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?

Yes, I'm talking in H&M's gaps in knowledge and understanding of the United Kingdom's constitutional monarchy and its relationship with Parliament.

They bang on about 'the royal family', 'the institution' and 'the family', but seem to have little grasp of the constitutional monarchy and from where its largely symbolic powers are derived - the will of Parliament. Does Harry still think it's God, that there's an imperial cult, and that he's divine?

Harry with a Caligula complex. <shakes away image>

Re the curtsying thing - it would have been more believable if she had said she was always interested in and admired the royal family and look, here's a picture of teenaged me outside BP, so she was curious to know what Harry was like in real life.

And that in the early days of her relationship with Harry, she and Jessica M had a few wines and pissed about practising elaborate curtesys just in case she ever got to meet the queen. But that the reality was much more nerve wracking.

Or something like that - I mean I would be surprised if she actually said this, but not surprised it happened iyswim. It's more believable than not knowing anything about him or the royals.

Looks like Meghan is starting to work on distancing herself from the shitshow...

"It was said by a source close to the couple that Meghan was 'more wary' about the extremely personal memoir than the prince was, adding she may have raised 'gentle concerns'.
But, the newspaper reports, once Harry made up his mind to go ahead with the two-year project with ghostwriter JR Moehringer, the Duchess remained supportive.
'Is this the way she would have approached things? Possibly not', said one source.
'But she will always back him and would never have got involved in promoting such a personal project. This is about his own life, his own journey and his own perspective.'"

She’s pretty smart, top 5 per cent of population? If North Western anything to go by…

You see, I just don’t buy she thought she’d be Snow White or Cinderella at the conclusion of the fairytale in the land of milk & honey. She’s no fool. You read & research for roles very carefully & this was the life changing role of her life & she went in blindfolded? Any of us folk here would be pretty meticulous if in her shoes & asking lots of questions!

You’d read up,for example @AutumnCrow , you’re clearly intelligent & savvy. Who on earth wouldn’t do very, very careful homework if this was your new life. It’s like going on a trek in Sahara without equipment. Probably not going to end well…

Unless of course, your spreadsheet outlined a three month stint tops before retiring to sunnier climes (I wouldn’t blame her)!

I’ve said this before - I don’t know whether or not she googled. I know which of the two i think is more plausible...but that’s by the by. But as far as I’m concerned she should have googled the hell out of it once things got serious. She should have been learning and preparing. Not rocking up thinking she could just ‘hit the ground running’ and complaining when people pulled her up on not doing things the way she should or could reasonably have been expected to.

Top 5 doesn’t mean much imo. Much more intelligent than many in the general population isn’t all that, really.

But I accept that my idea of incredibly intelligent might not match others’, and I always say I’ll agree to disagree on that.

You have good points, @Peverellshire .
Interesting point - when they were first married I read a gossip post saying that Harry and Meghan were house hunting in California. I dismissed it - this was early on and they were about to move to Frogmore.
So who knows.

@Peverellshire I do get what you’re saying. And yes that angle could definitely be closer to the truth.

On A listers...well. It remains to be seen.

No one likes a laughing stock. And the truly elite do not like those who can’t be trusted to be discreet.

@hoooops interesting…

Bower states, I think, they both collaborated with the ghost on H’s book, from memory, which I was surprised to see put so openly.

Of course, some of it reads like Meghan has been influencing narrative & present. Her voice comes through.

We know she’s powerful & can influence H, so ahem, why not be v clear some parts ill advised? Poss she did & he took no heed?

How will things work out if M’s book is praised & lauded by the jet set & liberal, billionaire elite?

How will things work out if M’s book is praised & lauded by the jet set & liberal, billionaire elite?

I don’t think that’s very likely somehow.

@TangledWebOfDeception re: 5%, I get you & don’t fundamentally disagree.

@Maireas rain soaked/damp place that looks like the gate lodge or where staff housed [think it’s fab but you know my slant :) ]& it’s on the Heathrow flight path, did we mention that? Or, or… huge mansion in Montecito err, with perfect sunshine let me think for a moment…:)

Think how much fun you could have with the next series of the Windsors! :)

Thing is it’s a ‘starter’ mansion worth only 12 million or something…

@Blossomtoes doesn’t that depend on content & if she uses it to outline philanthropic next steps? Or you think that ‘ship’ has sailed?

How will things work out if M’s book is praised & lauded by the jet set & liberal, billionaire elite?

Oooh - he will look like even more of a liability than he does now.

She will definitely have learned a lot about what worked in Spare and what didn't. Her disadvantage is that if it's memoir-y and involves talking about her upbringing, her family are not quite so reticent when it comes to responding.

I think those people will be very, very wary whatever it’s like.

@Peverellshire

There is a difference between high intelligence and high achieving. Her podcasts showed that she’s not as intelligent as she things, a lot of it was verbose nonsense. The smartest people I know speak very concisely. They don’t waffle around, they hit their points and move on.

