expensive than IKEA. These two millionaires couldn't? I hear the sound of the world's tinies violin here.

Yes on these forums on the Sussex thread in the early days, people were saying oh she’s a self made multi millionaire and all that. Please that girl cannot afford even six months for paying for the security personnel that they have in Montecito (it
is mainly Harry paying) for her to complain about artworks.

 

[Mbruno]

Another point that Harry made in the Book that got my attention was when they visited William and Kate's home at Kensington Palace together for the first time, after getting married.
Harry says that Meghan kept walking around murmuring "Wow" at the sight of gorgeous antiques and stunning Art work in William and Kates home.
Then complains that He and Meghan basically had to MAKE DO with IKEA furniture they bought using Meghan's Credit Card. Didn't Harry have a credit card ? Couldn't they afford something more up market than IKEA ?
Again, his story....his words.
I think its just another dig at William and Kate, and their supposedly lavish lifestyle. Who by that time, had been married for over 7 years anyway.

Aren't the artwork and antiques at William and Catherine's Kensington home part of the Royal Collection (or equivalent) like most of the furniture and decoration in the occupied Royal Palaces? I doubt they were privately owned by the Cambridges, but Meghan didn't seem to understand that. It doesn't look good on her either that Harry is openly portraying her in this episode as a low-class, jealous gold digger (sorry, but that is how the wording comes across to me out of context).

 

[Denville]

Yes on these forums on the Sussex thread in the early days, people were saying oh she’s a self made multi millionaire and all that. Please that girl cannot afford even six months for paying for the security personnel that they have in Montecito (it
is mainly Harry paying) for her to complain about artworks.

If she was a self made multi mllionaire how come she never seems to have bought herself a litlte house in her acting days

 

[SirGyamfi1]

From Omid’s worthless yahoo article, part of the book reveals that Charles used to workout in his underwear please why? What nonsense. Harry has diarrhea of the mouth and so does his pet from the pound, Omid.

 

[Moran]

I imagine they were able to decorate Frogmore cottage with other things then IKEA furniture. Not that I mind furniture from that brand, I had a lot of it when I was a student. Complaining about not having wallnut bookshelves does not make the story very relatable. Especially as he also confessed he has only liked one book and its main attractionw as that it was very short.

Didn't William and Kate also start out in Nottingham Cottage btw?

They did. But by the sound of it, Harry and Meghan were stuck in Cinderella's
hearth forever. Else, there's no point in explaining Meghan's childlike wonder (I suppose that's the effect they wanted, innocence and veiled accusation that the wicked stepbrother had it all) and the comparison to their own temporary situation.

The way he's telling it reminds me of my first year at the university. I had a wardrobe, a couch that could be turned into a bed and a few old newspapers to place my books on. Also, I had two chairs. That was it. Money was tight and I didn't make it to a table. I wrote on one chair, sitting on the couch. This certainly wasn't Harry's lifestyle but he sounds a lot more bitter than I was! And yes, my brother had a whole room to himself. He was a child still living with our parents. Different circumstances. But none of us was sitting on millions.

Nott Cot was a good compromise for a starting family. I thought Harry and Meghan thought so because they stayed there when they could have easily afford to move somewhere more suitable for their aesthetic senses.

 

[Erin9]

I genuinely don't believe this is possible because I honestly don't think there's anyone that he has any respect for left apart from Meghan. Though I fully agree with the sentiment that it's much needed.







I agree. And I fully expect them to remain silent because they can see, just like we all can, just how badly this is coming off for Harry.







Agreed. There's a lot to fault Harry for but this isn't one of them. I'm not entirely sure that I'd keep it on my bedside table but the fact that he's kept a lock of his mother's hair is not even remotely strange for me and certainly isn't something to fault him for.







Agreed that William certainly has increased influence and has for a number of years now. However, this story in particular has made me wonder if, in fact, the rumors of changes made to the book after the Queen's death are true. It seems to me that there's a number of instances in which he goes after William or attributes to William an action, like this one, that would make much more sense to have come from Charles. I wonder if he might have gone through after her death and substituted William for Charles as a way to keep the story in the book but not directly attack the new King.

IA- that the decisions he seems to be attributing solely to William don’t make sense. Part of it may be him trying to emphasize his “spare” role too though.

Interesting- a lot of commentators/royal watchers recently have suggested part of the problem was that Harry was treated TOO equally to William. That sure doesn’t ever appear to be Harry’s take. At least not now. Or in the book he’s selling. (Though Harry does say in the book he thought early on the 2 couples could be essentially equals working together.)

Charles is taking some hits in this book. And Harry stepped way over the line in some of the stories he opted to tell imo. I’m sure there’s more that hasn’t really been discussed yet.

But- if he edited the book to be nicer: less hurtful- he could have taken some other stories out. Like Charles carrying a teddy bear. I think there’s a story in there about Charles making cracks about whether or not he was Philip’s son or Harry was his. The nastiness about Charles and money. A lot of the spare stuff. Maybe- even if he wanted to- he couldn’t take it all out though- it was too late.

