Spare by Prince Harry

 

"Pa and William could never be on the same flight together, because there must be no chance of the first and second in line to the throne being wiped out. But no one gave a damn whom I traveled with; the Spare could always be spared.”― Prince Harry, Spare

I'm not sure how to review a memoir, I don't read many of them. With fiction I can usually pick apart the points be they good or bad, or criticize the shortcomings if they exist, but how do you review the pieces of someone's life? I really liked this book, but is it because I have a curiosity about royalty or because it was a book of substance?

Spare opens with Harry's childhood and his mom's early death. First let me just say, I can't imagine growing up with people referring to me as a "spare" like, "Hey, you, you're extra, and probably a little unnecessary." What a toxic way to raise a child, no wonder he needed to get away. His mom's death shatters his world; he makes himself believe that she has gone into hiding. His greatest desire is to be normal, when he isn't, and to be unharassed, a desire that will be ignored by the same paparazzi that hunted his mother down. His mother's death had an impact on his development not just as a child, but as a person, and his run-ins with the paparazzi impacts absolutely everything else.

The book covers his early years, his time in the service, his constant clashes with the paparazzi, his whirlwind romance with Meghan Markle and the feud that began when they married, and a growing sibling rivalry. I will say on the sibling rivalry, Harry blames William for the majority share of the animosity, and I doubt that that's a fair view...They were probably equally competitive although that's speculation on my part, but no way does your own father call you "the spare" and that doesn't leave you with a need to prove your worth.

I enjoyed this book. As stated, I'm curious about the royal family probably because they do show up in trashy tabloids so often (I don't read them, but I'm not blind.) I think it's well written, and I appreciated how candid the story is; Harry doesn't shy away from talking about his more embarrassing public flubs, drug use, toxic family dynamics, or penis problems. He's actually led a really interesting life despite tragedy and public opinion haunting his footsteps, or maybe because of it? And I liked getting to know him, in his own words.