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?

No hugging here either. We’re highlanders and so are genetically unable to express emotion.

I know he put EA cream on his penis but what was the link to Diana?

Yet I've seen loads of pictures of Charles hugging Harry. Just Google.
Turns out Charles is no Highlander, but quite a hugger and kisser.

@BeaBachinasec As he massaged it into his engorged glans he was thinking of his mummy’s lips.

The pregnancy test and the photo of Diana.
Meghan kneeling on Diana's grave with her hands on the headstone asking for clarity and guidance.
Well, most of the things to do with Diana, really.

@Maireas I know - and I’ve seen pics of one of the Wales children sitting on his lap beaming. Recollections may vary indeed!

I have also wondered how the ghost writer (or any ghost writer) sees the job. Is it to capture the "essence" of someone? I think it probably is (alongside crafting a readable book), and he's succeeded spectacularly with all these petty entitled "poor me" anecdotes. Harry himself is too dim to know how he comes across (similar to Andrew) but Meghan must surely realise at least on a subconscious level what he's doing to himself? Jesus the dynamic between those two...

@DressingForRevenge -it reminds me when Harry said in an interview that he'd never been on bike rides with his dad, and it took about 10 seconds for people to find and post such images.

Agree …the picture is creepy.Cannot look at it !

I think, @Applesonthelawn that JR Moehringer is a good ghost writer in that he really captures Harry's grief and resentment and hurt - they're expressed well. Unfortunately, the pettiness and selfishness also comes across. He can only write about the character he meets.

I'm a working class Scot and don't hug one another either Unless someone is upset.

I even remember a colleague commenting on Aussie soaps that it felt fake because of all the hugging.

I agree with pp. My parents were Scottish and there was no hugging or kissing of anyone in the family beyond early childhood.

I think the best summary of this was Jeremy Paxman's in the Telegraph yesterday.

I'm not a fan of his but he summed it up well.

The anguished exclamation of a not terribly bright young man who got the wrong end of a not very clean stick.

And

I wish he would just shut up and get on with his life as a terrifically privileged young person.

What heroes 😆 how Spain must love them!

Yes about the organ donation thing...think he had read too much jodi picoult!

And just generally about the spare/heir thing. He legitimately doesn't seem to realise that
a) sibling rivalry is a thing generally and not exclusive to the royal family b) all the examples he provides seem to be either ludicrous (who got the bigger bedroom IN A CASTLE, or big brother ignoring little brother in school)
C) or led by him (being annoyed william got married before him, his "proudest moment" being when William has to salute him) or
D) or things he actually benefits from e.g. being allowed to go to the front line when william was denied, being allowed to wear the uniform and facial hair he wanted at his wedding etc. Yet when william gets annoyed (or Harry assumes he is annoyed because this is never actually confirmed) he never seems to think that this can go both ways!

It's like its written by someone who has never had any experience with any other families! Yet surely in Eton etc he would have grown up with lots of other "second sons". Same in his own family - both princess Anne and Prince Andrew were spares for a while. He specifically refuses to learn British history in school because there's no point in learning about other spares....but doesn't mention the whole reason he and William are so high in the line of succession was because the queen's dad was a "spare" suddenly thrust into the position, as was HIS father (George V), as was Queen Victoria who was even further removed from the "direct" line of succession. Finally I assumed there would be a bigger deal made out of the fact he isn't the spare now and hasn't been for nearly a decade!

All of that would have been a lot more interesting than whining about who had a bigger bedroom!

Around HMTQ's 50th Jubilee, H was asked by a courtier if he was using cocaine as an editor had a photo. H's response was to lie, bluff, deny and it was never mentioned again.

A rational person might think that was kind of the editor, and not very nice of Harry as it made the editor look like a liar. Because it was true - he had taken cocaine and there was very likely a photo. In Harry's head the editor is The Baddie in this anecdote (he slithers away) and Harry is proud of himself for playing a good game, comparing himself to HMTQ.

It's like reading 'How to make everyone else wrong' by Homer Simpson.

I listened to a phone-in on LBC about Camilla over a year ago. I can’t remember the exact debate was about but what struck me was the number of American women who rang in who seemed to have an idealised view of Diana and who cast Charles and Camilla as villains.

I’m wondering if they are his target audience.

I completely agree with everything you have said. Well said.

Especially, glad you pointed out about the drugs. The 25 Taliban he killed may well have been involved in the trading of drugs that he has enjoyed. Even if that's a massive leap, he should at least acknowledge that by taking cocaine and hallucinogens, he is contributing to hang level crime. He also appears to be not only condoning drug use, but advocating it in places. Awful role model for our kids.

I am not sure why he didn't continue with his army career - a lot of Spares did.

Queen Victoria's father was governor of Nova Scotia for years before he was recalled back to the UK to marry when there was a looming crisis with succession.

Obviously in centuries gone by Spares were often used to make advantageous dynastic marriages - so he can thank his luck stars he didn't suffer that fate.

That Harry didn't realise p*ki was racist and still doesn't

Harry looks like his Aunt Sarah. They have very similar features. He looks nothing like Diana or Philip in my opinion. Philip was really good looking. Harry has never been good looking.

I think all the evidence about drug taking has not been thought through. Meg would be able to divorce Haz anyway but his access rights to the children could be curtailed on the basis of his self confessed drug use.

I think YABU to expect someone who isn't very bright or emotionally developed to have coherent, well formulated ideas. Added to that, when someone is never remotely challenged, for their entire life, it's not surprising that they can't spot their own hypocrisies.

I'm not sure either. Andrew did 22 years in the navy.
But I wonder if the RF were trying to take some of the workload of PP & HMQ pushing it down onto Charles who inturn needed to push it lower onto Harry & William.

Since Harry had no access to money and his dear wife had to pay for the furniture, what I really need to know is: Who paid for the drugs?