Spare

by Prince Harry

Publisher: Random House
Ginasbookreport Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Memoir / Non-fiction
Read This If You Love: Autobiographies

“Carpe your diem while you may.”

Spare is a heartbreakingly raw and personal story of someone the world thinks we know, but (spoiler alert) we don’t. A rare look at the inner-workings of one of the world’s most public families is what will entice a lot of readers to this book. However, this is one man’s story of his life…a life that at 38 is packed full of complex experiences. While so much has been made of his statements about his family members, I was struck by the honesty of his daily life—eating dinner over the sink and being lonely, dealing publicly with grief and anxiety, and finding a way to carve out his own life when so many expectations lay on his shoulders. 

My number one takeaway is that Harry has done tons of therapy work to deal with trauma and family dysfunction. I dare say that his family is like a lot of families when someone “changes” through therapy…it upsets their status quo and makes them uncomfortable. He makes it clear that he still loves his family. He also takes a clear stance on the British tabloid press. (After hearing all of his stories and perspectives, he’s much more forgiving than I would be!)

Blisteringly upfront about all that he has seen and experienced, I found the book to be a binge-worthy read. At times, I was really touched by how open Prince Harry was in sharing emotions that we all can relate to, but are so hard to openly discuss. We all remember or have seen the video of him as a young son walking behind Princess Diana’s coffin. To hear about his loss of his close friend via a car accident elevated that picture of grief to me. One loss in such a tragic way is devastating, but to have two losses in such a way…gut wrenching. It really brings into focus his strong desire to do everything in his power to protect his wife, children, and his own life. 

This book is everywhere and so are snippets of the content. However, you should bear in mind that a lot of that coverage is from the very tabloid journalists that he meets head on with accusations in the book. Take it all with a grain of salt and just read the book for yourself before you draw conclusions. I consumed the book via audiobook, which I feel added so much to the experience…his story, in his own words, in his own voice. 

I’ve always found the royal family fascinating, while still acknowledging the major issues of colonialism. There are members I find admirable, namely Diana, Harry, and Meghan, and there are members I find sooooooo cringeworthy. So many people fall into this category of finding the family interesting. Otherwise, The Crown wouldn’t be so successful. If you have watched any of Prince Harry’s book tour interviews, you will hear that one of the main reasons he wanted to release Spare is to put his first-hand account out for the historical record. While shows like The Crown are fictional accounts about historical events, wouldn’t you want to put out your own narrative if you thought someone might make a show or movie about your life? (Especially when the rest of your family literally have members on staff that are paid to release information to the press.)

Spare has parts that are incredibly sad, but it also has sections that are uplifting and show an example of how to find light out of the darkness of grief and trauma. One of the final lines in the book really struck me and summed up the entirety of Spare:

“It really all begins with a struggle for freedom.” —Prince Harry said about the birth of his son.