The Duke of Sussex is fifth in line to the throne and the younger son of The Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales. He spent ten years working in the Armed Forces, ending operational duties in 2015. During his service, he conducted two tours of duty to Afghanistan with the British Army.

As announced in January, The Duke and Duchess have stepped back as senior members of The Royal Family. They are balancing their time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour their duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and their patronages. Frogmore Cottage in the UK remains their family home.

Supporting the welfare of servicemen and women

Having served in the British Army for ten years, The Duke of Sussex is passionate about promoting the welfare of those who are serving or who have served their country in the Armed Forces.

He has campaigned to raise awareness of the ongoing challenges facing service personnel making the transition to civilian life. In particular, he has worked to bring wider public attention to the support that wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women need through their entire rehabilitation process. That includes long-term support for each person and their family for both physical and mental injuries.

His work in this area has seen The Duke take part in a number of projects and initiatives, including volunteering with the Armys Personnel Recovery Unit in London, trekking with wounded servicemen and women to the South Pole and in the Arctic, supporting a number of adventure challenges through his Endeavour Fund, and organising the Invictus Games.

The Invictus Games

The Invictus Games is an international adaptive sporting event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veteran.

The Games use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect of all those who serve their country. The first Invictus Games were held in London in 2014 followed by Orlando, Florida in May 2016, Toronto, Canada in September 2017 and Sydney Australia in October 2018. The next games are scheduled to be held in The Hague in 2021, followed by Dusseldorf, Germany in 2022.

Sport for social development

The Duke believes that every child should be given the opportunity to fulfil their potential, regardless of their background or situation. Through a programme of public and private visits, he regularly supports projects that enable children from disadvantaged backgrounds to build their skills and confidence.

The Duke of Sussex is a keen sportsman and sees the potential to use sport in the engagement and education of children and young people. Alongside his brother, The Duke of Cambridge and sister-in-law, The Duchess of Cambridge, he has worked with The Royal Foundation to build a model that improves the availability and quality of sports coaching in schools and communities. The "Coach Core" programme helps train young people as professional sports coaches while they are still in education. It also aims to improve the quality and availability of sports coaching and mentoring in inner city schools whilst creating employment at a time when many young people are facing long term unemployment.

Mentoring schemes

Through his work with younger people, many of whom fall out of mainstream education, The Duke believes in the importance of mentoring schemes. He has visited many projects around the world that highlight the positive impact of childrens mentoring opportunities. In the UK, he is closely involved with a programme based in Nottingham that works with young people to deter them from becoming involved in youth violence and gang-related activities. The programme trains a group of young people as youth leaders, providing them with formal qualifications and apprenticeships in mentoring and leadership, while at the same time supporting primary school children, who are at most risk of becoming involved in youth violence, by working with their schools and families.

Supporting children living with HIV /AIDS

In 2006, The Duke of Sussex jointly founded Sentebale, a charity to help orphans in Lesotho, southern Africa. Having visited the small African nation after completing his school education, he was moved by the plight of children orphaned by the AIDS pandemic which has devastated the country. Together with his great friend Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, he set up Sentebale to offer long-term support to community organisations working with children and young people, and in particular to those working with orphans.

Sentebale is a word that people in Lesotho use when they say goodbye to each other: it means forget me not. It was chosen as the name of the new charity because the two Princes see its work as a memorial to the charity work of their own mothers, and because its aim as an organisation is to ensure that Lesotho, and the current plight of its children, is not forgotten.

In 2016, His Royal Highness underwent a public HIV test at Guys and St Thomas Hospital to raise awareness and promote how easy it is to get tested, as part of his on-going efforts to eradicate stigmas associated with HIV/AIDS.

His Royal Highness attended the 2016 International AIDS Conference in Durban, where he spoke of how "HIV remains among the most pressing and urgent of global challenges" and the importance of educating and empowering young people in the fight against the virus.

African conservation

Having visited southern Africa a number of times, The Duke has taken a deep personal interest in frontline conservation projects that work to protect Africas natural heritage and support both wildlife and local communities. On leaving the Army in 2015, he spent three months working on number of such projects in Namibia, Tanzania, South Africa and Botswana.

