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

[Prinsara]

Originally Posted by Denville

well it rather put me off CC, I liked her, and I wouldnt mind her doing a bit of weed if her kid was not there, but magic mushrooms in the fridge for any random pal at a party? that sounds a bit druggy.

While we continue to randomly speculate and drag Courteney Cox, her lifestyle, and parenting skills because of Harry, it's been pointed out that it was her ex-husband David Arquette who was the heavy drug user; one reason that he's now the ex.

[yukari]

Originally Posted by Meee

(...)

I did like the part where he mentioned he wished he’d spent more time with Margaret, because they were the same - the spare. It’s a shame he couldn’t just leave his mention of her at that; if he had it may have made his cousins smile and there would be family members that he hadn’t alienated with this publication.

(...)

Strangely, why didn't he write more about his godfather? Another spare who was born as 2nd in line to the throne and had lived as one for over 2 decades (compared to Margaret who was 2nd in line for 12 years), a position that Harry never was and never will be. And what about his aunt, who was also a spare and 2nd in line until she's been bumped the line down with the birth of her younger brothers? Some self-reflection of his life to fill his memoir about how he has learnt from observing his aunt and uncles' lives? But nope, that will be too much to ask from Harry.

[SOS]

Originally Posted by Granada

Yea, Denville exactly. I didn't read Spare, but I very much enjoyed Tom Bowers "Revenge" Book.
From the excerpts, analysis and reviews I have read, Harry comes off as STILL irresponsible, immature, jealous and downright mean.

Meghan though ? Ah....."magical".
Serene, kind, warm, smart, beautiful.....no superlatives are good enough in Harry's besotted eyes.
Which is fine, but Harry to most of us comes off as "damaged" in the Book, with a sure taste for alcohol and drugs.

If the Sussex's ever split and inevitably there were custody of the Children issues, this Book would be devastating to him.
I believe Meghan's input as to what made it into this Book was as much as Harry's.

That's why I'm curious about ANY reference to her "indulging". Probably not, she is one smart tough cookie about appearances and as you rightly say Denville, keeping that "good girl" reputation.

But Courtney Cox ? Nope, bizarrely her " indulgences " and privacy are game.......

That crossed my mind as well.

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Prinsara

While we continue to randomly speculate and drag Courteney Cox, her lifestyle, and parenting skills because of Harry, it's been pointed out that it was her ex-husband David Arquette who was the heavy drug user; one reason that he's now the ex.

well if she and Arquette were divorced when Harry went ot her house, then I presume it was her stuff.
I gather it was in 2016, and Im guessing that Cox was divorced by then.. so if there were drugs in her fridge they were hers

[Meee]

Originally Posted by yukari

Strangely, why didn't he write more about his godfather? Another spare who was born as 2nd in line to the throne and had lived as one for over 2 decades (compared to Margaret who was 2nd in line for 12 years), a position that Harry never was and never will be. And what about his aunt, who was also a spare and 2nd in line until she's been bumped the line down with the birth of her younger brothers? Some self-reflection of his life to fill his memoir about how he has learnt from observing his aunt and uncles' lives? But nope, that will be too much to ask from Harry.

I have wondered myself whether Anne took the spare role so well because she wasn’t alone in it, despite being bumped down by her younger brothers. In that sense Margaret and Harry would be the most obvious comparison, because there were no others in those generations.

I was surprised he didn’t mention other members of his family more, actually. Mention of Anne, Andrew and Edward was brief, with Edward’s name being mentioned once in the whole book. I think he said everyone had stopped having children, when Edward hadn’t had any at that point (and he and Sophie might well have been in the midst of their own tragedy, depending on the exact timing.) Eugenie was the only cousin to be mentioned by name, which surprised me as we know that Zara went skiing with Charles and the boys after Diana’s death. He mentioned a cousin crashing a quad bike, without saying who it was.

The part about he and Meghan taking medical advice about conceiving was jarring. Archie was born under a year from their wedding date and according to Harry, a week past his due date. That will have hurt a lot of people who know what it really is to struggle to have children, including Edward and Sophie.

It also shocked me that Harry didn’t realise that Meghan shared her birthday with QEQM; it was Charles that pointed it out to him. It was the first I’d heard of him calling his great grandmother Gan Gan, I thought that started with Prince George and QE II.

[Denville]

Anne did not want to be queen, she is not gracious or IMO very good at the being polite and friendly to the public.. she has probably improved a bit but it was never her thing. so it wasn't hard for her to know that she'd never be the monarch, whereas Harry wanted the validation of the public liking and admiring him, just as his mother did. He knew that he'd become a lot less of interest to the public as he got older, and his brother's children grew up.. and that really burned him. He has obviosly, from this book always had a real real angry feeling about Will being older than him, and being hte future King. Perhaps if Diana had lived, he would have adjusted to the idea of being the second son, as he grew older. but she was gone, he was torn up and began to lose touch with reality, if he really believed that she had faked her deaht for many years.

[Alison H]

Originally Posted by FigTree

Did she? Never heard that. As opposed to Charles who married after nano second.

That was why! After three of her four children's first marriages broke down, she wanted the next generation to think more carefully before marrying.

[tihkon2]

Originally Posted by Meee

It was the first I’d heard of him calling his great grandmother Gan Gan, I thought that started with Prince George and QE II.

Nope. Gan Gan was actually used in the family for Queen Victoria by her grands and great grands.

