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

[Mbruno]

The more I hear about Tiara-gate, the more I think it was a fuss over the Greville Emerald kokoshnik.

It sounds like Meghan was originally going to wear the Spencer tiara, which belongs to Charles Spencer who would be more than happy to lend it. Meghan wearing the Spencer tiara instead of one from the Royal Collection would be a spit in the eye to the BRF since it would be more traditional for her to wear one belonging to the royal side of Harry's family, as opposed to his mother's family. Lord Spencer despises the BRF, and Harry's bride choosing the Spencer tiara over one from the royal vault would tickle him pink.

I am sure Lord Spencer is loyal to Crown like his ancestors before him. He was among the select group of people who attended the Queen's committal service at St George's Chapel.

 

[Magnolia471]

I think that for some details in the book he had several things in his mind when he decided to go public.

Talking about his nether parts, peeing, drugs, other intimate details :
- Not only is he still Harry the lad (remember, Harry the lad didn't do this to his family back then), but that he has evolved into lad 2.0., thanks to his ever perfect wife.
- If he talks so openly about something so private, of course everything he says is the absolute and only truth. How can now anyone doubt it?

Talking about Afghanistan:
- He is a hero, not just an ordinary soldier. How did the late Queen dare to strip him of his honorary military titles? She was obviously manipulated and brainwashed. And what about banning him from official wreath laying ceremonies? Not letting him wear his former uniforms?
- William the heir never served in Afghanistan, but the spare did (and killed 25 enemies for his country while the heir killed nobody). Oh the irony.

But the problem is - how come none of us sees the truth? We too were most likely manipulated and brainwashed by the palace, William and Kate

Harry served in Afghanistan few months in 2013 but William was an air ambulance pilot for almost 2 years. Why is this never mentioned? And no one gives him any credit? They both had military training, William could never have been sent to war zones, as the heir, even if he wanted to and Harry knows it. I don't understand why Harry has to have such a passive aggressive attitude towards his brother. He was allowed to be departure to Afghanistan just because he was "the Spare" instead of a knowledge that he is using it against hus brother.

 

[Denville]

any evidence that Charles Spencer despises the RF or that the Spencer tiara was considered?

 

[US Royal Watcher]

I think the only thing left is Meghan’s memoir. I shudder to think of it, should it happen.

...

I can't see publishers paying $20 million for Meghan's memoir. What is left for her to say. Harry has addressed all the stories that people are interested in. The only possibility that only possible way that she can write a truly profitable book is if her breaks up. There is no sign of that happening and I hope it doesn't.

 

[kimebear]

I am sure Lord Spencer is loyal to Crown like his ancestors before him. He was among the select group of people who attended the Queen's committal service at St George's Chapel.

Lord Spencer was the Queen's godson, so it wasn't surprising that he was there. Also, his position, both as peer and relation to the future King of England means that he will always be in the select group of people amongst the royals. But he hasn't been shy about his feelings for them in the past regarding their treatment of Diana. Which is kind of ironic considering that he and Diana didn't always get on well either.

any evidence that Charles Spencer despises the RF or that the Spencer tiara was considered?

After the scathing speech he gave at Diana's funeral, he was frozen out of the royal inner circle for some time.

 

[Denville]

Harry served in Afghanistan few months in 2013 but William was an air ambulance pilot for almost 2 years. Why is this never mentioned? And no one gives him any credit? They both had military training, William could never have been sent to war zones, as the heir, even if he wanted to and Harry knows it. I don't understand why Harry has to have such a passive aggressive attitude towards his brother. He was allowed to be departure to Afghanistan just because he was "the Spare" instead of a knowledge that he is using it against hus brother.

Its pretty obvious that there is real bad feelng now between the 2 brothers, I think that William IS angry with Harry and I think that Harry has built up a hostility and resentment towards his brother for a long time now.. but I think you could see when reporters asked WIlliam if the RF was a racist family, that W was angry with his brother for insinutating that they were.

 

[Mbruno]

Harry served in Afghanistan few months in 2013 but William was an air ambulance pilot for almost 2 years. Why is this never mentioned? And no one gives him any credit? They both had military training, William could never have been sent to war zones, as the heir, even if he wanted to and Harry knows it. I don't understand why Harry has to have such a passive aggressive attitude towards his brother. He was allowed to be departure to Afghanistan just because he was "the Spare" instead of a knowledge that he is using it against hus brother.

The same with Andrew, who was allowed to serve in the Falklands War because he was the spare at the time.

 

[Alison H]

Talking about toilets and nether regions can seem hilarious when you're about 12. When it's coming from someone in their late 30s, it's just cringeworthy.

The Telegraph's suggested that Harry should have been denied US residency if he was honest about having used drugs in the past. I'm not familiar with Californian law so I don't know whether or not that's true, but they're quoting a lawyer so I'm assuming it is.

