Spare

I'm not a royal watcher by any means but I am nosy and wanted to get Prince Harry's take on things, so I bought this audiobook. To me, Harry seemed to be one of the royals who went against the grain (not unlike his Aunt Margaret) and was unafraid to stand up for what he believes in - like his mother. You know there's a good story there.

Spare felt like it was a cathartic release for Harry, who still feels the effects of his mother's loss. I cannot imagine a life where every behaviour and word spoke was judged by others or being raised in a family who had rigid rules and limited emotional capabilities. In this memoir, Harry is vulnerable as he shares his most intimate moments of his childhood, his deep grief for his mother, his complicated relationships with his family and what it was like to live in a fishbowl.

This is an excellent book to listen to and I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much in print format. Prince Harry tells his story in his own voice and his emotion and humour come through. He gets emotional talking about his mother, and you can see how he continues to live in the shadow of her death but also in her compassionate legacy. You hear the excitement and love when he finds Meghan - not since his mom has he had such an uncomplicated and accepting bond with someone.

His relationships with his dad and brother are much more complicated, structured and rigid. There's a bond between the men (Camilla, not s'much), but you can see how their relationships are influenced by their roles and rank in the royal family. 

I liked that Harry spills the tea and shares juicy gossip about his family - his relationships with other royals, what life was like growing up with paparazzi hounding him (or making up slanderous headlines to sell papers). I found his brother and father's nicknames humorous and incongruous, and the sibling rivalry surprised me the most. Compared to his brother, the heir, as 'The Spare', Harry had more freedom to explore life, make mistakes and I think that took its toll on his relationship with his brother William who was raised to 'drink the royal Kool-Aid' from birth and didn't have the ability to make similar choices as the heir to the throne.

But Harry tends to lean towards oversharing with his readers. Did we need pages devoted to his frozen 'todger', his drug use or petty comments about his brother and their 'on again, off again' sibling rivalry? No. My least favourite part of the book was his long descriptions of his life in the military. I appreciate how proud he is to have served and made contributions to his country's military but didn't enjoy his long-winded war stories. 

Harry is impetuous and has made horrendous mistakes over the years and I'm sure writing this book has been liberating for him - to get it all out. I'm not sure if this book will benefit him or hinder him and his family in the future. I've always been confused at the vehement vitriol that some people have towards Harry and Meghan. After listening to Harry detail what life was like for him and Meghan, I cannot fault them for wanting to get out.

I'm glad I listened to this book, and I enjoyed getting Harry's take on things and appreciated his candor and his down-to-earth conversational tone which had an intimate quality to it. I liked hearing him talk about his relationships with his royal family, his love for his wife and children, his deep connection to Africa and his memories of his mom. 

Everyone will continue to have opinions on Harry, but I wish him and Meghan well and I believe their intentions to do good in this world. I hope by telling his story, his family can find happiness and some peace. 

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Author: Prince Harry

Genre: Memoir

Type and Source: eAudiobook, personal copy from Audible.ca

Narrator: Prince Harry

Run Time: 15 hours, 40 min

Publisher: Random House Audio

First Published: January 10, 2023

Book Description from GoodReads: 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 Diana, Princess of Wales, was laid to rest, billions wondered what the princes must be thinking and feeling - and how their lives would play out from that point on.

For Harry, this is that story at last.

With its raw, unflinching honesty, Spare is a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.

Prince Harry wishes to support British charities with donations from his proceeds from Spare. The Duke of Sussex has donated $1,500,000 to Sentebale, an organisation he founded with Prince Seeiso in their mothers' legacies, which supports vulnerable children and young people in Lesotho and Botswana affected by HIV/AIDS. Prince Harry will also donate to the non-profit organisation WellChild in the amount of £300,000. WellChild, which he has been Royal patron of for fifteen years, makes it possible for children and young people with complex health needs to be cared for at home instead of hospital, wherever possible.