[FigTree]

Originally Posted by tihkon2

Nope. Gan Gan was actually used in the family for Queen Victoria by her grands and great grands.

All QEQM called her this.

[SLV]

Originally Posted by Meee

The part about he and Meghan taking medical advice about conceiving was jarring. Archie was born under a year from their wedding date and according to Harry, a week past his due date. That will have hurt a lot of people who know what it really is to struggle to have children, including Edward and Sophie.

I don't think it that strange. Megan was already in her late thirties when they married. Statistically, chances of getting pregnant start getting less as you grow older. They wanted to be informed. Makes sense to me.

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Meee

W

I thought they only needed permission to marry, not to propose, so he may have been referring to the direction he received when planning to propose.

Obviously, they only needed permission to marry, but if someone is proposing, but not sure if the law/queen will allow them to marry, it is hardly an ideal situation is it? What if Harry had proposed to Meg, she said yes and then the queen said no?

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Meee

I

The part about he and Meghan taking medical advice about conceiving was jarring. Archie was born under a year from their wedding date and according to Harry, a week past his due date. That will have hurt a lot of people who know what it really is to struggle to have children, including Edward and Sophie.

It also shocked me that Harry didn’t realise that Meghan shared her birthday with QEQM; i

Obviiously, Harry didnt give presents to Great Grandma. I wonder if he didnt m mention other royals because he did not like them, or because he was concentrating on the senior ones, like Charles and Will and Camilla, in this book and later he will use up the other ones when he wants material for another book.
Dont see what is jarring aobut the having medical advice about conceiving. He and Meg were quite lucky to start a baby so soon after their marriage when Meg was already well into her 30s. I dont quite see why it would hurt other people though.

[Denville]

Originally Posted by FigTree

Did she? Never heard that. As opposed to Charles who married after nano second.

If couples meet young and stay the course they tend to have a long relationship before marriage. If they are older they don’t.

How did Charles marry after a nano second? He and Diana courted for about 6 months, not long by today's standards but not exactly a matter of seconds.... and Charles and Camilla were living togehter for years and years before they got married.

[Lilyflo]

I believe Harry when he says he didn't know he'd have to ask permission to marry. Harry knew/knows next to nothing about royal traditions and protocol and wasn't in the slightest bit interested in learning about them. He only found out about these things at the point when they affected him directly. If something wasn't relevant to him in the moment, he gave it scant attention. Even if he knew that William had to ask permission, it still might not have occurred to him that it applied to him as well, considering he was only 5th in line at the time.

[muriel]

Originally Posted by Lilyflo

I believe Harry when he says he didn't know he'd have to ask permission to marry. Harry knew/knows next to nothing about royal traditions and protocol and wasn't in the slightest bit interested in learning about them. He only found out about these things at the point when they affected him directly. If something wasn't relevant to him in the moment, he gave it scant attention. Even if he knew that William had to ask permission, it still might not have occurred to him that it applied to him as well, considering he was only 5th in line at the time.

I'm not sure I quite agree. I just think it suits the narrative Harry & Meghan have been trying to spin about the BRF being an archaic institution caught in a time warp, and not fit for purpose in the current environment.

[Denville]

I think it is possible he did not know, he seems so stupid and so wrapped up in his own world and ddoes not wnat to learn anything outside of it . But its possible that he did know but was just reciting this story to explain the rules to Americans

[FigTree]

Originally Posted by Denville

How did Charles marry after a nano second? He and Diana courted for about 6 months, not long by today's standards but not exactly a matter of seconds.... and Charles and Camilla were living togehter for years and years before they got married.

Didn't they meet 11 times before marrying?

Anyway it hardly matters. People marry when, and if, they want to. 2 days. 20 years.

It was more a response to the 5 years thing. She didn't make her kids do that.

[Denville]

according to Diana, they didnt spend a lot of time together, but the relationship did last for about 6 months before Charles proposed, and they did meet up for weekends, when Di would stay at Camilla's house and go to Highgrove. But obviously, the queen clearly felt after that that the short courtships that royals usually had back then were not a good idea and she advised her grandchildren to wait for about 5 years before thinking of marriage..Edward lived with Sophie, William lived with Kate etc.
The queen was notorious back then for not interfering with her children and not getting into confrontations, and probably after the disasters of the Wales marriage, the York divorce etc, she felt that she had to do somethng to make sure that her grandchildren had a better chance of a stable happy marriage.. so she advised a long wait before they got married.

[tihkon2]

Originally Posted by FigTree

All QEQM called her this.

Yes, but the pervious poster thought it started with George. And I explained it actually started with Queen Victoria's grandchildren and great grand children calling her that. So I'm not sure why you replied like you did?

[Toledo]

Originally Posted by Alison H

I'm very surprised that Meghan gave out bags of marijuana as party favours. Apart from it being a generally weird thing to do, her image here is of someone who's into yoga and avocado smoothies and scented candles and all that natural well being stuff, a bit like Gwyneth Paltrow, not drugs.

It's legal here now but I don't know if it was during the time, she was hosting these parties. Still, giving drugs as party favors is an odd thing to do. At the same time, presents to us that there was a common denominator to Harry's own relations with drugs. And I think that's the root of all these problems mentioned in the book when you pair someone with a problem with someone that can be a bit of an enabler. Not good, especially when family members are already concerned about it.

And I won't trust any yoga and avocado smoothies and scented candles health advice coming from Gwyneth Paltrow and her circle of gurus that includes Durek. They are salespersons.