Spare by Prince Harry was all over the internet when it published in January earlier this year. I wasn't originally planning to read it, but after all the buzz it was generating, I requested a hold at my library and read the memoir in March. I liked this memoir, but I think I had different expectations of what it was that led me to not love it.
The book tells mostly the life of Prince Harry, beginning with the death of his mother, Princess Diana, through his life as a royal, a member of the British military, and life partner to Meghan Markle until the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, at the end of the book. I'm not a loyal follower or enthusiast of the royal family by any means; I'm much more of a casual follower of the goings on of the monarchy. I appreciated hearing Prince Harry critique the British press and use this memoir as a way to tell his truth about his life, but I think I expected this to be more of a revealing tell-all than it was.
The memoir is told in three major parts with around 80 small chapters within each section. My favorite section was about Harry's relationship with Meghan, where he shares how they met, how their relationship started, and the significant moments of their relationship. This is also the part where I learned a lot about how controversial it was for Harry to date Meghan based on her perception, both from the British public in general and how she was meant to be perceived by British media, and how William and Kate are actually not as supportive as I guess I thought they were.
I think the book in general is paced very well because of the smaller chapters; this book is on the longer side, so the short bites were much appreciated to not consume a lot in one go. I also liked how Harry was really reflective of himself and admitted to where he fell short or made a mistake; it wasn't entirely a blame game on the British media and the monarchy as a system (even though the media probably deserves it).
I'm interested to see how this memoir changes or complicates the exposure we have to the monarchy from this point forward. Technically, Harry and Meghan do not have duties to the crown, but up until the publication of this book, the information we consumed about the royal family was very much controlled by themselves and what they deemed important for the public, and world, to know. I'm wondering if this book means that the curtain between us and the royal family will be drawn slightly more open or that more access will be granted as a means of connection to the beloved family or whether the impact of this book will have the adverse effect and cause the crown to shy away from letting the public into their lives.
Have you read Spare? I'd love to know what your thoughts are in the comments!
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