Spare by Prince Harry — Surprisingly Human

  

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Blurb: 

It was one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow—and horror. As Princess Diana was laid to rest, billions wondered what Prince William and Prince Harry must be thinking and feeling—and how their lives would play out from that point on.

For Harry, this is that story at last.

Before losing his mother, twelve-year-old Prince Harry was known as the carefree one, the happy-go-lucky Spare to the more serious Heir. Grief changed everything. He struggled at school, struggled with anger, with loneliness—and, because he blamed the press for his mother’s death, he struggled to accept life in the spotlight.

At twenty-one, he joined the British Army. The discipline gave him structure, and two combat tours made him a hero at home. But he soon felt more lost than ever, suffering from post-traumatic stress and prone to crippling panic attacks. Above all, he couldn’t find true love.

Then he met Meghan. The world was swept away by the couple’s cinematic romance and rejoiced in their fairy-tale wedding. But from the beginning, Harry and Meghan were preyed upon by the press, subjected to waves of abuse, racism, and lies. Watching his wife suffer, their safety and mental health at risk, Harry saw no other way to prevent the tragedy of history repeating itself but to flee his mother country. Over the centuries, leaving the Royal Family was an act few had dared. The last to try, in fact, had been his mother. . . .

For the first time, Prince Harry tells his own story, chronicling his journey with raw, unflinching honesty. A landmark publication, Spare is full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.

I’ll be honest: Spare surprised me.

I went into this book immediately after watching the documentary series, so I thought I already knew the story. I expected a rehash, maybe a little dramatized, maybe a little defensive. What I didn’t expect was how deeply human this book felt.

I was young when Princess Diana died. At the time, I remember the spectacle of it all—the news coverage, the shock, the collective grief—but reading about it now, as a mom, hit completely differently. Hearing that part of the narrative through Harry’s perspective was genuinely heartbreaking. You don’t read it as royal gossip; you read it as a child losing their mother and never really getting to grieve her in peace.

Throughout the book, Prince Harry comes across less like a prince and more like a man who desperately misses his mom. That grief clearly never left him—and honestly, how could it? Layer that loss with constant scrutiny, generational expectations, and the pressure of “the firm,” and it becomes easier to understand his fear.

His concern that his wife could meet the same fate as his mother might sound dramatic to some, but… is it? After reading this, I’m not so sure. The parallels he draws are unsettling, and it definitely makes you stop and wonder how much has truly changed.

Whether you agree with his choices or not, Spare offers a perspective that feels raw, emotional, and deeply personal. It’s less about taking sides and more about understanding the lasting impact of grief, trauma, and living a life where privacy was never an option.

Unexpectedly moving—and definitely worth reading with an open mind.