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1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Discover the global phenomenon that tells an unforgettable story of love, loss, courage, and healing. “Compellingly artful . . . [a] blockbuster memoir.”—The New Yorker (Best Books of the Year) 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. Read more
Publisher : Random House
Publication date : January 10, 2023
Edition : First US Edition
Language : English, English
Print length : 416 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593593804
ISBN-13 : 06
Item Weight : 1.55 pounds
Dimensions : 6.13 x 1.03 x 9.25 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #24,931 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1 in Historical British Biographies #1 in Royalty Biographies #5 in Great Britain History (Books)
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Top Amazon Reviews
Format: Hardcover
I'm a 35 year old American and all I knew of the Royal family before Meghan married Harry was that my parents were sad when Diana died and that the grocery store checkout magazines always had headlines about them. I was kind of drawn in and charmed by the idea of them accepting Meghan and how pretty and warm she always looked (I remember sending a picture of her in a pale pink dress with a matching jacket when she was pregnant with her son to my group chat with a note about how oh my God she is the most gorgeous human ever) and it made me sad and angry when like...all of the media over there seemed to hate her all of a sudden. But even though I felt bad for her I never had strong feelings about Harry, he was just kinda there. Now? I freaking love Harry. Harry and Meghan fan for life. LIFE. I am shell-shocked at how freaking real and good this book is. I saw so many headlines leading up to the release that made the book sound like a (super fun tbh) mean and petty silly little airing of grievances. And instead it's this incredibly thoughtful, fair, raw depiction of both his family and his life. It kind of blows my mind the royals were so short sighted they willingly gave up what appears to be the only one among them with an ounce of emotional intelligence. He and Meghan are both so sincerely self-deprecating and open and honest and they contrast so dramatically against his family. The rest of them seem so stilted and fake and political and sneaky in comparison. How honest he is about his insecurities and ambitions and hopes and dreams and embarrassments is kind of stunning. Openly acknowledging what is complicated about England's history. Confessing freely to his own limitations in so many ways like Eminem in the battle scene in 8 Mile is ridiculous but kind of effective?! Like....he isn't pretending not to be upset about being thought stupid, about being a spare, about being single, about so many things. He's human and it hurt and I respect him for not doing the pretending to be unbothered thing. Also, he is insanely fair to his family. Far more than they seem to deserve!. He is so freaking kind to them. Going out of his way to defend Kate and Will from tabloid gossip and repeatedly explain why things that were said about them or done to them were unfair and untrue. He acknowledges being emotionally unavailable, even to his brother who would want to discuss their mother at times. He even defends his dad's reasoning on so many things and makes him seem bumbling and ineffectual rather than like the indifferently cruel and disinterested father he seemed like he must be before. Reading this book is the closest I have ever come to having any sympathy at all for the rest of the Royal family. They just seemed like cold selfish remote awful little rich people before but Harry's book makes them seem more human and likable and normal. Like people who if they hadn't been born to this might have actually stood a chance of being halfway decent but they were born into this and now they've just leaned into being unbearable cartoon villains for forever. The description of the bee, the fly, and the wasp? How he used to grocery shop? Such good writing. And him being painfully honest about him having mom issues and looking for mother figures and wanting to make people laugh and looking for signs in things. I know they're being mean about it in some headlines and I don't believe in signs or astrology or psychics or whatever myself but I know a lot of people who do. I think it's kind of normal and human after a big and unexpected loss. My friend lost her 12 year old son to an asthma attack that stopped his heart and she is constantly on the hunt for "signs". Connections, coincidences, messages. He's even fair about his mom. You can tell he knows he kind of puts her on a pedestal but he acknowledges she was imperfect, especially when he talks about her insecurity over them loving their nanny. I think the main takeaway from the book for me is how sad I feel for him. Because he seems to love everyone in his family for who they are. He sees them clearly, their flaws and weaknesses and strengths, and loves them. And you can just tell it wasn't ever reciprocated. Because none of them seem capable of loving him back. "How lost we are, I thought. How far we’ve strayed. How much damage has been done to our love, our bond, and why? All because a dreadful mob of dweebs and crones and cut-rate criminals and clinically diagnosable sadists along Fleet Street feel the need to get their jollies and plump their profits—and work out their personal issues—by tormenting one very large, very ancient, very dysfunctional family." Anyway, it is a really good book. I really enjoyed it, read it super fast, and highly recommend.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2023 by Amanda
