Spare Spotlight

Is anyone even talking about anything else? Prince Harry truly pulled all the punches in Spare, and if you’re on the fence about listening, well, here’s your sign to go for it. The audiobook is read by the ginger himself, as he leaves nothing back (seriously, from a boxers-clad king doing headstands for nerve pain, to the status of his more personal areas suffering from frostbite, you’re gonna hear it all).

It’s no secret that Harry and Megan’s relationship with the royal family has been rather fraught with drama, however hearing everything from Harry’s perspective and within the context of everything that happened leading up to their break from Windsor (even before Megan entered the picture) shows how this break has been hiding in the wings for decades.

It might come as a surprise that the true villain of Harry’s story is not his aloof, critical family, nor the pressures of being born royal, but the press.  

For all the arguments of “poor little rich boy” we honestly never considered how intrusive it would be to be constantly hounded from birth, simply because you were born into a certain family.

We all know the infamous part the paparazzi played in Princess Diana’s death, and it was this legacy that haunts Harry even, it seems, to this day. It was also their skewing and at times downright insidious portrayal of his wife that lead him to the awful decision to cut ties and run.

This is not to say that his family sits back, unscathed in his tell-all. Distant, reserved, and apparently willing to throw Harry under the bus a time or two for the sake of their reputations, his family’s dirty laundry is on full display here (we’re looking at you, Camilla). The book is, most of all, about a boy, turned man who despite his best efforts, can’t seem to outrun his family- be that societally or socially. He is pigeonholed from the day he’s born as the second best. How do you form an identity of your own under the weight of predetermined expectations, namely that you are dispensable? 

The royal family is said to be hurt and embarrassed at all the dirty secrets Harry exposed, but we can’t help but note that said embarrassment feels a lot like an admission that everything Harry reveals happened. While so far they’ve determined the best course of action is to acknowledge nothing (“never explain, never complain”) it certainly seems like Harry has made his case for a fresher, more open version of what it means to be royal. And to quote Taylor Swift, “we’ve never heard silence quite this loud.” 

Thanks for reading! Spare is available now on AudiobookSTORE.com – you don’t want to miss Prince Harry spilling the tea himself so make sure you go listen today. And make sure to check out our FlexPass Membership for the ultimate roster of podcasts, savings on audiobooks, and more!