Strangest bits in Spare…

[Motorcycleemptyness]

i haven’t quite finished it yet but I wanted to read a thread about some of the weirder bits of Spare, and I haven’t seen a thread where people were discussing those without the ‘H&M’ vs the rest of the RF debate. There are definitely some parts which have made me really question why they were included, and I was wondering if anyone else had any similar thoughts.

The inclusion of the imagery of the poppy fields, and how heroin funds the Taliban. Fair enough. We all know that. The rest of the book is one long ode to posh people taking drugs. Does Prince Harry think the cocaine he takes is gently knitted by fairies and delivered to him by unicorns? Do the drugs he takes not contribute to war and terrorism and misery across the rest of the world (and indeed misery and crime in the UK, where he is 5th in line to be monarch!) I found this quite a strange passage and I was wondering if anyone else had any thoughts, or am I just over thinking it?

Elizabeth Arden cream. ‘Mummy’s lips’. ‘Todger’. Why? But really, why? Why was this included? Why did anyone think it or commit it to paper, and then publish it? Why did I read it? Why am I typing it here? ARGH.

What he actually thinks the relationship between the royal family and the press should actually be. Only reporting true things? Someone had a photo of him taking cocaine. Dressed as a nazi. Calling his colleague a ‘P*ki’. He wasn’t happy, but it was all true. Should journalists not be allowed to report true things? Or should they only be reporting things he wants them to report? Does Andrew get to choose that too? What about everyone else?

What the actual royal family should look like. This was mind bending. He seems to be perfectly happy with the idea of the monarchy, an institution which is predicated on the idea that they’re inherently superior to the rest of us, and that’s their birth right, but seems to massively struggle to apply that to himself and William. If a monarchy is the best system, why shouldn’t the heir be treated differently to the spare? (I don’t believe it is the best system and wish we could abolish them all but I don’t understand how one can believe one but not the other!).

Anyone else have any interesting thoughts?

I agree. I was actually surprised when Harry described his single life of going into the supermarket to get his dinner etc, queuing up at the checkout. how does that work with security in practice? Did the body guards just stand outside the royal residences (Notting cott in Harry’s case)? Does he just open his front door to them and let them know when he wants to go out? Do they follow him round the supermarket?

@Allthegoodnamesarechosen so was Charles I. He was a navel gazing absolutist and it didn't end well for him...

Where do they sleep as well? Do they have a flat in KP? In which case can he just go out without them knowing? Questions, questions.

the number of times he describes returning to Nottingham cottage to find M collapsed in a heap on the floor in tears. It just sounds quite calculated on her part.

Thinking about it, where do the security team sleep who look after W and K? Not to mention Charles etc.

Yes the ‘mystique’ left some time ago. We no longer believe the monarchy is chosen by god they are just ordinary people born or married in to extraordinary circumstances. The monarchy is a business, it’s a family business just like you get in Korean family businesses where the family head is called a Chaebol ours are called Kings or Queens. But at the heart are flesh and blood people and Harry is hurting these people because he didn’t get his own way with his half in half out plans and the extra insult of people not being as infatuated with his wife as he is (or was).

Very calculated.

I don't think there are going to be too many details available on that (for obvious reasons).

I was actually surprised when Harry described his single life of going into the supermarket to get his dinner etc, queuing up at the checkout. how does that work with security in practice?

The same way it worked when Kate used to shop in Anglesey, at The Range, etc.
Doubtless they'll tell security where they're going - they could hardly accompany the RF if they didn't - but once out, the protection people can be very subtle (in fact it's quite fun trying to pick them out )

'I agree. I was actually surprised when Harry described his single life of going into the supermarket to get his dinner etc, queuing up at the checkout'

Yes and never a papped pic in the papers despite apparently non stop clicks and harassment.

It must have been very triggering for harry. He describes her collapsed in tears, suicidal etc. but it’s not media attacks that do it, it seems petty instances with the royals. I don’t know if she was diagnosed or what was happening there, but I do know as he is clearly very mentally unwell and they are both saying she was very mentally unwell too and needed iinpatient treatment it must have been so difficult , especially with a child in rhe midst of it all.

it Does seem she’s made a wonderful recovery though, which is great, and based in the timeline for recording the series , very quickly too.