Format: Kindle
I don’t really read these kinds of books. I’m addicted to sci fi and historical romance and intake most my gossip/nonfiction news from social media mediums and independent research (Tik Tok and Twitter). I don’t think I’ve ever read a biography, autobiography, or memoir outside of an educational setting. I picked this up just bc I was interested in all the weird excerpts the media put all over headlines in the days leading up. I’m also a big supporter of evaluating primary sources first-hand as my liberal arts bachelors degree taught me before I form opinions. I expected a celebrity tell-all gossip piece.. BUT, this piece took my breath away. I read it in one night and went through so many emotions. I had to put it down multiple times to laugh, cry, and self reflect. Well-done to Harry taking the hard step to be vulnerable to the world in his own way and taking control of his narrative and his writer is absolutely so talented. The writer is so magnificent, I cannot say it enough. This book is going to be analyzed in classrooms, positively, negatively, analytically one day as it touches on coming-of age, literature and motifs, the most recent war, and a love story and a social and political discourse on British press and its relationship with the Palace. People are going to be talking about this book for ages and as Meghan and Harry seem to be really polarizing to some. I recommend anyone supporter or not, British or American, read this book first and form your own opinions. Clear your mind of the bias from what you know of Harry from the press and media and read it about a story of a boy growing into a man. It’s really quite good when you look past you’re own biases. Harry’s really grown when it comes to his own biases and privilege and this book really explores that growth in a first person POV that also causes to reader to take a step back and evaluate themselves but I do think he needs to sit on his support of a Monarchy a bit more lol…it was nice as an American to understand British culture a bit more though and I feel like I was able to put myself in the other Royals shoes and humanize them as well! Since Meghan and Harry are the only ones who we’ve been able to authentically hear from as of late. I know a lot of people will speak on his chapters of his experiences in the war negatively, and to be honest. I wasn’t expecting that kind of candor and rawness and it resonated with me but in a introspectively beneficial way..as someone who is currently in the neo-stage of their military officer career (I only joined because I wanted to be a leader and get college paid but I’ve been more introspective on leadership and military more lately) I had to take military history classes when I was in college, I read many textbooks and memories who recount experiences similar to his from the civil war, Vietnam and WW1/2 perspective and we analyzed them relentlessly…but I haven’t seen a lot of memoirs from veterans from the War on Terror or from non-Americans. With the peacetime the U.S. is in I guess I doubt I’ll be serving long enough to ever experience the trauma he went through and it helps me understand the PTSD of modern soldiers and those veteran NCOs I work with. That section made me really introspective about the military and the way we’re trained and the discourse around the ethics of it even though his military experience is from a different country. (Side note this really helped me realize how important OPSEC is lol I literally screamed OPSEC at the book at one point). I enjoy the way he recounted his childhood and his relationship with his family. It was very tactful and well-written and I think every comment that a tabloid has pulled as “offensive” out of context was balanced out throughout the book as we really delved into the nuances of family and our childhoods. The people he mentions in this book are not just characters and celebrities in a show or tabloid but real people who are multifaceted and there is no antagonist and protagonist in real life. He also kept it spicy with the funny TMI moments about his social life and ~extracurricular~ activities. The random celebrity name drops were hilarious to me with his sarcastic tone and obviously not ill-mannered or narcissistic as I saw some implied. I think that was the perfect amount of comedy and tiny factoids that are ultimately harmless and affect no one except entertain the reader. I’m a very TMI person and the way he exposed embarrassing moments is the way I talk to my inner circle of friends and I felt like I was listening to a friend tell me a story on girls night. I saw on Twitter people were offended by the TMI but let’s be honest, if he hadn’t left in the spicy/funny comments people would have just said his memoir is boring and a waste of money and money-seeking. I’m sure there are plenty of other TMI details of his life that are private and he did not share. Everything he shared that people called “TMI” is inconsequential to the audience and only there to entertain comedic relief amongst the other dark themes in this book. This probably went through hella reviews and many consultations to make sure it wasn’t too out there. I could ramble forever about this book…I wanna join like a book club or reddit to discuss it. This is truly one of my favorite reads in like the last ten years. I may have separate opinions about the Harry v. the Monarchy discourse but I just want to endorse the book is SUCH a good read anyways for those on edge.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2023 by Kailyn
