"Spare" memoir by the Duke of Sussex (2023)

[Queen Claude]

I think that Charles has expressed his "will" via the website. Shortly after HLM's death the website was updated to show (IIRC) Charles as King, Camilla as Queen Consort, William, Kate and family as "of Cornwall and Cambridge", the Sussex children's names did not change, they remained Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.

Then when King Charles gave his speech, he stated that he had created William as Prince of Wales and the royal.uk website was very soon thereafter updated to reflect the changes in titles of William and his family members, and yet nothing changed for the Sussex children.

I consider Meghan's discussion about titles for Archie / the Sussex children to be word salad because she conflated what Archie's designation would be at birth versus what it would be when Charles ascends - I do debate with myself whether she did that accidentally or on purpose. IIRC, and I don't recall her exact words, she did say something to the effect that in these discussions Charles made it known that, when the time came, it was his prerogative to do things as he sees fit.

 

[Denville]

She's very articulate if she could manage Grandma Diana, when she was just starting to say Mama and Papa

 

[Mirabel]

I'm not certain they would be booed at the coronation if they came. Everyone thought they'd be booed at The Queen's funeral and they were applauded. Perhaps because they were with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. However, when doing their walkabout they were greeted very warmly by the public.
The British public generally seems to be very polite to their royals with very few exceptions. I hope they don't come, as I dislike them both very much, but I still don't agree they'll be booed for sure.

Well, they were booed at the Queen's Jubilee.
I think maybe they weren't booed at the funeral because the public did not wish such a solemn occasion to be tainted by any disrespect.

Plus, the Sussexes still retained a measure of sympathy, which has mostly dissipated now.

 

[chelly]

Don’t forget Archie will turn 4 on Coronation Day; it’s his birthday.
Lilibet had her first birthday in the UK during the Jubilee and I can totally see H&M wishing to capitalize on Archie’s birthday publicity.

Or, they can use his birthday as a convenient excuse not to attend.

I thought they said Charles was only there for 5 minutes for the Queen's coronation. I can see George and maybe Charlotte being there but not anyone younger then those two.

 

[Hallo girl]

I thought they said Charles was only there for 5 minutes for the Queen's coronation. I can see George and maybe Charlotte being there but not anyone younger then those two.

The LQ's coronation lasted three hours at least, Charles was brought in for the actual crowning ceremony, not sure how much time he was actually there for, but nothing like the full ceremony.

 

[XeniaCasaraghi]

I hope that now they will keep quiet.

Fat chance. Harry is getting dozens of negative headlines and he will throw an even bigger fit blaming William for the bad press.

 

[caethi]

so is he saying that he now thinks the press are wicked people and anyone who collaborates with them, such as Camilla, are wicked? because he hisemlf is still chatting to the press, or at least TV journalists, isnt he?

In my view, he may profess that he has new insights, but his behaviour is evidence to the contrary.

 

[Prinsara]

The LQ's coronation lasted three hours at least, Charles was brought in for the actual crowning ceremony, not sure how much time he was actually there for, but nothing like the full ceremony.

He certainly managed to look incredibly bored for whatever length of time he was there, so even given the differences in temperament between him and, say, Louis, it was probably longer than "five minutes".

 

[camelot23ca]

The LQ's coronation lasted three hours at least, Charles was brought in for the actual crowning ceremony, not sure how much time he was actually there for, but nothing like the full ceremony.

I think George should be there, especially if they’re cutting the duration of the ceremony. Charlotte should be able to handle it, too. Louis - maybe, maybe not, but he could be brought in for a short period of time.

 

[Asteria12]

Now that Spare is out, I wonder what angle Meghan's next project will take? I thought I read somewhere that there is another book in the works by the couple, not specifically her, but it would make sense from the publisher's point of view to have one each from the Sussex's. Despite its selling rate, Spare is not exactly gaining a lot of respect for Harry. Meghan will want to do something to bring up the opinion polls. Perhaps it will be timed for release in May, to take advantage of the coronation. Personally I hope not, but they have a track record for that sort of thing.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Fat chance. Harry is getting dozens of negative headlines and he will throw an even bigger fit blaming William for the bad press.

Prince William is not the owner of a newspaper company. Neither is he a news reporter. Why would he want to take the time to give one minute of bad press to Prince Harry?