During that time he worked closely with conservation experts to learn about environmental education programmes and also spent time with a team of rangers in Kruger National Park, South

Africa, who are the first to respond to reports of poaching attacks on Elephant and Rhino. The Duke is President of African Parks and Patron of Rhino Conservation Botswana.

Heads Together

In 2017 The Duke of Sussex spearheaded the Heads Together mental health campaign with The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, leading a coalition of eight mental health charity partners to change the national conversation on mental health. The campaign aimed to build on existing progress nationwide in tackling stigma, raising awareness, and providing vital help for people with mental health problems.

The team of charities covered a wide range of mental health issues that are close to their passions. They were: Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families; Best Beginnings; CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably; Contact (a military mental health coalition); Mind; Place2Be; The Mix; YoungMinds. Heads Together was privileged to be the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon Charity of the Year giving the campaign a positive platform to raise funds for the charity partners and to start millions of conversations about mental wellbeing.

Early life and Dianas death

Teenage years, drug use, and deployment to Afghanistan

Relationship with Charles and Camilla, Williams wedding, and Caroline Flack

Relationship with Meghan and fatherhood

Stepping back from royal role

Spare

Spare cover.jpg

First edition

AuthorPrince Harry, Duke of Sussex

CountryUnited States

LanguageEnglish

GenreMemoir

PublisherPenguin Random House

Publication date10 January 2023

Media typePrint

Pages416

ISBN9780593593806

Spare is a memoir by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex which was released on 10 January 2023. It was ghostwritten by J. R. Moehringer and published by Penguin Random House. It is 416 pages long and available in digital, paperback, and hardcover formats and has been translated into fifteen languages. There is also a 15-hour audiobook edition, which Harry narrates himself.

The book was highly anticipated and was accompanied by several major broadcast interviews. Harry details his childhood and the profound effect of his mother, Diana, Princess of Waless death as well as his troubled teenage years, and subsequent deployment to Afghanistan with the British Army. Harry writes about his relationship with his brother, Prince William, and his father, King Charles III, and his fathers marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles. Harry writes of his courtship and marriage to the American actress Meghan Markle and the couples subsequent stepping back from their royal roles.

Spare received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics, some who praised Harrys openness but were critical of the inclusion of too many personal details. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Spare became "the fastest selling non-fiction book of all time" on the date of its release.[1]

Background and writing

In July 2021, it was announced that Harry was set to publish a memoir via Penguin Random House, with proceeds from its sales going to charity and Harry reportedly earning an advance of at least $20 million.[2][3] It is ghostwritten by novelist J. R. Moehringer.[4][5] In the following month, Harry confirmed that $1.5 million of the proceeds from the memoir would go to the charity Sentebale,[6] while £300,000 will be given to WellChild.[7]

Harry stated "Im writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become. Ive worn many hats over the years, both literally and figuratively, and my hope is that in telling my story – the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned – I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think."[8] Harry said the book was "accurate and wholly truthful".[9] The publisher stated that the book takes readers "immediately back to one of the most searing images of the 20th century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mothers coffin as the world watched in sorrow – and horror".[7] The publisher maintained the book is "full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom".[8]

The Times reported in January 2023 Harry had second thoughts about publishing the book after visiting his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in the summer of 2022, but eventually went ahead with it.[10] In an interview with Bryony Gordon, Harry stated that the first draft was 800 pages, meaning that he had enough material for two books, but it was reduced to about 400 pages because there were things between him and his father and brother "that I just dont want the world to know. Because I dont think they would ever forgive me."[11] He claimed that the books aim was "not trying to collapse the monarchy" but rather save it, and added that he felt he had an obligation to reform the institution for the sake of future spares, namely his brothers younger children, despite being told explicitly by William that his children are not Harrys responsibility.[11]

Synopsis

Harrys resentment of being the "spare" is the major theme throughout the book.[12] There are chapters on his early life, his education, his time as a working royal and in the British Army, his relationship with his parents and brother and with his wife Meghan during their courtship, marriage, and parenthood.[12]

