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

[Saragli]

I'd like to see one or more of the staff to go on the record, and hopefully put this all to rest.

Unfortunately, unlike H and M, I believe most staff are bound by an NDA. This whole saga makes me think that once a royal becomes of age they should have to sign an NDA as well if the intention is for them to become a working royal and be funded by the BRF.

 

[Moran]

I'd like to see one or more of the staff to go on the record, and hopefully put this all to rest.

Even if they're all released of their NDA, it's going to be he said, she said. It's never going to be put to rest. The Sussexes aren't going to suddenly see the light and say. "Oh, now we realize we treated you unacceptably. Please forgive us." And without this, it's never going to be put to rest.

 

[Curbside]

He does. And I fully and completely admit that I have no idea how that sort of admitted drug use can cause issues with visas but from everything I'm reading from immigration lawyers it's now very, very likely that there will be some sort of issues with the visa. Apparently had he been upfront and honest about his drug usage it could have or maybe would have endangered his visa chances and now that he's admitted it all publicly and continued to admit that he was using drugs once settled in California there's a chance that his visa could still be impacted.

The US does not prosecute personal marijuana possession or use for individuals. If he's not selling it to other people, it wouldn't be a big deal.

Marijuana is legal in California.

 

[camelot23ca]

The tailor has now spoken of the amount of work involved for him and his team in fixing the six bridesmaid’s dresses.

He said the amount of work involved was “huge”.

Four of them worked until 4.00am for three nights, and finished at 10.00pm on the eve of the wedding.

He is a Royalist and wanted the little girls to look good on the world stage “for Britain”.

The original French couture house isn’t coming out of this looking good, it sounds like it was a major part of everyone’s wedding stress.

I do wonder how the measurements could have been so wrong in the first place, for all the girls according to the tailor. I get that kids grow or measurements might be off a little, but this seems like a situation that should never have happened, given the reputation of the couture house and the high profile nature of the wedding.

 

[Curbside]

So, did Harry and Meghan think that the main task of their office was to correct press stories?

Presumably the comms team would correct untrue stories. It must have been a case of playing whackamole with the new stories popping up all the time.

 

[Sunnystar]

I'm shocked Givenchy would take measurements like that. It seems like they could have somehow done the measurements in person.

It really depends. I've asked others to take measurements for me and they've been completely lost as to what I was asking for with (standard sewing terms even), which meant that the measurements they provided were inaccurate. Now, I would have expected that Givenchy would have had contacts in Toronto and London who could accurately take the measurements of the girls, but maybe the task fell to their mothers or nannies.

The timeline of four tailors working until 4am three consecutive nights to fix all 6 of the bridesmaids' dresses tracks with the time I would expect that to take. Massive team effort to make those little girls look as beautiful as possible when the world's eyes were upon them.

 

[FigTree]

Just a small thing but that bit about Camilla turning his bedroom at Clarence House into her dressing room after he moved out and that he tried not to care but when he saw it he did. I've just read that he was 28 at the time... 28!

He told Meghan to curtsey to Charles the first time she met him but not to curtsey to Camilla as "I didn't think it appropriate". What's all that about?

Harry and William had their own apartment in Clarence House. Did Harry move out and just get a bedroom after. I wouldn’t have. He was in Kensington a palace from at least around 2020/2011…my friend used to see him in Waitrose.

 

[FigTree]

I'd be curious to see if Givenchy wades into this with some sort of statement. The way its being presented to the public is that this well known and respected haute couture designer was unable to create wearable bridesmaid dresses.

That designer is gone. They let her go. Again rumours she was difficult.

 

[Moran]

Just a small thing but that bit about Camilla turning his bedroom at Clarence House into her dressing room after he moved out and that he tried not to care but when he saw it he did. I've just read that he was 28 at the time... 28!

He told Meghan to curtsey to Charles the first time she met him but not to curtsey to Camilla as "I didn't think it appropriate". What's all that about?

Just Harry the Lad showing respect to his father's wife. Straight before requiring respect for his own. Not the same kind of respect, though.

 

[Curbside]

It really depends. I've asked others to take measurements for me and they've been completely lost as to what I was asking for with (standard sewing terms even), which meant that the measurements they provided were inaccurate. Now, I would have expected that Givenchy would have had contacts in Toronto and London who could accurately take the measurements of the girls, but maybe the task fell to their mothers or nannies.

The timeline of four tailors working until 4am three consecutive nights to fix all 6 of the bridesmaids' dresses tracks with the time I would expect that to take. Massive team effort to make those little girls look as beautiful as possible when the world's eyes were upon them.

I would expect them to have enough contacts in Toronto to have professionals take the measurements. Guess not.

 

[FigTree]

I would expect them to have enough contacts in Toronto to have professionals take the measurements. Guess not.

It’s really not hard. They could have gotten a seamstress to measure the girls properly or buy the dresses off the peg.

 

[Moran]

IMO, they were too sure that their experienced seamstresses would be able to correct any mistakes on a short notice. A classic case of people's abilities playing against them. You know what the reward for a hard task well done is? A harder task.

 

[FigTree]

IMO, they were too sure that their experienced seamstresses would be able to correct any mistakes on a short notice. A classic case of people's abilities playing against them. You know what the reward for a hard task well done is? A harder task.

But the seamstresses weren’t there. They just sent this obviously ,t horrendous dresses.

 

[Moran]

But the seamstresses weren’t there. They just sent this obviously ,t horrendous dresses.

What went wrong, then?