Agreed. There are some Diana stories that seem, well, a cause for concern. But keeping a lock of hair isn’t unusual. (Yeah- maybe the placement.)

The person I’m sure he trusts/respects is Meghan. Beyond that- hard to say who is left.

The BRF absolutely don’t need to say anything. Everyone can see this book for what it is. Except- I guess- Scobie. Haven’t read his take, but I can guess.

 

[Claire]

Aren't the artwork and antiques at William and Catherine's Kensington home part of the Royal Collection (or equivalent) like most of the furniture and decoration in the occupied Royal Palaces? I doubt they were privately owned ny the Cambridges, but Meghan didn't seem to understand that. It doesn't look good on her either that Harry is openly portraying her in this episode as a low-class, jealous gold digger (sorry, but that is how the wording comes across to me out of context).

Some of it is - and yes. William and Kate would have been able to loan these as their K office is also used for work. There is a lot of furniture ect stuff piled into a lot of the unused houses on the Windsor estate - you can easily furnish a house at no expense. However I would say most of it is old and not to everyone's taste. Especially if you are going for a decorator inspired look. Also the good stuff is already taken but it is servable. So Harry and Meghan could easily have taken items out of storage.

 

[Granada]

TLLK,
Yes, I understand what you are saying, but my point is why DID Harry feel the need to even elaborate ?
Why did that particular story make it into the Book ?
Because it passively-aggressively calls attention to William and Kate's lifestyle in a time of economic pain for many.
Second, I still found it odd that a UBER rich couple would put out that they were basically economizing by buying lower end IKEA furniture, and Harry made sure to mention that they used Meghan Credit Card.

There are lots of better quality furniture designed for small spaces too. Especially in London where they were based.
Although I have to laugh picturing Harry putting the furniture together, *if* in fact any of this is true.

 

[_Heather_]

Oh my. I've just read the excerpt containing the details of Meghan's first Trooping the Colour experience. It appears that she simply doesn't know when to stop with the "quips" and struggles to "read the room" and the atmosphere. Harry writes that the mood was lively until Catherine asked Meghan what she'd thought of the first parade of regimental colors and Meghan quipped "colorful." He states that the silence was deafening. It certainly sounds to me from this story that she must have said "colorful" in a snarky or sarcastic tone and didn't seem to grasp the importance of such displays and traditions. I don't think it's at all a stretch to say that she likely didn't understand what was going on or why it was so important or even what she was supposed to be enjoying about it but when everyone around you clearly does grasp this and someone politely inquires what you thought of it the appropriate response would be something along the lines of "it was lovely" or even "I'm not entirely sure I understand the significance of the colors/flags/emblems (whatever the case may be) but I'd love to learn more about it" or even a polite "it was all very interesting, I'd love to know the history behind it." A snide and snarky "colorful" just seems so entirely rude and out of place.

 

[SirGyamfi1]

If she was a self made multi mllionaire how come she never seems to have bought herself a litlte house in her acting days

You can ask that again. The house that she lived in with her ex-husband was sold years ago because they separated and divorced, and I’m sure she got some of the proceeds when they divorced. Plus when suits moved to Toronto for filming due to budget costs, I think the production decided to rent out a home for her or she rented a home there. What I will say is that California is an expensive state so maybe at the time of her tenure on suits her coins weren’t enough or she just didn’t have enough time to get her own house or there was a particular house she wanted but couldn’t afford

 

[Denville]

if she had some capital she could have bought a house somewhere in LA, perhaps near her mother, and rented it out to pay the mortgage but from what i gather, she never had a place of her own.

 

[Erin9]

TLLK,
Yes, I understand what you are saying, but my point is why DID Harry feel the need to even elaborate ?
Why did that particular story make it into the Book ?
Because it passively-aggressively calls attention to William and Kate's lifestyle in a time of economic pain for many.
Second, I still found it odd that a UBER rich couple would put out that they were basically economizing by buying lower end IKEA furniture, and Harry made sure to mention that they used Meghan Credit Card.

There are lots of better quality furniture designed for small spaces too. Especially in London where they were based.
Although I have to laugh picturing Harry putting the furniture together, *if* in fact any of this is true.

The part about them using Meghan’s credit card to buy (not expensive) stuff makes it sound like neither one of them had any money. We absolutely know that’s not the case.

It seems like he’s trying to scream out how much better William and Catherine were treated compare to him and Meghan. But- the extent he is taking it doesn’t make sense.

 

[suztav]

I just read an excerpt about how he doesn't remember his brother's wedding, and that he lost his brother that day.

Well ... no sh-t! Didn't you realize that your brother would be starting a new life w/a wife?

Talk about overly dramatic!

Get a life, buddy!

 

[US Royal Watcher]

--
What I do not understand is that they accuse the palace of twisting and leaking negative stories. They accused William of it. And at the same time the duke now writes that William believed the negative stories in the press. So what this would entail is that William first makes up these stories. Then they get leaked to the press. And once they are printed William starts to believe that these made-up stories are true? This does not make any sense.