 

[Hallo girl]

So this is the man he has become.

 

[US Royal Watcher]

The more I hear about Tiara-gate, the more I think it was a fuss over the Greville Emerald kokoshnik.

It sounds like Meghan was originally going to wear the Spencer tiara, which belongs to Charles Spencer who would be more than happy to lend it. Meghan wearing the Spencer tiara instead of one from the Royal Collection would be a spit in the eye to the BRF since it would be more traditional for her to wear one belonging to the royal side of Harry's family, as opposed to his mother's family. Lord Spencer despises the BRF, and Harry's bride choosing the Spencer tiara over one from the royal vault would tickle him pink.

At some point, the Queen made the standard offer of a royal tiara to a marrying-in bride and I think Meghan saw the Greville kokoshnik, liked the color of the emeralds as well as the idea that she'd be wearing something that had been hidden away in the vault for a while. Then someone (maybe Andrew) reminded the Queen that Eugenie had previously asked to wear it on her wedding day, and the choice was taken away from Meghan who was left rather bitter about it.

That's the only scenario that makes sense to me after all of this.

On a side note, since one of the other selections appears to have been either the horrific Aquamarine Pine Flower or the drab Aquamarine floral tiara that Sophie has worn, I would say Meghan made the smart choice in the end going with the Diamond Bandeau.

I am not sure that it would have been an insult to the Queen - Diana wore the tiara when she got married. I think the Queen made an offer to give Meghan the choice but I doubt the Queen would have been too concerned if Meghan had wanted the Spencer tiara. Personally, I think the tiara she wore at the wedding is prettier than the Spencer tiara but it is a matter of taste.

 

[TLLK]

According to The Times Royal Nikkah, the brothers' mutual friends have their own "recollections may vary" accounts when it comes to some of Prince Harry's claims in Spare. They also offer how they believe that the Prince of Wales will carry on without any response to the book's claims. Also Nikkah shares that the Wales have a joint engagement coming up next week which will be their first for 2023. The King is also returning to engagements.

Harry has a whole lot more to say, and will do so in four broadcast interviews over the coming days before his book’s official publication on Tuesday. William has made a different calculation, to let actions speak louder than words and let the job of being heir do the talking.
The Waleses will sail forth next week, resuming official duties after their Christmas break with a joint engagement. “His focus is on getting on with the job and his commitment to duty and service is unwavering,” says an aide. “We’d rather concentrate on the work we’re doing than on books or anything else that is happening.”
A friend of the royal family says: “William is tough, the family can play the long game in the way Harry and Meghan can’t. They can channel their inner Queen Elizabeth: show, don’t tell, demonstrate this is the role you’ve taken on with courage and decency. That’s a very powerful counterpoint to all this.”

https://archive.ph/4W2or

 

[Denville]

Lord Spencer was the Queen's godson, so it wasn't surprising that he was there. Also, his position, both as peer and relation to the future King of England means that he will always be in the select group of people amongst the royals. But he hasn't been shy about his feelings for them in the past regarding their treatment of Diana. Which is kind of ironic considering that he and Diana didn't always get on well either.





After the scathing speech he gave at Diana's funeral, he was frozen out of the royal inner circle for some time.

but that is the royals being chilly with him, not his despising them. He was living in S Africa for some time when Diana died and his marriage broke up then. I think that he was unhappy with them, but he himself had a difficult relationship with his sister too, and I doubt if he went on being angry with them for a long time.

 

[kimebear]

I am not sure that it would have been an insult to the Queen - Diana wore the tiara when she got married. I think the Queen made an offer to give Meghan the choice but I doubt the Queen would have been too concerned if Meghan had wanted the Spencer tiara. Personally, I think the tiara she wore at the wedding is prettier than the Spencer tiara but it is a matter of taste.

It would have been a slight, even with the idea that it would have been "in honor" of Harry's mother. It wasn't a problem for Diana to wear the Spencer tiara at her own wedding. When a bride marries into a royal or noble family and she wears a tiara, she will customarily wear one from her own family first if the family has one or, if they don't, she will then wear one from her future husband's family if it is offered.

In this case, where the bridegroom is royal, traditionally the tiara would come from the royal collection. By wearing the Spencer family tiara, it paints Meghan as marrying into the Spencer family (which she was) but custom would expect her to honor the royal family she is marrying into and not the lower ranked noble one. Gestures like this have meaning in that world and it could have given the impression that Harry and Meghan were snubbing his Windsor family in favor of the Spencers.

but that is the royals being chilly with him, not his despising them. He was living in S Africa for some time when Diana died and his marriage broke up then. I think that he was unhappy with them, but he himself had a difficult relationship with his sister too, and I doubt if he went on being angry with them for a long time.

Making that speech was a clear shot across the royal bow by Lord Spencer. You don't make public comments like that without intent and it wasn't taken lightly by anyone.