 

[Hallo girl]

He certainly managed to look incredibly bored for whatever length of time he was there, so even given the differences in temperament between him and, say, Louis, it was probably longer than "five minutes".

He was 5 years old for goodness sake,

 

[Prinsara]

He was 5 years old for goodness sake,

Which is such an obvious fact that it really doesn't need restating, not to mention it wasn't meant as a criticism? In addition, none of this has anything to do with the book.

 

[Curryong]

PrinceHarry?s #Spare has broken both of Barack Obama?s records for the fastest-selling non-fiction book! With over 1M copies sold on the 1st day & 1.8M sold the 1st week, #SparePrinceHarry now holds both records for units sold across all formats in the US & Canada!

#PrinceHarry overcame Barack Obama?s higher print sales with a strong performance in ebooks & audiobooks.

1st Week Print Sales (Bookscan):
A Promised Land 831K
#Spare 629K

1st Week All Format Sales (PRH):
A Promised Land 1.710M
#SparePrinceHarry 1.815M
- US 1.6M
- CAN 215K


Sources:

The Bookseller - News - First-day sales of Prince Harry's Spare in US and Canada top one million, says PRH

Spare by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, Sells More Than 3.2 Million Copies Worldwide in its First Week | Penguin Random House Canada

 

[Erin9]

"Spare" memoir by the Duke of Sussex (2023)

Now that Spare is out, I wonder what angle Meghan's next project will take? I thought I read somewhere that there is another book in the works by the couple, not specifically her, but it would make sense from the publisher's point of view to have one each from the Sussex's. Despite its selling rate, Spare is not exactly gaining a lot of respect for Harry. Meghan will want to do something to bring up the opinion polls. Perhaps it will be timed for release in May, to take advantage of the coronation. Personally I hope not, but they have a track record for that sort of thing.

Harry and Megan’s brand is so tied into them as a couple on multiple levels. They’re very us vs the royals, the media, anyone who doesn’t agree with us, etc.

Good or bad- what impacts one impacts the other. IOW- Harry’s book has cost (rightfully imo) both of them. They’re not Tom and Gisele. They don’t have separateness in any real way. Not in accomplishments or in how they sell themselves.

I do think in a recent article Meghan seemed to start trying to separate herself into her own Meghan Markle brand- but she absolutely doesn’t have one of her own. And, at the rate she’s going, I don’t foresee lots of success if that is her plan.

I frankly think it’s going to take a lot of effort to reverse the damage done. One of the reasons the book has caused such a popularity and reputational hit is because it’s far from the first of its kind for them.

If they really want to do better- they seriously need to stop whining. And actually do something substantial.

 

[Erin9]

"Spare" memoir by the Duke of Sussex (2023)

I just read the passage where Harry belittled Graceland- Elvis’ home. Not sure there is ever a good time for that, but now is an epically bad one.

I mean…it’s Elvis. It is a VERY popular landmark here. No need to criticize the home and decor in general. No one actually needs to know his opinion on the home of an American icon.

Did no one tell Harry that he didn’t need to talk about literally EVERYTHING that popped into his brain while writing this book? It would seem the answer is no based on a lot of over sharing, petty whining, etc.

 

[Prinsara]

I just read the passage where Harry belittled Graceland- Elvis’ home. Not sure there is ever a good time for that, but now is an epically bad one.

I mean…it’s Elvis. It is a VERY popular landmark here. No need to criticize the home and decor in general. No one actually needs to know his opinion on the home of an American icon.

Did no one tell Harry that he didn’t need to talk about literally EVERYTHING that popped into his brain while writing this book? It would seem the answer is no based on a lot of over sharing, petty whining, etc.

I'm afraid to ask what he said. Is there a precis?

Also, what kind of ethical editor would just publish whatever got said?

 

[Erin9]

I'm afraid to ask what he said. Is there a precis?



Also, what kind of ethical editor would just publish whatever got said?

Here’s an article that talks about it.

In this and some other cases- it’s not unethical to say what he thinks- it’s more of a matter of: was this a wise thing to say? Are you going to come out of this book looking better by readers- or worse? Harry is pretty clearly the latter.

https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/music/1724165/Prince-Harry-Elvis-Presley-Graceland

 

[Sionevar]

I'm afraid to ask what he said. Is there a precis?

Also, what kind of ethical editor would just publish whatever got said?

