SPARE - Harry’s book release announced

[Rinoachicken]

So he’s called it ‘Spare’ and it’s being released on 23rd Jan.

I'm ordering a copy for myself a couple for family members

I used Spare as my wordle starter word

Wordle 495 5/6

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Ffs! 🤦🏼‍♀️

Wisdom!!

I will spare myself of reading this. What a waste of money. Have they bought the new house yet or are they waiting for the last instalment.

Perfectly put.

He’s an absolute man child. £14, it is already half price, would be much better donated to the food bank.

Well, I’m afraid he was the spare. That’s just the way hierarchy works, the next in line. There can only be one monarch, and then one line of succession. The other “spares” seem to have not only survived but actually thrived. It’s a very enviable problem to have- not a huge amount of predetermined responsibility and expectation but the same prominence with a real opportunity to use that unique platform to make a difference and carve out a role for yourself. I expect that’s what the book is about, but he didn’t have the know-how to do it, and has allowed his insecurities and resentments to take over. If he was ever made to feel less than his sibling, that he was inferior in the love his family have for him, in his place just as a son, grandson, brother, then that “spare” connotation is very different. I doubt that though, as the photos and words of his father and grandparents seem to show he was and is very much valued. If “Spare “ is how he feels about his role in life then he needs private therapy, to find a passion and knuckle down and get on with it and write the book when he has successfully made a difference on his own merits. He, and Meghan, simply don’t have the gravitas of his/their own achievements to carry the impetus of their philanthropic aims in the same way as others- eg, the Obama’s, where there is much to be admired about them as individuals. Instead, Harry still has to build that, but can’t because the only thing unique about him is his place in the royal family. So what next? How can they possibly move on without it? Who knows.

The other “spares” seem to have not only survived but actually thrived.

But you could argue Harry had a lot more going on to deal with than they did. I guess it depends how old you are as to what you remember but at one point the British tabloids were full of speculation as to who Harry's biological father was.

It is a good title. I suspect the trajectory will be:
Awful childhood with parents at war
His mother's tragic death
Feeling lost in and out of the army
The amazingness of Meghan
How the press and his family were mean to Meghan
New life in Cali.

I do feel for his family with no right of reply. Any half truths will become embedded in public consciousness.

Yes, Posey. That was horrible to watch. I can’t imagine what it would be like to endure that at such a young age. Just lost their mum in a shocking accident, on show, no privacy, all the ‘distraught’ public lining the roads, and it being beamed around the world.

No, I don’t think it is remotely mad. From birth until about 30 years old he was the spare.

But he doesn’t spend all his time saying how bad life is. It’s certain writers writing for certain media outlets that say he spends all his time talking about how bad his life is, and those articles have been published over and over on different media platforms.

This is, I think, the first time we are going to be getting an autobiography written, (probably dictated, which doesn’t make it any less legitimate), by an immediate member of the current Royal Family and to which the individual has put their name. I can’t remember when this last happened, if ever. Yes, it’s going to be through Harry’s eyes, but it’s the nature of every autobiography to be subjective.

Harry is narrating the audio book!

The title is exactly correct that's exactly what Harry is in the royal family, as with any family like this the spare!

Yes, Posey. That was horrible to watch. I can’t imagine what it would be like to endure that at such a young age. Just lost their mum in a shocking accident, on show, no privacy, all the ‘distraught’ public lining the roads, and it being beamed around the world.

@Morestrangethings @PoseyFlump

What I found incredible, and I remember it well, was that Harry and William then went around shaking hands with strangers who had lined up around the palace. I thought that was a terrible thing to make them do and I remember Harry having to smile and say thank you to more than a few people, some who wanted to hug him. Walking behind the coffin was bad enough but the consoling strangers thing took it to another level. And even if you argue that it was the other way round, who needs a bunch of strangers consoling them when they have just lost them mother? That whole thing was badly managed by the Queen, Charles and their advisers.

I think a lot of people are forgetting that it wasn’t the Royal Family who were pushing the boys to come out and be visible, it was the press and the public. Fingers should be pointed at more than just their family there.

Also, both the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Fergie and Princess Alice the Duchess of Gloucester have previously published autobiographies. So this is not the first.

Interesting from Telegraph this morning:

‘The Duke of Sussex’s long-awaited memoir titled Spare bears striking similarities to the autobiography of tennis star Andre Agassi, which was written by the same ghost writer.
The cover of Prince Harry’s memoir depicts him looking straight at the camera in an image captured by photographer Ramona Rosales.
The cover of Andre Agassi’s autobiography, Open, published in 2009 also features a front on head shot of the former world number one.
Both books were written by ghostwriter JR Moehringer and also share another noticeably similar feature; their one word titles.
The author of both books, John Moehringer, 57, best known by his pen name JR Moehringer, is an American novelist and journalist. In 2000 he won the Pulitzer Prize for newspaper feature writing for his article “Crossing Over”.
He began his journalism career as a news assistant at The New York Times. In 1994 he became a reporter for the Orange County bureau of the Los Angeles Times.
He has also published a biography of Willie Sutton, the American bank robber, which also has a one-word title - Sutton.’

ie he has employed a professional ghost writer to do for him what he did for Agassi et al.

Totally agree @MrsMaxDeWinter. Some posters on here have tried to argue that Harry himself, at 12 years old, 'wanted' to do all those things. But that's not how life works. Adults decide what is best, not children. That's why children don't have tattoos.

And it's irrelevant if Harry is no longer a spare. If he feels his whole existence was reduced to this and his mental health suffered as a result, he has a right to use the word. As I said before, no-one would tell someone they can't call themselves a victim after the abuse has stopped.

Why in this country do we think mental illness is restricted to the working classes and have no sympathy for say, well off people who are suicidal because they 'have it all'? There are enough examples of famous people who 'had it all' killing themselves.

Because Daddy ‘cut him off’ financially and he has scores to settle now.

@MariEllie

It was announced more than a year ago that JR Moehringer was the ghost writer. It's part of what makes this a book to look forward to, as Agassi's OPEN is acknowledged as one of the best biographies in the sports biography genre. Moehringer is an excellent writer, whose own memoir received critical acclaim. He also ghost wrote the memoir of the Nike founder.

Harry was smart to pick him. This should be very good.

Guy walks into our food bank. Wasn’t his fault he was born poor and he didn’t choose it, Harry. Wanna change places? In fact none of us probably chose the life we had till later at least. Now Harry has chosen he can’t stop moaning.

I do wonder at the age of some of the posters on here. For us oldies we have seen Harry grow up, seen him struggle and rebel. Winced at the tabloid headlines thinking 'god the children are going to read that'. Guess maybe it helps us to be more sympathetic when we've lived through the whole thing.

Absolutely no one is saying his mental health hasn’t and isn’t suffering, it clearly is. He is very unhappy.

He has the means to address this properly, unlike most, but makes terrible choices and makes matters much worse for himself. He could enjoy his family, his wealth and get help but he chooses to stay in the role of victim perpetually further compounded by his wife’s view of herself and then as a couple.

He has the means to really heal, look inward and focus on his family but he’s too busy cashing in on his ‘spare’ notion.

@MariEllie so because food banks exist anyone who doesn't need a food bank should shut up? If only the world was black and white with no grey eh.

but he chooses to stay in the role of victim

So couldn't you argue then that because he is a damaged victim he can't make rational decisions?