 

[Denville]

I am not sure that it would have been an insult to the Queen - Diana wore the tiara when she got married. I think the Queen made an offer to give Meghan the choice but I doubt the Queen would have been too concerned if Meghan had wanted the Spencer tiara. Personally, I think the tiara she wore at the wedding is prettier than the Spencer tiara but it is a matter of taste.

Cant see that it would be, if the Spencers were really keen on the idea of lending it. I dont know if Meghan spent any real time with Harry's Spencer family, or if they liked her or wanted her to be wearing the fmaily tiara. But if she had been offered it and wanted to wear it, I doubt if the queen would have minded. I think this story is likely Harry trying to make out that the RF were afraid of Diana and wanted to minimise her memory,

 

[kalnel]

Unfortunately he does.
(Sorry, this is Daily Mail link)

Prince Harry reveals he was taunted about Diana 'being pregnant with a Muslim baby' when she died during his military hostage training - and says instructor later apologised for going too far

For all of this supposed torture training and mental toughening, Harry strikes me as mentally and emotionally pretty fragile.

I also wonder about his combat training. With a good shove and a broken dog bowl, William sent him into several years of whimpering.

 

[ppetrica]

Harry served in Afghanistan few months in 2013 but William was an air ambulance pilot for almost 2 years. Why is this never mentioned? And no one gives him any credit? They both had military training, William could never have been sent to war zones, as the heir, even if he wanted to and Harry knows it. I don't understand why Harry has to have such a passive aggressive attitude towards his brother. He was allowed to be departure to Afghanistan just because he was "the Spare" instead of a knowledge that he is using it against hus brother.

I think the main reason he is not so harsh on Charles as he is on William is that Charles is now both the monarch and the bank.

 

[Prinsara]

https://archive.ph/4W2or

"Several friends of Harry, once loyal to him, say they are considering whether to go on the record to debunk some of his claims as “bollocks” and drop counter-bombshells of their own. “Loyalty works both ways,” warns one.

 

[akina21]

I still don't understand about wanting to wear the Spencer tiara - they have no right to it, and that has nothing to do with the Queen - it is Charles Spencer's. But he gives the impression that it is there waiting.

Harry seems to be obsessed with his mother and sees Meghan as the second coming of Diana and Meghan seems to feed that . Of course he's want the Spencer tiara for her .

 

[chelly]

Harry seems to be obsessed with his mother and sees Meghan as the second coming of Diana and Meghan seems to feed that . Of course he's want the Spencer tiara for her .

I can’t see his uncle saying no unless Harry wanted to keep it for Diana 2.0

 

[Prinsara]

Harry seems to be obsessed with his mother and sees Meghan as the second coming of Diana and Meghan seems to feed that . Of course he's want the Spencer tiara for her .

Considering neither of his aunts and I don't believe his uncle saw her that way, I'm guessing the Earl wouldn't have been very forthcoming with the tiara. Since we haven't heard either Duke or Duchess griping about being denied it, I'm guessing it was a non-issue.

The tiara was described as "all emeralds", not "an emerald". There is no way the Queen/Angela would offer something that was not available. I'm guessing maybe Meghan really did point to the Vladimir and this was to spare her feelings.

 

[Denville]

I can’t see his uncle saying no unless Harry wanted to keep it for Diana 2.0

Lord Spencer had an arguement with DIana over the tiara when they fell out.. he asked for it back. So I just dont know if it was on the cards that she would borrow it for the wedding.

 

[kimebear]

I'm guessing maybe Meghan really did point to the Vladimir and this was to spare her feelings.

The Vladimir would never have been on offer in the first place. Harry said that the Queen, Angela Kelly and a royal jeweler were all in the room during the first meeting. There's no way either the Queen or Kelly would have brought the Vladimir in for consideration. It was either the Greville or something we haven't seen before.

Lord Spencer had an arguement with DIana over the tiara when they fell out.. he asked for it back. So I just dont know if it was on the cards that she would borrow it for the wedding.

He had to ask for it back because Diana was in the habit of not returning it to him after she wore it for an event. You can't blame him for that, as it was his personal property.

 

[mybags]

I am not sure that it would have been an insult to the Queen - Diana wore the tiara when she got married. I think the Queen made an offer to give Meghan the choice but I doubt the Queen would have been too concerned if Meghan had wanted the Spencer tiara. Personally, I think the tiara she wore at the wedding is prettier than the Spencer tiara but it is a matter of taste.

I actually wish that Meghan had worn the Spencer tiara. As it is, the tiara she did wear is most likely doomed to never see the sun again. Meghan certainly won't wear it, and any other member of the BRF won't touch it because of the connotations of being seen wearing "Meghan's" tiara.