Here's what he wrote:

People variously called the house a castle, a mansion, a palace, but it reminded me of the badger sett. Dark, claustrophobic. I walked around saying: The King lived here, you say? Really?

I stood in one tiny room with loud furniture and shag carpet and thought: The King’s interior designer must’ve been on acid.

 

[Prinsara]

In this and some other cases- it’s not unethical to say what he thinks- it’s more of a matter of: was this a wise thing to say? Are you going to come out of this book looking better by readers- or worse? Harry is pretty clearly the latter.

It is kind of unethical to just publish whatever is said with no apparent discretion or editing. Sure, there may have been a directive that whatever came out of his mouth would make money, but that's manifestly not doing an editor's job. A responsible one says "you know what? Maybe this shouldn't go in the book."

That being said, the Graceland thing is far and away from being controversial. Elvis is an icon, but a LOT of people have called Graceland tacky. Harry's not getting points for originality.

 

[Erin9]

"Spare" memoir by the Duke of Sussex (2023)

It is kind of unethical to just publish whatever is said with no apparent discretion or editing. Sure, there may have been a directive that whatever came out of his mouth would make money, but that's manifestly not doing an editor's job. A responsible one says "you know what? Maybe this shouldn't go in the book."

That being said, the Graceland thing is far and away from being controversial. Elvis is an icon, but a LOT of people have called Graceland tacky. Harry's not getting points for originality.

True. I can think of a lot of things he said that really shouldn’t have been said.

I don’t think this necessarily was a controversial thing to say. It was a rather nasty way of saying he didn’t like the place imo. That he was unimpressed. It was thoroughly unnecessary commentary too.

It’s not my taste in decor either, but I’m not going to go and say the decorator must have been on acid. (Kind of rich coming from him.) Or talk about how small it is.

If he felt he just had to comment on the home at least say something basic- not really my taste or a place very much of its time- which it is. (I’d have suggested just saying nothing personally.) But he doesn’t do that. He has to go the extra mile to REALLY get his point across. He sounds like a jerk to me. I guess that’s the bottom line.

It reminds me a bit of him talking about Lupo barking at him and Meghan like they were robbers. Who needed that tidbit put quite that way?

 

[Queen Claude]

Harry reportedly was given a very high dollar advance for the book. I can't imagine that Harry and his agents did not understand that for an advance of that magnitude that he would need to forego being circumspect. So unless someone wants to allege that Harry is non compos mentis then he and his agents knew what was expected of him when they signed the book deal in 2021.

 

[Mirabel]

PrinceHarry?s #Spare has broken both of Barack Obama?s records for the fastest-selling non-fiction book! With over 1M copies sold on the 1st day & 1.8M sold the 1st week, #SparePrinceHarry now holds both records for units sold across all formats in the US & Canada!

I really hope he makes enough money from this to go live the private life he claimed he wanted.

 

[Toledo]

It is kind of unethical to just publish whatever is said with no apparent discretion or editing. Sure, there may have been a directive that whatever came out of his mouth would make money, but that's manifestly not doing an editor's job. A responsible one says "you know what? Maybe this shouldn't go in the book."

That being said, the Graceland thing is far and away from being controversial. Elvis is an icon, but a LOT of people have called Graceland tacky. Harry's not getting points for originality.

Re Elvis and Graceland, they are both a product of their times and the estate is kept as Elvis wanted it to feel for his comfort. He was poor, became an icon and rich beyond belief and surrounded himself with anything flashy or odd that he didn't have as a child.

When his ex-wife Priscilla became the boss of her child's estate, she rescued and saved the estate, the accounts and the merchandise from all parasites that lived off Elvis. She preserved it as a time capsule of Elvis' America in the 50s, 60s and 70s and what he assumed was living grand from the eyes of someone who was born poor and with a voice and style that had no match.

It was a very similar situation like when the TV celebrity Crocodile hunter Steve Irwin's wife took over the Australia Zoo estate after his passing and rescued it from debt.

For Harry, entitled and ungrateful, everything is below him. Even the property the Queen set them up to live in.

 

[LauraS3514]

He was 5 years old for goodness sake,

Charles was 4-1/2 on June 2, 1953. He didn't turn five until November 14.

