Spare
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4.4 • 883 Ratings
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- $21.99
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- $21.99
Publisher Description
It was one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow—and horror. As Princess Diana was laid to rest, billions wondered what Prince William and Prince Harry must be thinking and feeling—and how their lives would play out from that point on.
For Harry, this is that story at last.
Before losing his mother, twelve-year-old Prince Harry was known as the carefree one, the happy-go-lucky Spare to the more serious Heir. Grief changed everything. He struggled at school, struggled with anger, with loneliness—and, because he blamed the press for his mother’s death, he struggled to accept life in the spotlight.
At twenty-one, he joined the British Army. The discipline gave him structure, and two combat tours made him a hero at home. But he soon felt more lost than ever, suffering from post-traumatic stress and prone to crippling panic attacks. Above all, he couldn’t find true love.
Then he met Meghan. The world was swept away by the couple’s cinematic romance and rejoiced in their fairy-tale wedding. But from the beginning, Harry and Meghan were preyed upon by the press, subjected to waves of abuse, racism, and lies. Watching his wife suffer, their safety and mental health at risk, Harry saw no other way to prevent the tragedy of history repeating itself but to flee his mother country. Over the centuries, leaving the Royal Family was an act few had dared. The last to try, in fact, had been his mother. . . .
For the first time, Prince Harry tells his own story, chronicling his journey with raw, unflinching honesty. A landmark publication, Spare is full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sibling rivalry, fatherly neglect, and the crushing weight of public opinion haunt this anguished, searching, and occasionally vindictive memoir from Prince Harry. Framing the narrative as an attempt to explain why he and his wife, Meghan Markle, fled the U.K. "in fear for our sanity and physical safety" in 2020, Harry begins with Princess Diana's death in 1997, recounting how he and his brother William were made to walk behind their mother's coffin "to garner sympathy." For years afterward, Harry harbored a belief that Diana had disappeared to escape the paparazzi—an illusion that enabled him "to postpone the bulk of my grief." Made to feel like a "nullity" by his family, he found solace and companionship on safari trips to Africa and boozy nights with friends, but the tabloids turned "basic teenage stuff" into allegations of drug addiction and his father chose "to play ball" rather than fight back. Time and time again, the twin pressures of the royal family and the British media scuttled Harry's search for meaning and purpose, leaving him beset by panic attacks and self-doubt, until he met Meghan—and then those same specters turned on her. The mix of dirty laundry and earnest soul-baring sometimes jars, but Harry's frustrations are deeply felt and authentically conveyed, as is the joy he takes in nature and in his friendships. This royal family tell-all delivers.
Customer Reviews
Spare
Well, the book was interesting although, it is an opinion. He lost a star with me for his use of American spelling, if he won’t use the Kings English, who will? A slight to everyone in the UK and entire Commonwealth. We can blame Microsoft for spreading US spelling worldwide when the rest of the English speaking world spells differently but from a prince? No way! We were saddened that he and his family moved on from Vancouver Island due to the horrible paparazzi but they were followed, moving does not solve that problem. Strange that Megan and Harry didn’t take the story of American divorcee Wallace Simpson into account as she was also divorced and American. Sad state of affairs.
Excellent
I’m a bit late to the party but better late than never. I enjoyed this book by prince harry in his own words. I’m a fan of the series the Crown on Netflix hence finishing this book at the same time as the series was complimentary for me. I found Prince Harry very raw in his depiction of events that happened in his life. I found very moving how he described the encounter with Meghan Markle the love of his life. Thank Goodness he found her. Otherwise I think he would of had a miserable life. He is very different from the other royals and it shows with this book. He’s been scarred with the press from the moment his Mom died with them pursuing her relentlessly in Paris. In so many ways, I have compassion for the prince and hope he is at last happy. People that believe money and fame makes you happy, should really check this book out.
Not a Spare at all.
I enjoyed this read. It’s well written and fast paced. I have always felt that Harry and Megan got a bad rap from the press and the public. It’s good to read something that hasn’t been sullied by the Institution or the press. It’s unfathomable to me, how in these recent times, especially since Covid, where the words “be kind” surfaced everywhere, that such horrible stories were published and spread with such venom. There is no kindness in the tabloids. I applaud Harry and Megan for forging their own life outside of the monarchy. They deserve happiness, just as we all expect to be able to live our own lives on our terms.