Format: Kindle
Oh boy. To its credit, this book felt interesting, and honest, and it wasn’t too hard to get through it. I would recommend it for anyone who is interested, especially if you find psychology and social behaviors interesting. The book does elicit disbelief— as a reader, reading only tidbits the author provides and seeing things the author is not seeing. It makes you wanna just kind of shake him a little, like, hey, how are you not seeing this?? Especially in the latter part of the book where Meg comes in. A couple of examples: 1. Harry shows endless empathy for Meg’s experience with the newfound paparazzi-stalking. However, there is no empathy for her father’s plight with it. He describes how her father isn’t doing that well; he lives in a run down house in Mexico and is in poor health. While it wasn’t a noble idea to stage pap pics…maybe he needed the money? Whatever he decided to do, he had his existing problems plus the enormous stress of his daughter marrying on a world stage. There didn’t seem to be any consideration for this or even curiosity to understand. Just anger that he did this. He apologized (or stated regret) and then had a heart attack and couldn’t attend the wedding. With no empathy, the father was written about with anger, glossing over the heart attack like it was one of the bad things he did to them. Nice. 2. Staying on the father a bit longer, the father again did something pretty awful— selling the letter Meg wrote to the papers. This is sinister, and who knows what transpired between them (the relationship seems messy and contentious), and this was the moment for Harry that he was done. Harry, do you not see the irony?? It screams out. He sold out his relationship with his daughter for a quick buck, or maybe for public opinion, or whatever it was— exactly what you have been doing to your own family ever since you got with Meg. That’s what this very book is. 3. Harry heavily romanticizes people, especially those that are gone (Henners, Diana). He almost confronts this dissonance in some memories of his mother but struggles to do so. This tendency to idealize helped provide some color for why he doesn’t see anything wrong with Meg’s behavior. 4. On Meg’s behavior. I’m American, know nothing of British customs, and believe in holding onto your individuality. But it’s common adaptive social behavior to be receptive to the behaviors and norms around you, especially when joining a new social group. if you are going to approach the Royal Family barefoot, talking hormones, just, sauntering boldly along without trying to pick up on the family’s customs or comforts… that’s not likable, even if it weren’t the Royal Family, it just seems disrespectful — despite Harry’s attempts to convince us it was fine. 5. From his recollection, it seemed she didn’t really react to learning about these culture clashes with any sort of curiosity or desire to mend fences, if anything, in the sibling ‘summits’ she comes off as defensive and a little incredulous/condescending that others aren’t the way she is. 6. Other red flags go up, like, why was the crown lady so fiery mad, why were so many staff complaining? This was not the paparazzi taking stories and running with it, this was coming from inside the house. Are we to believe that the future King (Will) is so impressionable by the narrative spun by the paper that he has been convinced of a problem when none exists? Highly, highly doubtful. 7. They’re authors of their own misfortune. They completely ignored any advice on how to deal with the paparazzi or the headlines, from people who have spent many years navigating this well-known threat. Harry’s account shows how they got all worked up at every turn and made it ALL consuming, which is pretty much the exact opposite advice that was given to them. The headlines! How their family responds or doesn’t respond! How wrong it is, how unfair, how it’s worse than what happened to others, etc etc, their grievances go on and on, escalating constantly. It’s not a healthy way to cope. I can’t imagine how challenging it was to go through what they did, and yes it was huge, but there had to be better ways to cope. They maximized the damage by obsessing. Rather than sheltering from the storm, they faced it head on, fighting it, demanding legal recourse, feeding the all-consuming fire, threatening relationships with all who supported him if they didn’t agree with him. How THEY handled this known threat is what did them in. I got all this from Harry’s account of events, even though his account lacked accountability. 