Spare

By: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

“In other words, look at a star, you were looking at the past, at a time long before anyone you knew or loved had lived.”

This is Harry’s story – how the death of his mother effected him, his military service, the in and outs of being a Royal, meeting Meghan, marrying Meghan, their trials and tribulations, their joy, and his eventual stepping away from his title.

In this book, Harry is open, vulnerable, honest, and raw. He seems to have a good sense of humor and is able to take things in jest; I don’t know how I would feel being called a Spare, and knowing that was how I was looked at. There are many moments in this book where my heart broke for this man. One of those times is the death of his mother. It is both beautiful and heartbreaking how he talks about her. You could tell she was his everything, his guiding light, the first love of his life. Once she was gone, it was almost as if because he was the Spare, that the family didn’t care as much about him, predicting he’d fall into rebellion and then him letting that come true. What he needed most was to be seen and to be heard; he needed help dealing with the death of his mother and the failure to have any psychological help really shaped his emotional state. One of the great aspects to Harry is how introspective he is – he knew that he wasn’t “normal” more than just being a Royal. He knew that he needed help, he needed to mourn, that he was sitting in grief. And who better to help him get through all of that than the love of his life, Meghan. To her, he’s not a Spare. Their love is absolutely beautiful. He is one of the most courageous men I’ve heard of – doing anything to protect his family, even if it meant going against the Monarch. And that brother of his? A jealous twit (as I don’t want to curse). Thank you, Harry, for giving us a huge piece of yourself in such an open way.

If you’re interested in this book, you can get your copy here.