“I love my Mother Country, and I love my family, and I always will. I just wish, at the second-darkest moment of my life, they’d been there for me too. And I believe they’ll look back one day and wish they had too.” – 4.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: true love, the Afghanistan war, tabloids, wild elephants, Africa trips, loss trauma, the British monarchy, sibling fights, security, paparazzi, addiction, car crashes, new nicknames, grief, spotlights, secret dates, tiaras, funerals, charity events, an heir and a spare.

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.

I had to wait before I wrote my thoughts about this book because I had a lot of mixed feelings. Now that some time has passed, I’m more comfortable giving you my opinion, so here we go!
Let me start by saying that I was never obsessed with the British Royal family, but I always looked at them with curiosity. Especially when I heard Harry was “turning his back” to his family and moved with Meghan to the U.S. I wasn’t sure about his true position and what happened for him to move to another continent. Now that I’ve listened to the audiobook version narrated by Prince Harry himself, I understand a little better what happened.
I appreciate Prince Harry being vulnerable and open about his life and relationships. It’s a very open and emotional memoir where he shared some of his most personal experiences and struggles. He mentions his mother a lot and it’s obvious he is still struggling with her passing. He went through a lot since he was a kid, and he had to do it in the public eye, which I can only imagine how hard it must have been.
This memoir has a lot. He not only talks about his family (brother, mother, dad, grandparents) and being part of the Royal Family, but he also talks about the time he spent in Africa, in the North Pole, and fighting in Afghanistan, as well as how it was to meet Meghan and his experience as a father… and of course, the press.
In this book I’ve learned that the British press is ruthless. It’s scary how he was constantly harassed and even had his life threatened because of the press.
Sometimes he overshared a little – I’m sure you know or at least heard about this -, so I think some things should’ve been kept private.
Now the reason why I had mixed feelings was because of his relationship with his brother and father. I think it’s important to keep in mind that we are only reading about his side of the story, so we don’t actually know if this is the truth or not. They obviously have a very difficult and tricky relationship, but I’m still amazed with the way he talked about his father. I think most of us were surprised that he talked about king Charles so dearly and with so much love. Or maybe that’s just me, but I truly wasn’t expecting that. It’s also clear he loves them – not Camilla though lol.
This was probably one of the saddest memoirs I have ever read for different reasons. The trauma, their relationships, how repressed they all are, how disconnected they are – the list is endless. It was useful to me because I learned a lot about the British Royal Family and it gave me a glimpse into their world. It’s a very interesting read, and I definitely recommend it. Just keep an open mind!