 

[Toledo]

1952-53 were different times, Queen Mary's watchful eye would have turned little Charles to stone if he misbehaved. I even got the impression even Prince Phillip was uneasy around her.

Prince Louis is a product of modern parenting styles that would have scandalized Queen Mary. Even though she died a few months before the coronation, I think she had an influence on Charles via Elizabeth II. During the moments Louis had at the balcony with QEII, there was a little bit of Queen Mary channeling in but even more, a lot of the loving and down to earth Queen Mother Elizabeth taking over too.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

I just read the passage where Harry belittled Graceland- Elvis’ home. Not sure there is ever a good time for that, but now is an epically bad one.

I mean…it’s Elvis. It is a VERY popular landmark here. No need to criticize the home and decor in general. No one actually needs to know his opinion on the home of an American icon.

Did no one tell Harry that he didn’t need to talk about literally EVERYTHING that popped into his brain while writing this book? It would seem the answer is no based on a lot of over sharing, petty whining, etc.

Oh my, Graceland? And Lisa Marie just died suddenly. I’ve been there several times - it is frozen in time to when he lived there. Elvis is very beloved here in the States. The decorating is certainly out of date but I believe the house was bought in the 1950’s and probably decorated then and in the ‘60’s. Not a good look, Harry, to trash anything associated with Elvis IMHO.

 

[Toledo]

Oh my, Graceland? And Lisa Marie just died suddenly. I’ve been there several times - it is frozen in time to when he lived there. Elvis is very beloved here in the States. The decorating is certainly out of date but I believe the house was bought in the 1950’s and probably decorated then and in the ‘60’s. Not a good look, Harry, to trash anything associated with Elvis IMHO.

Here's the moment he mentions:
Source USA People Magazine

Prince Harry Goes Shirtless in Miami and Visits Graceland in Memphis

Excerpt

...By Friday at noon, the prince was in Memphis to visit The King – Harry, 29, and William, 31, took a private tour of Elvis Presley’s home, Graceland, along with the rest of the wedding party.

The group spent an hour and a half touring the estate, many of the guests wearing gold Elvis glasses, PEOPLE has learned.

Presley’s home was turned into a museum after his death in 1977, and in addition to getting to see the singer’s fabled Jungle Room, it’s likely the princes checked out some of the flamboyant outfits the King wore on stage before being taken to his grave in the grounds of the estate.

William and Harry are in Memphis to attend the wedding of their close friend Guy Pelly, who is marrying hotel heiress Lizzy Wilson...

And Priscilla tweeted a reply, below, to him now making those nasty remarks about her family museum:

Priscilla Presley
@Cilla_Presley
So happy Prince William, Prince Harry and the wedding group had a good time on their tour of Graceland.
3:35 PM · May 2, 2014

 

[RandyDrx]

PrinceHarry?s #Spare has broken both of Barack Obama?s records for the fastest-selling non-fiction book! With over 1M copies sold on the 1st day & 1.8M sold the 1st week, #SparePrinceHarry now holds both records for units sold across all formats in the US & Canada!

#PrinceHarry overcame Barack Obama?s higher print sales with a strong performance in ebooks & audiobooks.

1st Week Print Sales (Bookscan):
A Promised Land 831K
#Spare 629K

1st Week All Format Sales (PRH):
A Promised Land 1.710M
#SparePrinceHarry 1.815M
- US 1.6M
- CAN 215K


Sources:

The Bookseller - News - First-day sales of Prince Harry's Spare in US and Canada top one million, says PRH

Spare by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, Sells More Than 3.2 Million Copies Worldwide in its First Week | Penguin Random House Canada

It's easy to be a bestseller when your book is half price. Plus, this book does nothing for Harry's reputation. If anything, this book just showed a nasty side of him that has been hidden by the palace PR for so many years.

Have you seen how many people mocking and making fun of him on social media? Even some people on sites that are usually pro-Sussex had now turned against him.

 

[Ghost]

I’m sure we are all aware of the tactics that exist to boost sales’ statistics. Now, of course there’s a lot of interest in the book, the question is if this interest is of good nature. I, for one, I am avid to see what he has to say, how is he saying it, what new info about all the BRF can be found in his book. And it’s fair game for my not very noble curiosity as it is Harry himself who’s spilling it all. What I am not is willing to fill his bank account.
Were it an unauthorised book about any other royal, I would have moral hesitations, but not for him/them.