 

[FigTree]

What went wrong, then?

Who knows. Like I said there were rumours of it being a disaster out situation and filled with indecisiveness. Which may have meant nothing was completed because minds kept getting changed. I mean they were white dresses for little girls. What did it matter. Some one could have run out to Monsoon adm bought them. Why put kids in Couture.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Why is Meghan putting so much emphasis on the dresses of the bridesmaids?
She had the Royal Wedding. She married Prince Harry. Was it her goal to marry Prince Harry?

 

[Spheno]

A post from an independent book store about its window display of Harry’s memoir next to author Bella Mackie’s novel How to Kill Your Family has amassed thousands of likes and numerous comments from people making “wild assumptions and connections”.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/p...masses-thousands-likes-Harry-memoir-post.html

Harry's memoir Spare displayed beside How to Kill Your Family novel
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-64227200

 

[Sunnystar]

It really is sort of baffling, the issues with the bridesmaids dresses. There is absolutely nothing remarkable about the pattern or detail work on them - no lace, no elaborate smocking or ruching (see Pippa Middleton's bridesmaids' dresses).

The only thing that I can think is there was a lot of indecisiveness over the pattern/look and that left the Givenchy seamstresses scrambling to get the dresses done in a timely fashion. None of it speaks well to Meghan or her designer.

 

[Lilyflo]

Quite a few barbs fired at Camilla in this book. Here's another one where he implies Camilla would prefer him and Meghan to be overseas (before they were engaged, when Meghan was being trashed in the tabloids):

"Camilla also suggested to Meg that I become Governor General of Bermuda, which would solve all our problems by removing us from the red-hot centre of the maelstrom. Right, right, I thought, and one added bonus of that plan would be to get us out of the picture."

 

[HRHHermione]

Quite a few barbs fired at Camilla in this book. Here's another one where he implies Camilla would prefer him and Meghan to be overseas (before they were engaged, when Meghan was being trashed in the tabloids):

"Camilla also suggested to Meg that I become Governor General of Bermuda, which would solve all our problems by removing us from the red-hot centre of the maelstrom. Right, right, I thought, and one added bonus of that plan would be to get us out of the picture."

… I think she was making a joke about the Duke of Windsor and Harry didn’t get the reference

 

[Lilyflo]

… I think she was making a joke about the Duke of Windsor and Harry didn’t get the reference

Maybe just as well he didn't! It's quite a spiky thing to say don't you think?

 

[Spheno]

Maybe just as well he didn't! It's quite a spiky thing to say don't you think?

It looks like typical british humour.

 

[FigTree]

Maybe just as well he didn't! It's quite a spiky thing to say don't you think?

Don’t know p, wasn’t there. She could have just as easily being talking about them disappearing to have a break…as in the Bermuda Triangle. Camilla is a certain type of English woman but wouldn’t say she is cruel.

 

[HRHHermione]

Maybe just as well he didn't! It's quite a spiky thing to say don't you think?

It is, yes. I will look out for that part particularly now that you've pointed it out, but I think context would have been key to figuring out what was meant by it.

 

[camelot23ca]

It really depends. I've asked others to take measurements for me and they've been completely lost as to what I was asking for with (standard sewing terms even), which meant that the measurements they provided were inaccurate. Now, I would have expected that Givenchy would have had contacts in Toronto and London who could accurately take the measurements of the girls, but maybe the task fell to their mothers or nannies.

The timeline of four tailors working until 4am three consecutive nights to fix all 6 of the bridesmaids' dresses tracks with the time I would expect that to take. Massive team effort to make those little girls look as beautiful as possible when the world's eyes were upon them.

I mean, good on the local tailor for getting the job done, especially since it seems he was willing to do so without publicly taking credit until this all blew up, but surely you don’t hire a couture house like Givenchy only to have mothers take dress measurements and a local business have to step in at the last minute to save the day? That seems beyond weird to me.

 

[Nico]

… I think she was making a joke about the Duke of Windsor and Harry didn’t get the reference

Seems pretty obvious indeed ...

 

[suztav]

Seems pretty obvious indeed ...

He didn’t get the joke because he doesn’t know his own family’s history.

 

[Moran]

To be honest, I was rather surprised that Givenchy was chosen. I thought the choice would fall on a British fashion house. Contacts or not, it's just easier when one works directly in the country. But that's a side matter. I expected that a British brand would be promoted.

 

[yukari]

A post from an independent book store about its window display of Harry’s memoir next to author Bella Mackie’s novel How to Kill Your Family has amassed thousands of likes and numerous comments from people making “wild assumptions and connections”.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/p...masses-thousands-likes-Harry-memoir-post.html

Harry's memoir Spare displayed beside How to Kill Your Family novel
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-64227200

There's another one where they put his book behind "A History of Treason".

https://twitter.com/x/status/1612827284955602949

I'm trying to understand if this book is best-seller, why there's many reporting where it's been sold at half-price and on the first day it's launched. Is it some kind of marketing strategy? Because logically if something sells well, keeping the price will mean more revenue, right? So why cut the price?

 

[Sun Lion]

I mean, good on the local tailor for getting the job done, especially since it seems he was willing to do so without publicly taking credit until this all blew up, but surely you don’t hire a couture house like Givenchy only to have mothers take dress measurements and a local business have to step in at the last minute to save the day? That seems beyond weird to me.

Yes, a small family business, though in New Bond St with some famous clients.

Only spoke when he was tracked down, and won’t say how much the repeat work cost, but that the bill was paid by who had made the mistakes.