The closer the day of the appearance of Prince Harry’s memoirs in bookstores — January 10, 2023 – the more anxious the expectations of the members of the royal family and their fans become. Every new detail that appears about this book, published by Penguin Random House, raises new concerns. So, the other day it became known that Harry in his memoirs dwells in detail on the death of Princess Diana and the circumstances that led to the divorce of his parents. And now it turned out what Harry called his book and what its main theme is. And this caused even more alarm.
As reported, in particular, by the Daily Mail, the youngest son of King Charles called his book “Spare”. And in the Spanish version, given the subtitle En La Sombra, or ‘in the shadow’. At the same time, the Prince clearly meant himself as a “spare heir”, the younger brother of the future king — William. And Harry’s resentment that, in his opinion, he has always been in the background for everyone, including his family, as a figure of secondary importance, and became the main theme of the book. In this, the Prince, apparently, sees the root of all his problems. The fact that he felt undervalued, a “spare part” of the royal family caused an uncomplicated relationship with both his father and his older brother, whom the Prince, however, he does not admit, desperately envied. So the quarrel with his family, which ultimately led to his marriage to Meghan Markle, was only the final point in a long-brewing, but hidden conflict.
Judging by what the annotation says — “the book is written with fearlessness and uncompromising honesty” — members of the royal family should expect the worst from it. So Christmas on the eve of the book’s release, the relatives of the late Queen Elizabeth will probably not be the most fun. As the expert on the Royal Family Richard Fitzwilliams noted, Harry could not have chosen a more inopportune time for the release of his memoirs. After all, she will appear on the eve of the coronation of King Charles, scheduled for spring 2023, who, like his wife Camilla, will most likely look like a villain in the story of the death of Prince Diana’s mother. In his memoirs, Prince Harry is “critical of everyone and everything” and is sure to “get” other members of the Royal Family, including Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Note that, according to rumors, Harry originally planned to postpone the release of the book. However, two decisions of his father forced the Prince to change his mind. The first was King Charles’s refusal to give the titles of Prince and Princess to Harry’s son Archie and daughter Lilibet. And the second was that the coronation was scheduled for the date when Archie would celebrate his 4th birthday, which the Prince perceived as a sign of disrespect and a hint that he was not expected at the coronation.