Book Review-Spare

Spare by Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex is a riveting read. It has a detailed account of his interview with Oprah Winfrey, explaining the events leading to his stepping down from royalty. However, it holistically includes the exhilaratingly happy, excruciatingly sad, and stifling mundane moments. The book is a raw memoir that spreads out his thirty-eight years of age. It has a prologue, 87 chapters divided into three parts, and an epilogue published by Penguin Random House LLC in January 2023. The prologue begins after the funeral of Prince Philip, former Duke of Edinburgh, in the Frogmore gardens, which hold the royal royalties’ burial ground. Prince Harry is waiting for his father-King Charles the third, and his only brother- William, Prince of Wales- to have a conversation that he hopes will salvage their fall-out.

He goes back to his childhood, where he had been happy and carefree fishing, shooting, and skiing. Nonetheless, he had always been conscious of his role since he was a kid since it was evident, even from the size and design of their bedrooms that he was spare and not the Heir. At the time, he was third to the throne, and his brother appears to have received preferential treatment and respect that did not match his. Sibling rivalry would only take a toll on them as the years passed. The summer of 1997 was a pivotal period of his time. During this summer, he received the tragic news that his mum, Princess Diana, succumbed to injuries in an accident in France when she was trying to escape the Paparazzi. This was when his long-lasting feud with the press and paparazzi began. After Princess Diana’s formal divorce from the current King of England in 1996, she was alienated from the monarchy; therefore, her burial had not been Royal Standard. Prince Harry admits that the current King’s consort, Camilla, had been a catalyst to his parent’s divorce, rendering their family dysfunctional. Princess Diana eventually met her lover, with whom they died in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel accident.

Prince Harry and Prince William attended Eton High school, where they led separate lives. He fancied rugby but had academic struggles due to his inability to concentrate in class which he attributed to the unresolved trauma of his mum’s death. After high school, he took a gap year and toured South Africa. He developed a deep love for nature and wildlife in Africa and even partook in wildlife conservation causes. In May 2005, he attended the Royal Military Academy and eventually became a devoted Lieutenant in the army and went to war in Afghanistan; however, he had to step down since he was a constant target of the enemies. The news of his clandestine deployment that the press had disseminated exacerbated his threat level. He felt distraught without being in the military, and an opportunity came for him to train as a Forward Air Controller and effortlessly flew the combat helicopter- Apache. During his time in the military, he addressed a fear that the British war with the Middle East was a vicious cycle that resulted in unnecessary collateral damage.   After Prince William’s marriage to Princess Kate, the pressure was amplified by the British tabloids expressing concern about his stale bachelorhood. His past relationships had been severed by the scrutiny and harassment of the press and his previous partners could no longer cope. He had come to associate royal fame with fancy captivity. In the last part, he narrates how he meets Princess Meghan Markle, who he refers to as the Captain of His soul. The press did not spare her, but their love was enough to weather the storm. They got married and became the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Her charisma and empathy during her formal roles and charities, particularly in the Commonwealth countries, earned her reverence and popularity like that of Princess Diana. However, her public appreciation did not reverberate on the palace walls as the Prince has demonstrated that excellence breeds envy and unhealthy competition. The press’s incessant tailing, hacking, and publishing of libels eventually made Princess Meghan suicidal. There were said to be moles in the palace who leaked confidential and personal conversations to the media. The prince complained to the private secretaries of the monarchy, but his grievances were inconsequential. The antipathy of the monarchy deeply gutted him, and he made a valid request to step back from the palace and tone down royal responsibilities. This request culminated in ridiculous misinterpretation, and he was officially cut off from royalty, denied military ties, and his family’s security detail withdrawn.

Spare is a book that disillusions the mind from the “throne syndrome .”There is terrible trouble in paradise that dehumanizes the royalties. Normalcy and autonomy are explicitly non-existent. The glamour appears superficial and not worth a dime. Prince Harry might not be the last to escape the matrix. There has been a concern in the UK that the throne is costly to tax-payers and the crown might lose its luster. The inbreeding of the royalty to preserve their “blueblood” has denoted a racist subtext. Prince Harry is a noble icon, evident in his statement that the book proceeds will go to support Sentabale Organization in Lesotho, Botswana and British Charities.

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