Early life and Dianas death

In one of the first chapters, Harry reflects on the day he was born, when his father Charles supposedly told his mother Diana: "Wonderful! Now youve given me an heir and a spare – my work is done."[12] He adds that he was born as a spare to William in case he needed an organ transplant or blood transfusion.[13] In the book, Harry addresses and refutes the rumours that his father was not Charles, but one of his mothers lovers, James Hewitt.[14] He believes that "One cause of the rumour was Major Hewitts red hair, but another was sadism" fuelled by tabloids.[14] He adds that even Charles joked about it once, which he thought was "in poor taste".[14] He compares the dynamic between him and his brother William as the spare and the heir to that of Princess Margaret and his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II. He mentions that he felt "nothing for [Margaret], except a bit of pity and a lot of jumpiness", and added that "She could kill a houseplant with one scowl."[15] Harry mentions at Ludgrove School he took a liking to hot matron Miss Roberts, but adds that another patron named Pat, who suffered from crooked knees and a stiff spine and whom he made fun of, did not "make us horny" as she was "small, mousy, frazzled".[13]

Harry recounts being informed about his mothers death early in the morning by his father.[16] Harry claims that the idea of having him and his brother walk behind their mothers coffin horrified several adults, in particular their uncle Lord Spencer.[17] Harry also claimed that there were suggestions that William should walk behind the coffin alone, but Harry refused to allow it as had the roles been reversed William would have done the same.[17] He mentions that for 10 years he believed his mother was in hiding to escape press intrusion and alleges that his brother William also used to have those thoughts.[18] He also discusses how the summary conclusion of investigations into their mothers death was "simplistic and absurd".[16] He questions why the paparazzi that had been following her and the people who sent them were not in prison, with a possible explanation being that it was all due to "corruption and cover-ups being the order of the day".[16] Harry claims that he and his brother were planning on issuing a statement to ask jointly for the investigation to be reopened but "those who decided dissuaded us".[16] Harry mentions that during his trip to Paris for the 2007 Rugby World Cup semifinal, he had a man drive through the same tunnel where his mother had died at 60 miles per hour (97 km/h), the speed with which Dianas car passed through the tunnel.[19] Harry describes the decision as "ill-conceived" as it only brought him more pain.[19] He later on admits that to connect with his mother he asked for help from a woman who "claimed to have powers."[20]

Teenage years, drug use, and deployment to Afghanistan

In the memoir, Harry admits that he took cocaine at the age of 17, which he said "wasnt very fun" but "it did make me feel different".[21] He recalls being so high on cannabis that he started whispering to a fox, who he saw as a sign sent from another realm and seeing Meghan as his wife many years before. He adds that he also took magic mushrooms at a party at Courteney Coxs house in January 2016 and "washed them down with tequila", after which he had hallucinations in a lavatory and talked to the bin and the toilet.[22][23] He mentions how the editor of the News of the World Rebekah Brooks was adamant on gathering evidence on his drug use. Harry describes her as a "loathsome toad" and "an infected pustule on the arse of humanity, plus a shit excuse for a journalist."[24] Harry also discusses the "humiliating episode" of losing his virginity in a field behind a busy pub to "an older lady, who loved horses" and treated him "like a young stallion".[16] Harry also details out an episode at a bar where he "drank and drank and tried to pick up fights". He mentions that the bar threw him out and at the hotel he "growled" at his bodyguard, "swung on him, slapped his head". After not getting a reaction, he mentions he "slapped him again" as "I was determined to hurt him."[13]

Harry claims that his brother William and future sister-in-law Catherine suggested that he should choose his Nazi uniform over his pilot uniform for a "Native and Colonial" costume party in 2005.[25] He mentions that he "liked" Catherine the first time he saw her, describing her as "more sister than in-law" whom he liked seeing laugh.[26] Detailing his tours of duty in Afghanistan, Harry states that he flew on six missions that killed 25 Taliban members, whom he did not view as "people" but instead as "chess pieces" that had been taken off the board. He adds that "Its not a number that gave me any satisfaction. But neither was it a number that made me feel ashamed."[27]

