Title: “SPARE”
Genre: Memoir
Authors: Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex. (Ghost Written by J.R Moehringer.)Published Publisher: Random House
ProceedsL Go to charity, and Harry reportedly earned an advance of at least $20 million.
Available: Kindle, Paperback, Audio ( Harry reading ), Hardcover:
416 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593593804
ISBN-13 : 978-059359380
Available on Amazon, bookstores and other online sites.
Reviewed by Margo Finke originally for Facebook
REVIEW:
DISCLAIMER: I have just finished reading Prince Harry’s SPARE, and the following is my considered evaluation of what Harry wrote.
Being brought up in Australia, and force-fed Royal stories from every magazine and newspaper, I remain a Royalist to this day. However, I now know the royals are far from perfect, and not the fantasy family I once believed in.
YES, Harry is far from perfect. Yet with the family dynamics he was forced to deal with, the outcome is not surprising. I believe this book is a true and honest account of his feelings - as he sees them. No one can tell you what to feel. However, the genes you inherit from past generations, plus your upbringing, have a great deal to do with how you cope with life. Harry’s genes are a mixed bag, going back over one thousand years, and his upbringing did nothing to ameliorate the family dynamics he was dropped into. He seemed a rather a touchy-feely kid, one who needed to give and receive affection and hugs, plus wanting to be accepted for who he was. This never happened. Not in The Firm, nor in the privacy of his “keep your mouth shut, follow Royal Rules, and suck it up family. Definitely a closed and tight-assed bunch.
Eventually, Harry did come to realize that his father, Prince Charles, had done the best he could. He often wrote kindly about him. Yet once they married, Camilla had his dad’s ear most of the time, and seemed to feed the press juicy morsels and outright lies.
Of course, like any large family, many rivalry’s simmered. Particularly between Harry and William (Wills). They all lived an outwardly glamorous life. The Royal Bubble was maintained by an entrenched group of titled handlers and underlings, many of whom inherited this job from parents, grandparents, and so forth, down through the ages. They advised the Queen, and made sure that they had final access to the royal bubble. A Queen of the Pyramid Project, based on outdated rules that never saw the light of the 21st Century. Harry and Meagan never had a chance! I am betting the Queen never knew the half of it!
* Both princes needed intense therapy right after their mother was killed. Diana dying, and Prince Charles not an ideal dad, added to the emotional mix brewing inside Harry’s psyche! Not one in his immediate family seemed to care – they were all islands, intent on their own concerns. Sadly, this can happen in the best of families. It was finally Meagan, and a few of his closest friends, who found him the right therapist. His closest friends and confidants were army mates, his trusted bodyguards, plus college mates.
* The British press created a nightmare scenario, intent on doing and saying whatever sold papers – illegal or not.
* As young men, both princes should have been helped to learn the realities of “real” life and the world in general.
* Acting as the Queen’s ambassadors in other countries, plus learning to appreciate that most people did not have their advantages, should have been ldrumed into them both early on.
* So, along with the good things they have both accomplished, far too often partying and drinking showed up in Harry’s memoir. A classic case of the Devil making work for idle hands. As a kid and a young man, Harry seemed woefully unformed about the ordinary world and what went on outside the palaces he lived in. His education did not cover what a man in his position would need to deal with. And much of his early school life seemed a nightmare - bullying etc. His family let him down!
As the acknowledged Spare, his education should have included choices for his adult life – ones he felt comfortable with. His long stint in the armed forces was successful, and gave him purpose. He was good at it, and that gave him a measure of much needed confidence. The Firm did nothing to stop the press hounding him and Meagan with outright lies. This inaction was shameful and extremely callous. A more caring family would have stood by them and offered help and comfort. I can appreciate why Harry hated the press, as well as how they treated Meagan.
His families inattention and neglect brings to light the Nature versus Nurture analogy. If Princess Diana had lived, would her love and care have helped Harry cope with the negatives that faced him? I can only hope so. I wish him peace and continued love in the future.
More About the Reviewer
Margot Finke is the author of Magic Carpet of Books + Content Editing and Writing Guidance and offers autographed GIFT Copies on request at (mfinke@frontier.com) . She also wrote Secrets of Writing for Children. Find her at
* Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/margot-finke-1a73608/ * Alignable - https://www.alignable.com/newberg-or/margot-finkes-world-of-books-for-children
She is the accredited author of this review and it is reprinted with her permission
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