Spare by Prince Harry
Whispers of the Story
When loss, grief and the inability to do something about the injustice shown to you become too much, it is normal to seek peace and quiet. It’s also normal to want to show who your really are. After many years of someone else setting the narrative Prince Harry decides to fight back by telling his story. In the first part he tells the story of the boy who did not deal with his mother’s death, and the young man who made a lot of mistakes. Later on he finds the love of his life, but things get rough until a decision is made. Just leave.
Review of Spare by Prince Harry
Let me begin by saying that I was a Harry fan until the last few years. Even though I didn’t like the fact that he married Meghan (what woman who had a crush on him as a teenager did?), I completely understood when it was announced that he was leaving the royal family to live a normal, quiet life. When this book came out, I was perplexed because, after all of the controversial interviews they carried out, releasing a book after years of separation seemed to me to be the exact opposite of living a normal, quiet life.
Unfortunately, I maintain my opinion even today when everything appears to be worse and it is clear they are looking for attention. I read the book as soon as it was released, but I waited to write my review because there was a lot of misinformation in the press at the time, and the trend was to sympathize with them, which I couldn’t do after reading the book.
Spare is a book in which Harry tries to explain the trauma he’s been through because of the paparazzi since his mother died and the impact it has had on his life. He does not talk badly about his family, but he describes them as ignorant, living in a bubble, and very close to being indifferent to his pain and problems. All this time Harry was the one who was understanding and passive. This seems far-fetched to me. There are videos of Harry in a rage, so I don’t believe the claims that he was calm while taking the hits.Â
My personal opinion is that the events described in the book are true, but I don’t believe his reactions. I grew up reading everything about Prince Harry, so I don’t think he was such a passive man, especially when he was younger. I suppose it’s understandable given that the book’s main goal is to repair his image and persuade people to support him.Â
One thing I like about him is that he talks about using drugs and drinking. He admits his mistakes from his youth; the majority of them had already been reported in the press at the time, so there was no point in pretending they did not occur. He’s attempting to play the card of the boy who wanted to have fun and was sold to the press, which I don’t believe. Even if he did not excel in school, I doubt he was unaware of the consequences of wearing Nazi symbols. And he grew up in that life, followed by the paparazzi, so he could have been more careful. Not everyone gets naked at parties in their twenties, so he didn’t have to either. I think he was aware that people might leak photos to the press, he just didn’t care.
Overall, the book shows a new perspective on the royal family and how they deal with bad press, mainly through silence. This is not the first time I read about this; it is a known fact that they do not react to bad press. Another known fact is that they used different strategies to improve their image, including spreading lies. But it’s a he said/she said situation so I would hold my comments until I have the facts.
I don’t like Megan, I think she knew she wanted to marry Harry from the beginning and her every move was to make him fall in love with her. Although I must admit that comparing her with Kate was unfair, I believe she had bigger plans even after marriage, and that she controls him. I’ve seen videos that clearly show her directing Harry in various meetings or motioning for him to move aside so she can go in front, videos for which there are no plausible alternative explanations, but I think she got more than she bargained for. Also, the last part of the book focuses more on how she was affected by the press, and less on Harry. She’s an actress, it was a lifestyle she chose even before she was with Harry.
I could talk for hours about this book and what Harry and Meghan did and are doing now, so I won’t go into too much detail. If Harry would write another book that was more honest and did not portray him as a victim, I would gladly read it. But Spare was written solely to make him look good, at a time when he was losing support and popularity. The last part of the book seems like the script for the first part of the documentary Harry & Meghan from Netflix, but the documentary focuses even more on how she was a prodigy child (which was revealed to be a lie) and how she was affected.
Now looking back at everything that happened, it is clear for me that Harry and Megan started a war and they lost.
Did I make you curious? Happy reading!
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