8. The final leg of the book (last ~10% on Kindle) It is actually hard to read how royally (pun intended) Harry flubbed the handling of the immense stress every step of the way. He was emotionally charged, self-righteous, and threw his family’s trust into the line of fire, blind to his own doings and perhaps whatever impact his wife had on his behavior. All this is blatantly obvious, even through whatever author’s bias exists. I don’t think he sees it, so it’s interesting as a reader. I really should stop now. It’s a fascinating read, especially if you have a curiosity of the human mind, and it’s clear that everyone involved (with the exception of the Queen) behaves pettily at times. It is quite sad what’s happened within the family, but Harry seems to have yet to come to terms with his rebellious anger, reckless, disrespectful, and immature choices that have led him to this distanced, estranged life they lead today. Sure, his wife wasn’t a good fit for the family, perhaps is a little self-righteous and maybe, in ways, toxic? And yes, the press should be locked up. Still, Haz needs to understand his role and take accountability for how he interacts with and influences his environment and outcomes. For those interested in psychology, his therapist suggested he is likely stuck at age 12, and having finished the book, this seems very likely. In some aspects he still sees the world through the lens of a child, not fully understanding how systems interact and throwing a tantrum when things are not viewed solely from his vantage point. It’s clear to see how he romanticized his mom, lost her in a tragic, traumatic way, and violently expresses his anger at this in how he reacts and handles the press…. in how he would throw his whole family to the wolves for this cause, as if it’s life or death, because for him, and I think for the rest of his life, he will view it this way. It’s like he’s acting out saving his mom’s life in an unconscious way with Meg. It’s sad, isn’t it, at the end of the day he’s not a villain. When all is said and done, I can’t help but wish him the best and hope he finds his way. 8/10. Good read. Mildly infuriating, but honest.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2024 by Melanie B
Format: Hardcover
I just now finally got to this book I ordered when it first came out. It was wonderful. The writing, the story, and the lessons. First, the main takeaway is the incredible strength and natural integrity Harry has in the midst of immoral madness. This experience reminded me of the poem, "IF" by Kipling. The line that relates here goes something like this: "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, and blaming it on you...." He has been blamed for using his mind and his decision-making skills, while those sold into submission (the whole Royal family) gave up their 'Self' and any real sense of whole 'being-ness." There remain systems that no longer work. They were unethical when they started and they are unethical now. The Royal business is as such. It can be morally Re-balanced and I will hope someone at some time will do that if the British people continue to need or enjoy it. But 'Royals' needing and requiring submission, bows, from others why they make the others feel 'less than' and more, is morally wrong. Especially when you have a new 'queen' who is a liar and cheat, along with her mate. Where is the 'better than you" there? Kate was what British folks call a "commoner" as I read when William met her. She has relinquished her autonomy, so of course William will demand that from Meghan. In many families the first born are favored, and in William's case he will be King. Who wants that? Who wants the bows, the submission? No one really. Read Shakespeare. The royals end up needing the servants more than the servants 'need' them. I feel badly for William and can only hope that when he is King, he will rid the tradition of these horrible actions. I do think there is envy there on his end. Harry can be free. William is not and never will be. In the meantime, the many moral issues Harry points out are great lessons for students of all ages. What makes us a person? What epithets do we live by that give us identity and power or hold us hostage and powerless? How is one person more valuable than another just by birth order? Why must an American woman who has developed her own Self-worth change who she is and give up autonomy (as Kate has) just to marry? How incredibly wrong. Diana was used "merely as a means to an end" (Kant) and the Royal "company" are complicit in that. Once she had the heir and spare there was no more need for her. That is made clear by the king and mate now. Incredibly wrong. Why any British citizen would bow to them is a thought I do not understand. Tradition is okay, until we know it is wrong. Congratulations Harry. You are a teacher. Continue to pay attention to building your 'house' emotionally and financially so when you are older you can contribute to the lives of others even more You have already done that in many ways and I thank you.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2024 by Janet Giddings
Format: Kindle