Relationship with Charles and Camilla, Williams wedding, and Caroline Flack

Harry mentions that both he and his brother had agreed on welcoming Charless lover Camilla Parker Bowles into their family on the condition that their father did not marry her.[16] He alleges that Camilla "sacrificed" him "on her personal PR altar" to improve her own public image and leaked "minute details" of a conversation she had with William to the press.[28] He alleges that William "felt tremendous guilt" for not speaking up about their fathers affair with Camilla, and he had "long harboured suspicions about the Other Woman".[29] He adds that William was left "confused" and "tormented" as a result of the affair.[29] Harry also claims that Camilla had "played a role" in his mothers death because she had been "pivotal" in the disintegration of his parents marriage.[28] He likened his first time meeting her to "getting an injection" and added Camilla was "bored", partly because Harry was not Charless heir and could not be a threat to her desires for marrying his father.[28] Harry confesses that his father found happiness after marrying Camilla, and that he wanted both his father and Camilla to be happy, wondering if "she was less dangerous being happy".[28] Harry also claims that Camilla turned his bedroom at Clarence House into her dressing room as soon as he left.[30] He also talks about Charless experience at Gordonstoun, where Harry claims his father was bullied and "almost did not survive".[28] He discusses his fathers attachment to his teddy bear, which helped him through Gordonstoun and remained one of his favourite objects as an adult, a representation of "the essential loneliness of his childhood".[28]

In the book, Harry describes his role as Williams best man during his wedding in 2011 as a "bare-faced lie" as James Meade and Thomas van Straubenzee gave the wedding reception speech, which Harry felt was the right decision as he could have said "something wildly inappropriate".[31] He also mentions that he had a frostbitten "todger" at the wedding following his trip to the North Pole and was advised to apply Elizabeth Arden cream to it, the smell of which reminded him of his mother.[32] He also alleges that William was "tipsy" on rum hours before his wedding.[33] In the memoir, Harry states that months after breaking up with Chelsy Davy he was introduced to Caroline Flack, whom he saw for a while before press intrusion "tainted" their relationship "irredeemably".[34] He also denies having a relationship with Cameron Diaz despite tabloid rumours.[35] He mentions that Britons "among the most literal people on the planet, were also the most credulous" when it came to believing tabloid rumours.[13]

Relationship with Meghan and fatherhood

Harry states that on the day he had his first date with Meghan Markle, he was out at sea for a racing competition on a boat that had no toilet and he wet his pants. Harry mentions how he regretted searching for Meghans sex scenes on Suits.[36] He adds that during a confrontation with Meghan, he became "disproportionately, sloppily angry", after which she said she would not "tolerate" such behaviour and he needed to do therapy.[37] He states his brother subsequently urged him to further examine his romance with Meghan as he believed the relationship was moving "too fast", though Harry believed their mother had helped him find Meghan.[38] Harry writes that Meghan was asked by Queen Elizabeth II to select a tiara from her private collection for the wedding. He alleges that the Queens dresser Angela Kelly would not lend them the tiara later on as it could not leave the palace without "an ordinance and police escort". He claims that after they tried to contact Kelly several times she "appeared out of thin air" to hand over a release form and give away the tiara but "her eyes were fire", which Harry interpreted as a "clear warning".[39]

Harry claims there was a disagreement between Meghan and Catherine over flower girl dresses as Catherine felt her daughter Charlottes dress needed to be completely remade four days before Harry and Meghans wedding.[40] Harry claims Catherine told Meghan via text that Charlotte had "cried" when she tried on the dress because it was "too big, long and baggy", before being reminded by Meghan, who had taken a day to respond, that she was dealing with her father, who was ill and not going to attend the wedding.[38] Catherine agreed to take Charlotte to Meghans tailor and Harry alleges that he found Meghan sobbing on the floor once he got home.[40] Harry states Catherine meant no harm and then claims that she visited them the next day with flowers and a card to make amends.[40] Harry recalls a discussion about the timing of the wedding rehearsal, which involved his future wife allegedly telling his sister-in-law Catherine, who had recently given birth to her youngest child, that she must be suffering from "baby brain because of her hormones" as she had forgotten a detail about the rehearsal timing.[40][41] He claims Meghan apologised at a reconciliatory tea at Kensington Palace in June 2018.[40] Harry also blames his father and stepmothers household for giving away the story about Meghan and Catherines argument to the press.[13]

