Review: Spare by Prince Harry

Hey everyone!
Today I will be sharing my review of the controversial Prince Harry memoir, Spare, with you all.

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GoodReads Synopsis:

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.

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My Review:

Obviously there was a huge hype around Spare, and very conflicting opinions on it, but personally I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I pre-ordered a copy as soon as it was announced, and began reading it as soon as my copy arrived. There has been so much printed about Harry and his life by so many people, and I just wanted to hear his story in his own words. I think telling your own story is something that everyone (especially those in the limelight) should have the opportunity to do. I’m not going to make this an overly detailed review, as there are so many points in this book that I would love to talk about, and this review would go on forever, so I’ll keep it brief.

This was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, and there was certainly a lot to take in. The book begins with Harry’s childhood, and obviously it was inevitable that not too long in to the book we get to the death of Diana, and the events directly before and after, and how Harry remembers them. The way Harry talks about his mum is absolutely devastating. The depth of his grief is palpable, and I don’t think I have ever felt someone’s pain so deeply through a book before. At times, it was extremely difficult to read, and at one particular section, I was crying so hard I couldn’t even see the words on the page.

In contrast, there was also some rather entertaining stories within the pages too, which had me laughing out loud. There were beautiful, heartfelt moments with his family, and also some revelations that genuinely shocked me. But the main thing I took away from this book was that Harry loves his family, regardless of what has happened between them, and his issue has never really been with them, but with the British media and their lack of humanity or care for others. Most of the problems within Harry’s life come full circle back to the British media, the tabloids, the journalists, the people that are more than happy to tear someone down or pit people against each other to get what they want. The way that Meghan in particular has been treated by the media is absolutely horrific, and honestly, I can’t blame Harry for getting his family unit out of the toxicity. Of course it has continued, but I really do hope that they have found a little more peace and happiness elsewhere, because I personally believe that after everything, they completely deserve to be happy.

I really enjoyed this book, and found it to be a very interesting read. I understand why a lot of people are opposed to it, but I do also think that there was a huge overreaction to a lot of what Harry said in the book. I think that it’s very important that if you’re going to read the book, to go in to it with an open mind, and if you’re not going to read it then to take what the media is spinning with a pinch of salt. After reading Spare, I noticed that there were a lot of instances where the media were taking small snippets completely out of context and making them sound completely different than what is actually in the book. The irony of that is that the media twisting stories is sort of Harry’s point to begin with, and part of his reason for writing this book. He wanted to set the record straight and to tell his life in his way, and that is exactly what he has achieved with this.

I give Spare a 5 star rating!

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