First off, I will say that I have always been a big supporter of Harry, first, & then Meghan. So, I go into reading this book with loving interest and a positive outlook. I trusted that he would actually tell us the truth (as he experienced it) with no sugar coating. And I thank him for successfully doing just that. I did not know anything about his military service and found that highly intriguing to read about. I cannot imagine being a pilot of a helicopter much less an Apache helicopter in wartime. Very impressive. Think about what it takes to do that - not something every man or woman can learn to do. I didn't know about his adventures in Africa and other countries. Those stories were really fun to read. I'm so glad this book was not just about his family and the 'Royal' part of his life. Yes, he did put things in the book about that, of course. But it was way more than just royal stuff, which really (to me) told us the story of who Harry truly is. Naturally he discussed his mother. I'm an old lady & can remember all that Diana went through as she was going through it in front of the world. I was shocked about her death, as we all were. The thing I did not know about was that Harry did not believe his mother to be dead. He thought she was in hiding. It broke my heart to pieces to learn about this fact. And now that I have read what his thinking was at the time - I fully understand why he would believe that, and to this day nobody really got any evidence or proof of her demise to show to Harry or William. It still seems really odd. The whole thing. It's very important when you lose somebody close to you that you are able to view the body. I guess that is not a royal or British custom. However, in reading books on Thanatology after my husband died, all grief therapists usually agree that seeing the deceased person is very important. Otherwise, you find yourself constantly searching the faces in a crowd or wondering if maybe they somehow, they slipped away and are living somewhere else. I know, because that's how I felt when I didn't know that viewing his body was actually healthier than not. It helps you face reality. Then you can heal. I knew that Harry would no doubt mention the Paparazzi and the Tabloids. Little did I know how really horrible it has been. The way he explained it made me feel claustrophobic and so downtrodden. And I was just reading it - not experiencing it. I got very angry about how the British people not only allowed this; but fed off of it. How his own father and brother felt like it was just something you have to accept, rather than standing up (like a man) and saying 'NO, this will not be tolerated'. And with that, I learned that Queens and Kings, who I thought are heads of state and run the country - are not. They are nothing more than props. They have no power. And if they have any - they don't seem to use it in the right way. Why is that? And this so called 'Institution' or gang of courtiers/assistants etc. - who are they? It seems like they are all running everything there in the palace or Balmoral or wherever. Not the Queen or King. Not the Prime Minister or Parliament. Just common, everyday people working for the royal family appear to be the bosses. The Queen had to 'obey' them. Now King Charles has to as well. What? That's crazy. What is the point of having a Monarchy if it's just all pretend, and the royalty has no power? I am keeping my fingers crossed that when enough people read this book that they will stop looking at Meghan in a negative light. My Gosh. Harry loves her and his children. She loves him. Let this couple live in peace. Stop saying nasty things about them and out and out lies. Who does that benefit? Let the tabloids go back to their headlines about alien abductions and 3 headed babies, etc. If the Brits don't want Harry & Meghan then I hope they live here in the US for the rest of their lives. They don't need a country who has stomped all over them & squished them down in the mud. Shame on you if you're one of those who has been a party to that. This book is a real eye opener. I think after all he and his Mom went through with being betrayed by people that are supposed to love them - but don't - that he deserves to tell this story in his own way. To not only clear somethings up - but to share with us very interesting parts of his life. I hope after a few more decades he'll write an updated memoir too. Because I'm sure he is going to do great things with his life. He is not perfect. But neither is anybody else. As human beings we need to remember that.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2023 by Sophie Shopper
Format: Kindle