Harry talks about two signs that hinted he was going to have a child, the first of which involved Meghan singing to a group of singing seals whom he claimed sang back.[42] The second one involved Meghan taking two at-home pregnancy tests and placing the wands on his nightstand, where he kept "the blue box with my mothers hair". Harry mentions that he thought at that moment "Right, I thought, good. Lets see what Mummy can do with this situation."[42] Upon learning that they were expecting their first child, Harry mentions that he thanked "selkies" and "Mummy".[42] He also confirms that they announced the pregnancy to other members of his family on the day of his cousin Princess Eugenies wedding in October 2018.[43] He later on mentions that while his wife was giving birth he used a canister of laughing gas to "enhance my calm".[44] Harry also talks about Meghans miscarriage in 2020 and how they left the hospital with their "unborn child" in "a tiny package".[45] He adds that they went to "a secret place" where "under a spreading banyan tree" he dug a hole with his hands and buried the child.[45]

Stepping back from royal role

The book also details a confrontation between Harry and his brother William at Nottingham Cottage in 2019, which Harry claims happened during a visit by his brother who wanted to talk about "the whole rolling catastrophe" of their relationship.[12] Harry claims that William complained about Meghan, whom he allegedly described as "difficult", "rude" and "abrasive".[12] Harry calls his brothers grievances a "parrot[ing of] the press narrative" about his wife.[12] The two resorted to exchanging insults, with Harry dismissing Williams claim that he was trying to help.[12] Once they were in the kitchen, Harry alleges that William "grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dogs bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me."[12] Harry claims that he refused to hit back despite William urging him to do so.[12] He claims that while leaving William looked "regretful, and apologised".[12] He adds that he called his therapist and that upon learning about the incident, Meghan "was terribly sad".[12]

In the book, Harry states that his father wondered if Meghan wanted to continue her acting career as they did not "have money to spare".[46] Charles went on to support the couple until their departure from the UK,[46] but Harry states that his fathers main fear was Meghans popularity, which could overshadow him.[47] Harry also claims that Charles and Camilla did not like William and Catherine "getting too much publicity" either.[46] He then mentions how he did not expect to lose his state-funded security after stepping back from his royal role as his uncle Andrew who was "accused of the sexual assault of a young woman" was allowed to keep his.[48] He claims that the Sandringham Summit was a "fix" by private secretaries of the royal household, "three middle-aged white men" who had consolidated power through "bold Machiavellian manoeuvre", whom he refers to as "the Bee" (Sir Edward Young), "the Wasp" (Clive Alderton), and "the Fly" (Simon Case).[49]

Harry also recounts another tense meeting with Charles and William following the funeral of his grandfather Prince Philip in April 2021, where Charles stated "Please, boys. Dont make my final years a misery."[12] Harry describes William as "my dear brother, my archnemesis", before pointing out how for the first time he noticed his "alarming" baldness and his fading resemblance to their mother.[50] Harry mentions that during a walk with his father and brother, William wondered why he had not come to them when having issues within the institution, before adding that he should take up his complaints about the Megxit agreement "with Granny".[51] Harry mentions that he was disgusted by his brothers response, but William lunged, and told him he loved him and "I swear to you now on Mummys life that I just want you to be happy."[51] Harry stated in the book that he did not believe what his brother said.[51]

After being refused permission to be buried at Althorp next to his mother in the event of his death, Harry mentions that he has chosen the Frogmore estate as his burial site.[52]

Release

Spare on sale in London, 14 January 2023

The memoir was officially published on 10 January 2023,[9] having been translated into fifteen languages (German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, French, Italian, Spanish, European Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Greek, Hungarian, Finnish, and Chinese).[7][53] It was priced at £28 at launch, but in November 2022 major booksellers were announcing it at half that price, leading to criticism by small booksellers who would not be able to match the discounted price.[54] Five days ahead of its official release date, the Spanish edition En La Sombra (In The Shadow) was accidentally sold in some bookstores in Spain but was hurriedly withdrawn from sale.[55] According to Sky News, the English title "appears" to refer to the term "heir and a spare" – suggesting how Harry feels about his position in the royal family.[56]

Harry had three broadcast interviews to promote the book, all of which were filmed in California. An interview with Harry by Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes was broadcast on 8 January, as was an interview by Tom Bradby titled Harry: The Interview on ITV1.[57][58] A third interview by Michael Strahan on Good Morning America and a special titled Prince Harry: In His Own Words, were broadcast on 9 January on ABC.[59] All three broadcasters asked the palace for comments about claims made in the interviews, but declined to provide them with the footage due to their respective network policies.[60] H.