Prince Harry’s memoir gives insight into royal life The book follows the prince’s controversial exit from royal duties

By Sahithi Ajjarapu Staff Writer

On Jan. 10, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, published his memoir, “Spare.” A chilling story of his life fueled by outrage–elevated by the talents of a ghostwriter–the book planned to expose more about his life. It recounts events of his childhood following the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, reflects on his time in the military and ends with the falling out between the two couples: Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

The book has roughly three parts. The first part of the memoir follows Prince Harry as a child, from the death of Princess Diana until he graduates school.

The second part of the book is about his military service. The third and final part is an amalgamation of him meeting his wife and leaving the royal family.

The book title comes from the royal colloquialism of a spare for the heir to the throne; essentially, if something were to happen to the heir, there is a spare, a spare heir if you will. The spare is not only expected to be the throne in case the heir were to die, but also if they were to need a kidney, bone marrow, etc.

The book begins with Prince Harry and Prince William are staying with their father, King Charles, and are told that Princess Diana has died. For the better part of Prince Harry’s life, he reportedly convinced himself that Princess Diana was still very much alive and hiding.

Prince Harry also comments about how his father often joked about Harry not being his biological child. Not only does this portray the royal family as less than adequate but also as slightly abusive, despite their reputation.

Continuing on, he remi- nisces on his time at a British boarding school where Prince Harry supposedly had to get bathed until he was 13 years of age.

All in all, the book comments on his life in the royal family. Prince Harry claims that he often felt out of place and neglected while in the family. However, he also admits that he himself is a person who is out of touch with the real world. As a descendant of the royal family, and a senior royal, it is hard to imagine Prince Harry as a down to Earth individual. At one point in the book, he claims that he ia a fan of the show, “Friends.” Details like this help further differentiate Prince Harry from the rest of his family, who are often viewed as stuck up or out of touch.

The publication of Prince Harry’s memoir allowed him to take control of the narrative that was heavily constructed by the British monarchy. Within the memoir, he paints himself as a as a flawed yet sympathetic product of circumstances out of his control, cementing the cultural decline of the royal family.