This is an honest, heartfelt account of the life of Prince Harry and his unique challenges in claiming his true self, his freedom, and the love of his life. He is forthright about his feelings of the profound loss of his mother, his inability to grieve, and the impact of an emotionally distant father and family. He freely admits his mistakes, choices, and insecurities and in doing so allows the reader to feel his pulse — the heartbeat of an extraordinary and courageous man. He provides an account — previously diminished, distorted, fabricated, manipulated or controlled by the British tabloids and their palace cohorts and the Royal family — of the intense and often dangerous effects of the tabloids and paparazzi on his life, his wife Meghan and their family and friends. He explains in detail how this bizarre, dysfunctional relationship between the palace staff and the Royal family have with the tabloids functions, who benefits and how, why it exists, and even identifies the palace institution enablers who effectively manage “The Firm.” He does not bash nor condemn his relatives, as some might expect; rather, he presents a balanced view of his family, often with loving and affectionate recollections, yet is courageously forthright about certain family members’ behaviors, conversations and lack of support throughout his life and especially as it relates to his marriage. In spite of all that, it is quite clear he mourns his family but they made it impossible for him to continue in his role or simply as a member of the family. His loyalty is to his wife and family; he is dedicated to protecting them and helping them thrive. Further, it is at times terrifying to read of the lengths the tabloids and paparazzi have gone in stalking Harry, even during his combat deployments, and later how they were unrelenting in terrorizing Meghan, other relatives, friends and associates. It is also sickening to read of the outright lies, often fed to the tabloids by palace staff themselves, deceit and hurtful untruths spread to diminish the Prince and his wife in the eyes of the British people. Further, the book reveals how the Royal family were beseeched time and again to intervene, but refused to help, apparently so as to not negatively impact their public personas promoted in the tabloids. The book ends with hope and freedom, albeit with sadness. My reaction is that the book weaves countless memories, events and impressions into a cohesive, informative read. It is well written, compelling, thoughtful, introspective and at times even humorous and tender. It is a fair response and last word to counter the avalanche of lies, distortions, insults and untruths spread primarily by the British tabloids and permitted by the Royals without protest. I recommend the book highly and thank Prince Harry, aka Harry Wales, for writing it.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2023 by J. Bourke
Format: Kindle
I always had a soft spot for the little redder boy with the mischievous smile and my heart broke for those two boys as they walked with heads down following their mother's casket. William always seemed so serious and even when he smiled it was not reflected in his eyes. When Harry married I hoped he would find happiness and was sad to see the way the press brutalized he and his wife and hoped when they moved to the states they would be able to enjoy their life in private. Then came Oprah, then Netflix and now Spare. I have read many of the articles written after each of the above and seen both pros and cons and I have to say that I truly wish that after Oprah Harry and his wife had decided to get on with their lives in California, continued their charity work and raised their children in private. Netflix was way to much on how great their life is. Picture after picture of them in loving moments which obviously someone else was taking the pictures came off as a set scene for proof of their great love. Very much overkill and now the book a few weeks later. I went from liking Harry to thinking "is he never going to stop dissing his family"? Enough already. So I decided I would not read the boom! I have heard everything twice already, but I really wanted to read it to see if it was as good or as bad as reviewers claimed. I thought the first part was interesting although some of the descriptive writing seemed to be the voice of the ghost writer putting these flowery words in Harry's mouth. You could heard the difference in Harry's voice talk in my about school, feelings, army life, etc. In spite of that the narrative kept my interest. However when we got to the slings and arrows at his family (but not the press) I felt that this was what many of the reviewers meant. He will regret this later down the road. It is one thing to argue and even fight with family members but when you attack them in public, especially when you know they will not defend themselves publicly, then you cross a line where healing is almost impossible to achieve. I feel you made your feelings of anger and hurt known in the Oprah show. This was way over the line and this book is no different than what the media did to you! Two wrongs do not make it right. So my three stars was for my disappointment in having to digest all this anger, revenge and false words of hope for apologies from your family when you know that isn't going to happen. You zing your father for not hugging you when he told you about your mom but you know his history as well as hour grandfather's history. You never talk about what your brother went through during your parents breakup or what his inner torment was as he walked that walk by your side. You say this is you get truth but what about theirs. Your truth and your brothers truth may differ but they are still your truths and not necessarily "factual truth". So until we hear everyone's truth I will have to say, "enjoy your wife and children, do your charity work and save us from anymore about your royal family". If you and your wife can't do that then I suggest going out in the garden and eat some worms!
