Spare Hardcover – January 10, 2023

I'm a 35 year old American and all I knew of the Royal family before Meghan married Harry was that my parents were sad when Diana died and that the grocery store checkout magazines always had headlines about them. I was kind of drawn in and charmed by the idea of them accepting Meghan and how pretty and warm she always looked (I remember sending a picture of her in a pale pink dress with a matching jacket when she was pregnant with her son to my group chat with a note about how oh my God she is the most gorgeous human ever) and it made me sad and angry when like...all of the media over there seemed to hate her all of a sudden. But even though I felt bad for her I never had strong feelings about Harry, he was just kinda there. Now? I freaking love Harry. Harry and Meghan fan for life. LIFE.I am shell-shocked at how freaking real and good this book is. I saw so many headlines leading up to the release that made the book sound like a (super fun tbh) mean and petty silly little airing of grievances. And instead it's this incredibly thoughtful, fair, raw depiction of both his family and his life. It kind of blows my mind the royals were so short sighted they willingly gave up what appears to be the only one among them with an ounce of emotional intelligence. He and Meghan are both so sincerely self-deprecating and open and honest and they contrast so dramatically against his family. The rest of them seem so stilted and fake and political and sneaky in comparison.How honest he is about his insecurities and ambitions and hopes and dreams and embarrassments is kind of stunning. Openly acknowledging what is complicated about England's history. Confessing freely to his own limitations in so many ways like Eminem in the battle scene in 8 Mile is ridiculous but kind of effective?! Like....he isn't pretending not to be upset about being thought stupid, about being a spare, about being single, about so many things. He's human and it hurt and I respect him for not doing the pretending to be unbothered thing.Also, he is insanely fair to his family. Far more than they seem to deserve!. He is so freaking kind to them. Going out of his way to defend Kate and Will from tabloid gossip and repeatedly explain why things that were said about them or done to them were unfair and untrue. He acknowledges being emotionally unavailable, even to his brother who would want to discuss their mother at times. He even defends his dad's reasoning on so many things and makes him seem bumbling and ineffectual rather than like the indifferently cruel and disinterested father he seemed like he must be before.Reading this book is the closest I have ever come to having any sympathy at all for the rest of the Royal family. They just seemed like cold selfish remote awful little rich people before but Harry's book makes them seem more human and likable and normal. Like people who if they hadn't been born to this might have actually stood a chance of being halfway decent but they were born into this and now they've just leaned into being unbearable cartoon villains for forever.The description of the bee, the fly, and the wasp? How he used to grocery shop? Such good writing. And him being painfully honest about him having mom issues and looking for mother figures and wanting to make people laugh and looking for signs in things. I know they're being mean about it in some headlines and I don't believe in signs or astrology or psychics or whatever myself but I know a lot of people who do. I think it's kind of normal and human after a big and unexpected loss. My friend lost her 12 year old son to an asthma attack that stopped his heart and she is constantly on the hunt for "signs". Connections, coincidences, messages.He's even fair about his mom. You can tell he knows he kind of puts her on a pedestal but he acknowledges she was imperfect, especially when he talks about her insecurity over them loving their nanny. I think the main takeaway from the book for me is how sad I feel for him. Because he seems to love everyone in his family for who they are. He sees them clearly, their flaws and weaknesses and strengths, and loves them. And you can just tell it wasn't ever reciprocated. Because none of them seem capable of loving him back."How lost we are, I thought. How far we’ve strayed. How much damage has been done to our love, our bond, and why? All because a dreadful mob of dweebs and crones and cut-rate criminals and clinically diagnosable sadists along Fleet Street feel the need to get their jollies and plump their profits—and work out their personal issues—by tormenting one very large, very ancient, very dysfunctional family."Anyway, it is a really good book. I really enjoyed it, read it super fast, and highly recommend.

This is an honest, heartfelt account of the life of Prince Harry and his unique challenges in claiming his true self, his freedom, and the love of his life.He is forthright about his feelings of the profound loss of his mother, his inability to grieve, and the impact of an emotionally distant father and family. He freely admits his mistakes, choices, and insecurities and in doing so allows the reader to feel his pulse — the heartbeat of an extraordinary and courageous man.He provides an account — previously diminished, distorted, fabricated, manipulated or controlled by the British tabloids and their palace cohorts and the Royal family — of the intense and often dangerous effects of the tabloids and paparazzi on his life, his wife Meghan and their family and friends. He explains in detail how this bizarre, dysfunctional relationship between the palace staff and the Royal family have with the tabloids functions, who benefits and how, why it exists, and even identifies the palace institution enablers who effectively manage “The Firm.”He does not bash nor condemn his relatives, as some might expect; rather, he presents a balanced view of his family, often with loving and affectionate recollections, yet is courageously forthright about certain family members’ behaviors, conversations and lack of support throughout his life and especially as it relates to his marriage.In spite of all that, it is quite clear he mourns his family but they made it impossible for him to continue in his role or simply as a member of the family. His loyalty is to his wife and family; he is dedicated to protecting them and helping them thrive.Further, it is at times terrifying to read of the lengths the tabloids and paparazzi have gone in stalking Harry, even during his combat deployments, and later how they were unrelenting in terrorizing Meghan, other relatives, friends and associates. It is also sickening to read of the outright lies, often fed to the tabloids by palace staff themselves, deceit and hurtful untruths spread to diminish the Prince and his wife in the eyes of the British people. Further, the book reveals how the Royal family were beseeched time and again to intervene, but refused to help, apparently so as to not negatively impact their public personas promoted in the tabloids.The book ends with hope and freedom, albeit with sadness.My reaction is that the book weaves countless memories, events and impressions into a cohesive, informative read. It is well written, compelling, thoughtful, introspective and at times even humorous and tender.It is a fair response and last word to counter the avalanche of lies, distortions, insults and untruths spread primarily by the British tabloids and permitted by the Royals without protest.I recommend the book highly and thank Prince Harry, aka Harry Wales, for writing it.