Spare by Prince Harry (Review)

I recently finished my first audiobook and it happened to be Spare by Prince Harry. In all honesty, I've wanted to read this book for a while but a part of me didn't want to support Harry financially if at all possible. I'd heard snippets on TikTok since its initial release, and each time I felt more and more embarrassed. I ended up getting a free trial for Audible and so I thought it was the perfect way to listen...for free!

I think it is very true in that he loves his wife and his children, but despite that love which for most people would make for a happy ending, he doesn't focus on that in the slightest. Harry pens a novel slating the royal family over and over again. Not only does he share intimate - often over sharing - details of his own life, but he also shares the ins and outs of a private family situation that should never be shared. 

I am not doubting that his life wasn't perfect. I am not doubting he had his fair share of hardships. However, to imply he had the hardest life in the world and constantly begging for sympathy is incredibly draining from a readers perspective and also laughable as he has also had a life of incredible privilege. 

He uses this privilege as an excuse. If he has ever made a mistake, he either claims it was because of his “sheltered” childhood (racial language etc), yet he also had the freedom with ample sexual activities. He takes no responsibility for anything (costume disasters). Not only is everything, everyone else's fault, but he blames them even when other's seek forgiveness. 

At moments, the sadness is clear. The pressure of tabloids and the media is a pivotal topic which becomes and overbearing focus. However, I can't help but think the very thing he has hated, he now utilises continuously. I've always liked and supported the royal family, however Harry has lost all my faith. He left the royal family to have more control of his own life and be out of the limelight. Now, he uses every single platform to his own benefit. Websites, documentaries, interviews, films, podcasts and books. I am sure they will relaunch their social media streams very soon. 

The part that truly made me hate him was when it came to the financials. He is in his own right, a wealthy man, married to a self-made wealthy woman. He can easily afford anything and everything he could ever want. However, the thought of him having to use his OWN money, or rather his inheritance, is a shock horror. He wants to live a normal life, yet not have the joys that come with it of not having staff and paying their own bills. 

To top it off, the book is filled with incorrect factual evidence and contradictions of his own life, which can of course be traced and backed by reports from the past. Harry is clearly bitter, resentful and paranoid. He holds onto grudges and jealousy. He ultimately comes across as a spoilt brat, who cares about one thing: himself. 

I struggle to understand how anyone who loves and cares for him, thought this would provide the insight the public wanted for someone they truly used to admire. I think this has pushed him further and further away, and as a member of the British public, I’m quite happy that he has left and is no longer of member of the active royal family. I only hope this has helped him find the closure which he very much needs in order to move on, although I fear this may only be the start of future distasteful outlets.