Meghan failed the entry diplomacy exam (according to her)

But she likes to research - remember the spiel about Philip’s funeral flowers.

The idea that she didn’t do any research for the ‘role of her lifetime’ is rather laughable

.....or that she had no idea who Prince Andrew was..🙄
She thought he was the Queen's assistant?!

@Maireas

And poor addled Harry thinking this was ‘proof’ she hadn’t googled the royal family 😀

... even though she was friends with Princess Eugenie before she met Harry (according to the Oprah interview)

@Maireas via Markus Anderson, allegedly when in interests of both to hobnob with the rich, the famous & the well connected.

She wanted to get with Ashley Cole apparently & was persistent- why him? & apparently Colin Montgomerie - what do those two have in common?

@Ohnonevermind yes, take your point, but intelligence is composite & she’s nobody’s fool.

Meghan apparently says she’s not good at exams, a bugbear & a weakness.

It’s interesting, isn’t it, that Harry says that he took Meghan’s genuine belief that Andrew was effectively the Queen’s assistant/servant to PROVE she was totally in the dark on the Royals & def hadn’t googled - see -proof, doubters (W&K)!

This says to me that there must be some doubt in his mind?

I can see the comedy sketch unfolding…The Windsors should def do if still going, it could be comedy gold.

@Peverellshire

perhaps she was getting mixed up with her character Rachel in suits who repeatedly failed the bar exam 🤣

There’s a thought…:)

Another anomaly, did they really say they were back in Frogmore 1.5 hours after the birth?

One part that stayed with me, was when he snapped at her, she ran and hid upstairs. When he went to find her, she asks if he heard/saw that behaviour growing up etc. He confirms yes. It’s such a minor detail, but to me v illuminating.apologies if I’ve mentioned it before, to me it’s v significant.The implantation of an idea, him eager to agree as it absolves him and, as he’d upset her, he would be keen to get her back on side by agreeing. Just begs the question, how many other times she’s gently led him to particular views that suit her ‘narrative’. It’s also interesting how much she puts him on a pedestal too. That he’s such a pure innocent even when he loser his temper it’s not his fault. That incident instead of being totally on him (which it was) is somehow placed at the feet of his family, it’s somehow their fault. Also, it ends up blurring what may have triggered his reaction in the first place. Several times they’ve alluded to cultural clashes etc. and that incident from what I can remember was excused by him as well as him misunderstanding her. Well maybe that was the case, or maybe it was something gas lighty (they’ve kinda done this to the genealogy public a few times where they’ve reworded something then claimed they never meant want they originally inferred etc). So again, more shifting the blame.

Also I don’t buy their excuse of cultural differences. We live in an increasingly globalised world etc. Lots of us in mixed cultural relationships and families. People travel more than ever, work for international companies etc. As were Harry and Meghan, lots of travelling and access to people from different cultures, working in different countries etc. If most of us can pretty much adapt to it, albeit with minor teething problems, which can be easily overcome, without falling out of with whole families and without having investigations launched for bullying launched into our conduct and without having to run off in dramatic flounces because of ‘cultural clashes’ etc - why did it become such a huge issue for them? I also find it patronising when they think the general plebs are so thick and lead such small narrow minded lives that we will believe that’s what’s caused so much rupture. It’s too simplistic an answer and v reductive of what’s actually gone on.

Also may I say, thank you for all the food for thought and laugh out loud moments whilst I’ve been recovering from a nasty bout of a strep infection. This thread has been a lifeline for me these last few days. Sorry for all the rambling, I’ve been feverish and high on pain meds most of time 😅

I think you're right, @comrad , also they really do seem to underestimate the general public, especially in their differing and changing accounts of events.
Anyway, I hope you're feeling better!

@comrad feel better soon. Agree & find it hard to believe H really took a smelly Nandos into the delivery suite in the Portland. Surely M will have lamped him, despite being in labour! Who could blame her.

He might be saying it to show how he’s like us normal folk but it seems to lack authenticity & as was said before the Portland has a menu? Hasn’t M weaned him off fast food & they seem to roast organic chickens a lot! :)

Why am I being reminded of the movie ‘Notting Hill’ - no babies but poss the misunderstood beauty & besotted chap.

Not wishing to go down the surrogate conspiracy rabbit hole but as I said before it really is pretty normal in her world to freeze eggs around 35. When the ship comes in & you finally land that plum role, but always plan to be a mother you’ve got options. I know those on set in Canada, less successful than Meghan, who are frank & open about it. Surprisingly so, I thought. Poss as less acceptable in UK?

Hypothetically, if Meghan decided to have one of her children by surrogate, as isn’t that controversial in previous life, I imagine she’d be roundly attacked.

Doesn’t that then make it difficult to be straight forward & honest about personal matters. Don’t ‘tell all books’ run the risk of blurring personal boundaries?