This. I am amazed anyone thought they still had any mystique to lose!

Meghan gave out bags of drugs at her first wedding. Her father regularly smoked weed. I don’t think she and drugs are strangers to each other.

Oh yes, I forgot about the wedding drugs. Didn't know about her father though (or mother).

Maybe Harry's easier to handle if you and he are both stoned!

Still, I am seeing not telling her about protocol as a power play, even if it wasn't deliberate. It's exactly what my hopefully STBX did with me in social situations with his foreign family when we visited. He didn't plan to not tell me and watch me squirm, but when those situations arose, he was quite happy to watch and not prep me for the next situation. And that's on a very minor scare in comparison to the RF!

In one of the recent interviews, can't remember which one he said this

"The ginger gene is a strong one, the Spencer gene is very very strong, I actually genuinely thought at the beginning of my relationship that should this go the distance and we have kids there is no way the ginger gene will stand up to my wife’s genes but I was wrong."

Sounds a bit.... racist, no?

@daretodenim I honestly don’t think harry has the wit to be that devious. I think he is just a fairly useless partner or presumes everyone would know how to behave as everyone in his circle would.

@WillysHarold Yes. I caught that too.

I can't say I appreciate you suggesting I don't recognise how rude it is, so thank you for that. I wasn't making a judgement, I simply made a comment.

Honestly, the bare bones of the anecdotes he’s included are quite meh and dull. Because he relates them in a hyper manic tone that oscillates between grand gothic literature, trashy teen romance novel and self help manual
etc and because of his lack of self awareness, it’s funny. He reminds me of Alan partridge tbh. He has had access to things us mere mortals can only dream about. He’s a waster that’s squandered away so many golden opportunities. He has smokes and snorts his way through life, eats whole packets of opal fruits at once (for the hit), with women on a ‘conveyor belts’, hunting shooting fishing and drinking away - it’s a pretty unimaginative existence tbh. He also has something reminiscent of Patrick Bateman about him, the anecdote regaling reminds me of axe swinging Bateman waxing lyrical about genesis (that was his attempt of sounding on trend and hip cos in reality beneath the glitz glamour hedonism he was vacuous - just like the hero of spare). No way do I believe the editors / publishers / ghost writers would have axed the good stuff and kept in the inane tangents. This is the ‘good’ content. People are lapping it up cos it’s a comical farce, not cos it’s a spiritual social global awakening, where the plebs are freed from Murdochs yoke, rallied by the post-starburst come-down ramblings of a white privileged rich middle aged balding man posh party boy. Lampooning and satirising the aristocracy has been a long held tradition. Usually they don’t happily provide the material for the lampooning themselves.usually the price would never be high enough. Maybe some medieval peasants thought the royals held a ‘mystique’ but we’ve moved on quite a way since then.

@WillysHarold
no It’s unconscious bias 😉

Such a great thread OP. I've loved reading the whole thing. Totally agree with your thoughts on what does he think the press should write - so much that doesn't seem thought out. He reminds me a 10 year old child who develops opinions on how the world works. . . .

@Eyerollcentral
he was devious enough to cast aspersions and back track and land high value contracts in secret then spin it that he’d had his hand forced. He’s more cunning than he lets on

also are you feeling better ? 💐(I think you mentioned you were poorly)

Since when was ginger a race?

I am intensely irritated. by the use of the word 'nightstand'. Even if Harry actually used that word - which I highly doubt, I lived in the USA for 4 years and would always have said bedside table - the British editors should have fixed it.

It just proves the book has been written for an American audience.

Purely my guess, I'd imagine the Royal Palaces are guarded as one place.

Kensington Palace for example houses lots of Royals in their own apartments and Notts Cottage in the grounds. So it makes sense to me for the exterior to be guarded rather than the individual apartments and houses. Although I'd imagine they'll have intruder alarm buttons dotted about along with fire alarm buttons.

Not sure how it would have worked when William and Kate stayed on Anglesey as the house wasn't very big and Kate made a comment about not having staff on Anglesey, and finding nights tough when William was working and it was just her and George at home.

Sounds like a discussion about his future children's colouring.....where have we heard that before? Sounds like a little admission that the "persons unknown" who mentioned what colour the future kids might be may have been Harry himself, or someone with whom Harry was fully and happily participating in the conversation.