Inconsistencies in Spare over hearing about Queen Mother's death

[Ridemeginger]

Harry writes that he found out about the Queen Mother's passing away (in March 2002):

"At Eton, while studying, I took the call. I wish I could remember whose voice was on the other end. A courtiers I believe. I recall that is was just before Easter, the weather bright and warm, light slanting through my window, filled with vivid colours. "Your Royal Highness. The Queen Mother has died." "

News reports at the time reported he was skiing in Switzerland with Charles and William. The Queen Mother died on 30 March 2002. Easter Saturday. He wouldn't have been at school.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/622457.stm

Recollections may vary, indeed! I doubt very much Harry would have taken the call if he's been with his father.

Didn't the editors do any fact checking?

You need this!

Book of People I Want To Punch In The Face

I am not saying he confused the instances. I am saying that, in the mind of a twelve-year-old, the dates became confused. It seems a rather minor detail for everybody to have got up in arms about. Irrelevant of his relationship with Princess Margaret, hearing of her death in such a cold manner must have had an impact on him, as it would any twelve-year-old. That this minor inconsistency seems to have become the banner-waving extract for those looking to pull apart the book is what I don't understand. I have only read the first few chapters of the book, so, at this time, cannot really comment on it. Once I have finished it, I'm sure I'll better in a better place to comment. But, unlike the others in the comments section who have, undoubtedly, finished reading it, I'll refrain from comment until then.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1900063.stm

Pictures and extensive discussion with and about Harry being there

Yup, in 2002 when we were all living in caves with no electricity. No rolling 24 hour tv news, no BBC, no internet. All of the sites people have linked to have misunderstood, and colluded, and falsified pictures and copy. And gone back and recreated the websites of the time to make out Harry to be a fibber.

Or maybe, just maybe, he's misremembering the whole thing, or lying.

And the idea that this is "trolling" and that those of us posting are PRs or journos in the pay of the Royals is just batshit.

Meghan and Harry during the pastor’s sermon

Are you seriously saying that every single one of those reports is incorrect, even the Swiss reporters? How on earth could they have universally got their sightings of three members of the Royal Family so wrong, especially when reporting on how the news of their grandmother's death had reached them? And how and why did they forge the date stamps on the photos? Are they supposed to have known back in 2002 that they might want to use them to trash Harry's memoirs over 20 years later?

On what basis do you contend that Harry must have been in school on Easter Saturday when it was closed for the Easter holidays?

A house plant, so she could kill it with a look.

He was 12 when his mother died - The QM died five years later, so he would have been 17. Old enough to remember basic details I would have thought.

He was a child with two deaths less than two months apart in the family. So getting confused between the two is natural

He was nearly eighteen. If he can't tell the difference between a great aunt and a great grandmother dying six weeks apart then clearly his mental issues started earlier than we realised. And if he WAS confused then a simple check on the internet when he was writing it would have cleared that up. It's called 'research and fact checking.'

I think this is a very good example of “some recollections may vary”. I don’t think he meant to lie, but this is so obvious that it calls into question other parts of the book.

However, the fact that complete strangers can very quickly fact check his movements in 2002, together with the fact that he had recently been caught taking drugs, does illustrate that his life has always been different to the norm.

He was not 12. He was born in September 1984, in March 2002 he was 17 and a half.

Wasn't he 17?

It's not a minor inconsistency, but it does show that his memories aren't exactly reliable. He's forgotten who told him, where and that it was face to face. He's also forgotten flying home with his dad and brother together which was unusual

yeah, whatever...

He wasn't 12, he was 17!

It’s that evil twin again.
It's like The Man in the Iron Mask but with more penis

But he's trying to make out that he was emotionally affected by this because it was his great Gran, the universally loved Queen Mother. If it was actually Princess Margaret about whom he didn't give two hoots, then he's lying about the effect on him, isn't he?

You don't understand death do you?

My parents died close to each other. I have to check sometimes with my husband which event applied to which parent. Not large significant things, but smaller things.

I mean I think that the fact you’re so upset about this says how upset you are about the rest of the book.

If I supported the monarchy then I would be upset too.

The royal family won’t survive this & it will be a long time before they ever manage to turn their PR around.

He was a child with two deaths less than two months apart in the family. So getting confused between the two is natural

But apparently he couldn’t care less about his great aunt.

www.alamy.com/britains-prince-charles-c-and-his-sons-princes-william-l-and-harry-r-arrive-back-in-the-united-kingdom-from-their-skiing-holiday-in-klosters-switzerland-following-the-death-of-the-queen-mother-march-31-2002-the-queen-mother-died-in-her-sleep-on-saturday-afternoon-at-the-age-of-101-with-her-daughter-queen-elizabeth-ii-at-her-bedside-following-a-period-of-declining-health-image380970517.html

Would you like some custard with your humble pie?

But really this is just a batshit crazy attack Harry thread.

You don't understand death do you?

Not wishing to get permanently banned and simple good manners is preventing me from telling you exactly what I think of you for making that comment.

But he didn't get confused and remembered clearly the momentous event of receiving a fish biro for Christmas.

The royal family won’t survive this & it will be a long time before they ever manage to turn their PR around.

If you say so.

I guess we all react differently to grief. I was almost forty when my mother died, and, yet, still, much of that period is foggy in my head. Even now, years later, I find bits difficult to put in chronological order.