After reading Spare by Prince Harry, I now have a new look at Prince Harry’s life and how certain events have affected his relationships with family and friends… and even himself. Here are my 4 takeaways from the book!
The tabloids are a horrible group of people – The tabloid press is known for publishing fake stories about celebrities and for royalty it is even worse. According to the book, Harry can remember the press going after his mom and seeing the pain it caused her firsthand. He recalls the many times paparazzi were chasing their car or disturbed them on vacations. In his adult life, he recalls times when the press came after him and his family.
He says that the Army was the perfect fit for him – He says that he was young and did not know what he wanted to do in his life and the Army provided a direction as well as friends for life. Unfortunately, he experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after coming home.
He and his brother (Prince William) were close during childhood but have drifted apart in recent years – Much of their arguments started in the months leading up to Harry’s wedding. Arguments like what military uniform Harry wore and whether or not he was allowed to keep his beard for the wedding were among the topics argued. Today, according to the book Harry is still on shaky ground with his brother but loves him unconditionally.
Losing his mom at a young age still affects him to this day – suddenly losing his mother when he was just 12 years old affects him to this day. In recent years he has gone to therapy and tried other homeopathic remedies to treat his grief and also the post-traumatic stress he experienced from his years in the military. He also revealed in the book that he only cried at the burial and did not cry for many years after.
Personally, I think this book helped him, not just tell his side of the story, but also get things off his chest. Much of this book included narratives of experiences he had with the paparazzi and the British tabloid media. He highlights the negative effects that it has on his life. Overall this book is a must-read if you are an Anglophile like me!!