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Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2023 by S. Baker
Format: Hardcover
I wasn't sure what to expect when I bought both the hard copy and the Audible version; the book because I want to have it in my library and the Audible version because hearing is somewhat of an issue for me. So many different people (mostly royal watchers) swore the book was going to be about how Harry trashed the Institution, his family, and the people of the UK. It wasn't like that. Sure, he revealed details about what he said to his family because of the frustration with them not helping and even feeding stories to the toxic media and threw them under the bus, but it wasn't in anger or hate. Desperation at needing to protect his family, yes, but it wasn't malicious. Not all family is close nit so I'm glad he was able to speak his truth without limits or hesitation in his own words and in his own voice as the way he saw it. The book was the journey of a young man who had been traumatized by the sudden death of his mother at age 12, then not having any true understanding of the truth of her death, so it sent him on a journey of depression, doubt, anger, and fear at the loss of a mother whom he loved so dearly, only to be further traumatized by a hateful media and subjects with no one to bother helping him. They didn't even provide security for them. Depression is very complex in that it envelops you without you even knowing that it's happening or understanding it. The worst thing about depression is others don't recognize it or go into denial about it. I can only imagine with a royal family that they don't want the public to think of their family member as mentally ill, so he didn't get the help that he needed until he realized he needed it. Only then was he able to face his demons and move forward. This helped him find love and I'm all here for that. I'm so glad I got the Audible version because the cadence in his voice was soothing, even when he was revealing the most painful parts of his life up until now. Parts of the book made me laugh out loud, others made me angry at him; (i.e., me hearing about the poker game - "STRIP POKER? ARE YOU NUTS??") Being the "spare" allowed him to find so much more with the world than what he had been relegated to. I believe this is the issue with the brothers; one who is the future King, thus limited in the freedom and expressions of an ordinary person vs a second child who no one was really checking for, and for him to take the extraordinary journey that lead him to finding the true happiness of his life is nothing short of remarkable. He pulled no punches about himself; the drugs, the drinking, the unintentional racism, his lack of education. Coming to terms with his mother's death was a catharsis and allowed him to move forward and find the love of his life. I'm conflicted by King Charles. The first and second parts of the book, he seemed like an attentive and caring father to him, but then he put country above the safety of his younger son and family. That's hard to read. It seems like the royals are more driven by what their subjects think and allowed a frenzied toxic press to hound them so bad that they fled his birth country. All he had to do was say "that's enough," or show more support than he did other than his address to the nature when the queen died and he mentioned them. He and the Queen truly seemed to like Meghan but again, country first to the detriment of the family. I seriously hope this won't happen to Princes George and Louis. This could have been a huge step in pushing the UK forward on race relations. Instead, it set them back decades. It's a shame. Being a constitutional monarchy may have something to do with it, but still - that's your son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. I had hoped the Queen would have said or done more since he was her favorite. Leaving him behind so he missed his Gran before she died was cruel. I wish the Duke and Duchess of Sussex all of the love, peace and happiness they deserve. I would 1M recommend this book. Outstanding! Congratulations, Prince Harry!
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Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2023 by Pennywise The Diva