The only thing that would make sense is that Harry took William's comments supposedly mirroring the criticism in the media as confirmation that William was the one who was leaking the negative stories in the first place.

As with the Netflix show, the Oprah interview etc, it seems nothing is ever their own fault. And by the amount of times his relatives are apologising to him in the book one wonders what there is left to apologise for.

But the family isn't acknowledging that he should be the heir, so the apologies don't count.

I imagine they were able to decorate Frogmore cottage with other things then IKEA furniture. Not that I mind furniture from that brand, I had a lot of it when I was a student. Complaining about not having wallnut bookshelves does not make the story very relatable. Especially as he also confessed he has only liked one book and its main attractionw as that it was very short.

Didn't William and Kate also start out in Nottingham Cottage btw?

Harry inherited millions from his mother and his father gave him hundreds of thousands of dollars a year when Harry had no housing expenses. Why in the world did he need to use Meghan's credit card?

 

[Mbruno]

TLLK,
Yes, I understand what you are saying, but my point is why DID Harry feel the need to even elaborate ?
Why did that particular story make it into the Book ?
Because it passively-aggressively calls attention to William and Kate's lifestyle in a time of economic pain for many.

If that is the case, I don't think it will resonate with many people, except those who are already left-wing republicans/ socialists and against the monarchy in principle anyway. It is the private apartment of a likely future King within an occupied royal palace. It is expected to be furnished then with antiques and artwork, most of which are probably state-owned (or, in British legal terminology, "held in Trust by the Crown").

In my opinion, what this particular excerpt really does is to prove that Meghan was shocked to learn that she wasn't going to live in a castle with hundreds of servants to attend to her needs as she imagined that princesses do. And that she and Harry thought that they were not being treated fairly compared to William and Kate and were moaning about it. Even Frogmore Cottage, which was a major upgrade over Nottingham Cottage, wasn't apparently up to Meghan's standards. Of course, we now know that she wanted a home like the one she now has in California.

Others may have a different opinion, but I don't see how this narrative can be construed as positive for Harry and Meghan. The ones who come across as having a sense of entitlement and being insensitive to other people's struggles and socioeconomic hardship are the Sussexes, not William and Kate.

 

[Lilyflo]

Stating that William's home was luxurious while they bought IKEA furniture on Meghan's credit card is pathetic. If they'd waited, they could have had the huge KP apartment next door to William and been loaned items from the Royal Collection. Harry also had a personal fortune so they could have furnished it entirely to their taste. Harry has embarrassed himself more in this book than any Tabloid could ever have done.

 

[Moran]

Someone didn't teach Meghan about Trooping the Colour. Must be the same person who left her to fight the lyrics of God Save the Queen on her own.

I know it's always someone else's fault with these two but Meghan did say she only relied on Harry to guide her. Then again - she has a faulty memory so she might have relied on someone who failed her and she forgot about it.

She doesn't look the type to forget any perceived injustice done to her but with all her "I'm just a laid back American"s, she might well be unaware that her behavior isn't A-okay.

 

[US Royal Watcher]

If she was a self made multi mllionaire how come she never seems to have bought herself a litlte house in her acting days

And why did she have to buy a sofa from IKEA on credit? This does not bode well for their future financial stability.

 

[Denville]

I just read an excerpt about how he doesn't remember his brother's wedding, and that he lost his brother that day.

Well ... no sh-t! Didn't you realize that your brother would be starting a new life w/a wife?

Talk about overly dramatic!

Get a life, buddy!

why does he not remember his brothers wedding? Shall I guess?

 

[Denville]

And why did she have to buy a sofa from IKEA on credit? This does not bode well for their future financial stability.

I buy most of my things on credit cards. I think royals do that, they have a credit card in thier royal name and the bills are settled every month. But Meg would have had a card in the name of the Duchess of Sussex and either Charles or thier own financal manager would have settled the bill.

 

[mary mary]

After all the new quotes 'leaking' it still feels like a big hoax just to be able to show how 'the media' just baits at anything dangling before them to make H&M look bad.

If the quotes indeed are in the book, Harry for me has just confirmed loads of 'media articles' that i thought of as 'the british media being mean to them' and always dismissed them as untrue. What 'negative' media stories are left that haven't proven to be true by now by H&M or their helpers?..

...

PS. Keeping mementoes from a deceased relative is only natural imo, and the keeping of a lock of hair is an old tradition, so i don't think we should scold him for that...no matter what we think of all the other stuff he does or doesn't do

I agree with all of this. I have long since stopped finding Harry & Meghan likeable and found certain faults with them, but I didn't believe the worst of them and do think they were treated poorly and were genuinely really hurting.

But if these excerpts are legitimate then I have really lost basically all respect for Harry. So I still somehow feel like this is a joke or hoax, not least because it's so embarrassing.

 

[Claire]

Publishers promised the “raw, unflinching” book would be “full of insight, revelation, self-examination and hard-won wisdom”

If this is the real book - people will be able to sue for false advertising.