To be annoyed at Prince Harry's memoir title SPARE

[benisright]

I have zero interest in this couple who seem to enjoy making a living on moaning about how they are poorly treated in Britain. Just saw the headline news and the cover of Harry's memoir with his face and one single word SPARE.

Get a life for goodness sake. I'm about his age and never once thought of him as a spare. He kinda invented his own tale.

Absolutely.
I was just trying to answer the question about whether Anne would have been a "spare" once Princess Margaret had a son.
Your answer is much more comprehensive.

@benisright

"Every monarch needs an heir and a spare" is how the saying goes (something similar at least). Royals have a child and another one "in case" something happens to the first. It's to preserve the royal bloodline.

I suspect you are projecting your own issues onto the title of the book. The fact is "spare" isn't good or bad, it's just a word. How we interpret a word is down to us.

For me, he is the spare. That isn't a bad thing, it's just what it is. William has his place lined up and if he dies etc Harry would have been the default (until the kids were born obviously). Your "spare tyre" isn't any less a tyre, just that you aren't using it at the moment!

I'd suggest not reading it if this irritates you. Personally, I think there are many more important things to get irritated by than a word as a book title. Does it actually matter? I think that if it is as you seem then it's sad. He clearly can't move forward because his whole sense of self is wrapped up in victimhood and being wronged. Rather sad IMO.

I'm sure he'll be devastated.

Harry is very wedded to his own victim hood. He has no sense of irony about that. He is a bit like Kevin the teenager and is not known for being very intelligent or characterful. I think this book is going to be really cringeworthy and I think that anyone who cares about him will just tell him to stop and just live his life well without constantly playing the role of moody teenager. He is now a grown man with kids of his own and his behaviour is undignified and at times really embarrassing.

He clearly didn't marry a young, naive virgin himself though. The precise opposite actually. So lesson learned, tick on the therapy sheet. Boom.

"Spare" is the type of garbage upon which an LA therapist would base a string of expensive sessions. "Oh, we don't have that problem cos we don't have kings and queen/ What an awful word. Ewww'. I'm sure Meghan has already planned an archetype podcast on it!

OMG the price! 😆
They obviously don't want their charity cases to be able to afford it!

The royal family ‘second-in-lines’ of recent history have often struggled to lead meaningful, wholesome lives. Maybe Harry can start a trend for cathartic writing amongst those never really expected to reign, yet heavily scrutinised nonetheless.

Prince Andrew could pen ‘The Original Spare’.

Even Prince Edward could get in on the act with ‘Spare to the Original Spare’.

And Anne could go with ‘Hurrumph, spare me!’

Beats making money out of posh biscuits and letting the plebs into your castles.

@lemmein I didn't realise I had asked you how Prince Harry would feel about my thoughts. Do you know him personally?

So deal with it in PRIVATE then. Don't cash in on. If it is genuinely so traumatic for you to deal then why would you dish it out for public consumption? Regular people wont be able to relate to it so will have nothing to learn from it. They cannot even access necessary therapy in many cases.

The need for a forthcoming monarch to produce an "heir and a spare" is oft-quoted. I think it's a great title myself.

People love talking endless shite about PH and MM, but when they tell their own story the same people lose their shit and want them to be quiet 😅

Let me explain to you how the internet works....

JFC! You can't actually be that fucking dense can you. The life of the royals is shit beyond belief. The life of the second son of the future king, with two of the most toxic parents going, (I don't doubt both loved their sons, but being their sons would have been damaging.) Imagine being a pubescent kid and the entire country/world knowing your dad's sex fantasy was to be his mistress' little tampon. Along with every last sordid, seedy affair both of your parents had, including everyone speculating that you were the result of one of those affairs. Then your mother dies and everyone canonises her. So if you have complicated feelings about her, which you really would have to have, you can never voice them.

Everything you do gets publicised. Everyone you date, every stupid teenage mistake. You never get privacy. Then you and your new wife are black sheep of the family right at the same time as your ridiculous uncle, another 'spare' becomes known as most likely being a sex abuser. But you and your wife are made out to be the worst.

Money really doesn't equal a good life. Whereas fucked up parents, and a deeply controlling equally fucked up extended family and no privacy whatsoever, ever, pretty much does guarantee a shit life.

William shares the same parents yet somehow is managing very well .

He was the heir, not the spare.

And how do you know how he’s managing?

Plenty of people have equally fucked up parents and families but no money, no private jets , no (wasted in this case) expensive schooling, nannies, sycophantic friends, lavish holidays.
Harry had a massive advantage in that he had a big brother to lean on and later on, a nice sister-in-law. There is really no logical reason to be so damned angry and hateful unless somebody has distorted his perceptions regarding his past.

Harry always seemed to be so happy & carefree, much loved by his family, what has gone wrong? The life as a spare should be a much happier one, immense privilege without carrying the burden of responsibility.

For someone who needed privacy so much... he does work hard at getting media attention!

(Is publishing a book - and bringing a hail of opinions down upon yourself the best way of protecting your mental health? )

It's not a nickname.

It's the historical term used for the second son who won't inherit. Not one used by the family

Not especially nice but just shows what a chip he has on his shoulder.

Harry makes a very good living as a professional victim. Life is hard for him living in his mansion off the few million quid his mean old dad gave him.

Agree. Harry constantly comes across as a total bell end. Whoever is advising him is doing a terrible job as he comes across as entitled, spoilt, petulant, vindictive, nasty and out of touch with reality for the masses. Most people are struggling financially and cannot relate to his non stop self pity whingeing and so called problems.

However, whomever is advising him could be doing a great job - if they have ulterior motives and their objection is to make him appear like a bitter, troubled and angry man. This would work well for…. let’s say another party in a divorce and custody battle.

I also won’t be reading his booky wooky. The media is oversaturated with Harry and his Mrs as it is. They are forever invading our privacy and there is no escaping them.

Agree

It's being released the day after Catherine's birthday which is interesting.

This makes no sense and is really ignorant. He is his own person and the same events can have a very different impact on people and people deal with things differently. It doesn’t mean his perceptions have been distorted, it can just mean he’s an individual.