 

[Muhler]

Harry served in Afghanistan few months in 2013 but William was an air ambulance pilot for almost 2 years. Why is this never mentioned? And no one gives him any credit? They both had military training, William could never have been sent to war zones, as the heir, even if he wanted to and Harry knows it. I don't understand why Harry has to have such a passive aggressive attitude towards his brother. He was allowed to be departure to Afghanistan just because he was "the Spare" instead of a knowledge that he is using it against hus brother.

Indeed.
Without in any way belittling those who served in Afghanistan, flying an air ambulance helicopters isn't a picnic either.
It means flying under conditions that are often not ideal, in all hours and hovering and landing in precarious places.
Not to mention that some of the human wrecks that are loaded into an air ambulance sometimes don't make it. It's often not a pretty sight, there is after all reasons why an air ambulance is called.
There will have been times when William returned home and was silent...

I think that for some details in the book he had several things in his mind when he decided to go public.

Talking about his nether parts, peeing, drugs, other intimate details :
- Not only is he still Harry the lad (remember, Harry the lad didn't do this to his family back then), but that he has evolved into lad 2.0., thanks to his ever perfect wife.
- If he talks so openly about something so private, of course everything he says is the absolute and only truth. How can now anyone doubt it?

Talking about Afghanistan:
- He is a hero, not just an ordinary soldier. How did the late Queen dare to strip him of his honorary military titles? She was obviously manipulated and brainwashed. And what about banning him from official wreath laying ceremonies? Not letting him wear his former uniforms?
- William the heir never served in Afghanistan, but the spare did (and killed 25 enemies for his country while the heir killed nobody). Oh the irony.

But the problem is - how come none of us sees the truth? We too were most likely manipulated and brainwashed by the palace, William and Kate

The PR office of the BRF simply did a stellar job of covering up for Harry's shortcomings and somehow managed to sell the narrative of the likable, cheeky and a bit rebellious Harry. - I bought that story myself.
Also because a type like Harry can be very charming indeed, as long as they are liked. But some of them are also soft-boiled eggs. - A hard, but thin shell, but soft on the inside. Harry's egg has cracked and all this bitterness, immaturity, insecurity, anger and lack of empathy is oozing out.

Unfortunately he does.
(Sorry, this is Daily Mail link)

Prince Harry reveals he was taunted about Diana 'being pregnant with a Muslim baby' when she died during his military hostage training - and says instructor later apologised for going too far

That's what they do in such drills. They can't use torture, so they put them under strain, physically and mentally. That includes mocking and ridicule. Some, especially macho types, are very sensitive in regards to their penises, their sexual orientation and how potent they are - so that's an obvious one.
And slut-shaming the mother, sister, girlfriend - and today also boyfriend is standard. Once they get an angry response from you or you cry, they've got you! - When that happen, they sometimes apologize afterwards.
Officers are encouraged to go through such a course here in DK, I imagine it's the same in UK. It's supposed to be a great learning experience about yourself and your reaction doesn't go on your record.

 

[Lilyflo]

I think the Queen was very canny in offering her own tiaras to Meghan, therefore avoiding any complaints of 'Catherine was loaned one of HMQ's tiaras but Meghan wasn't'.

 

[Denville]

He had to ask for it back because Diana was in the habit of not returning it to him after she wore it for an event. You can't blame him for that, as it was his personal property.

As far as I know she had it on loan for some time as she had a lot of engagements, where she could wear it. but when they had a row over the house on the estate he asked for it back. its not really likely IMO that she was borrowing it and sending it back,

 

[Denville]

I think the Queen was very canny in offering her own tiaras to Meghan, therefore avoiding any complaints of 'Catherine was loaned one of HMQ's tiaras but Meghan wasn't'.

Of course she would have offered a tiara, as Meg did not have one of her own, and its usual to wear one at such a wedding.

 

[Lori138]

"Several friends of Harry, once loyal to him, say they are considering whether to go on the record to debunk some of his claims as “bollocks” and drop counter-bombshells of their own. “Loyalty works both ways,” warns one.

Oh I so hope they do.

 

[Lilyflo]

Of course she would have offered a tiara, as Meg did not have one of her own, and its usual to wear one at such a wedding.

According to Harry, Meghan had already been offered the Spencer tiara and I'm saying it was canny of HMQ to offer hers instead.

 

[US Royal Watcher]

Cant see that it would be, if the Spencers were really keen on the idea of lending it. I dont know if Meghan spent any real time with Harry's Spencer family, or if they liked her or wanted her to be wearing the fmaily tiara. But if she had been offered it and wanted to wear it, I doubt if the queen would have minded. I think this story is likely Harry trying to make out that the RF were afraid of Diana and wanted to minimise her memory,

I see what you are saying but even if they didn't see the parallel to Diana that Harry saw, I can't see Charles Spencer refusing to loan the tiara to Harry's bride.