The Harsh Title Prince Harry Gives Prince William In Spare Memoir
Part of the process that many celebrities go through when they have a big project coming up is to do interviews to help promote that project. And Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex is basically a celebrity. Born as third in line for the British throne, Prince Harry grew up in the spotlight as a member of the royal family, but apparently also in the shadow of his older brother Prince William, who was and is the most likely heir to the throne.
In his time growing up, Prince Harry was the spare to Prince William's position as the heir, and he used that moniker for the title of his upcoming memoir. "Spare" will be coming out on January 10, and Prince Harry has started promoting the book. And it doesn't sound like it shines a very nice light on members of the royal family, though there's one bombshell that Prince Harry will likely keep out of the book. While doing interviews about his upcoming memoir, Prince Harry talked with Michael Strahan on "Good Morning America," and in a preview of the full interview, we find out how Prince Harry refers to his brother. And it's not so nice.
The relationship between Prince Harry and Prince William seems complicated
Michael Strahan asked Prince Harry about how he described his brother, and it seems to highlight the complexity of the relationship. Prince Harry called Prince William both "beloved brother and archnemesis," per Good Morning America. Pretty harsh words! Strahan followed up to ask what he meant by that description in the teaser, and people will have to wait until the full interview is aired on January 9, the day before "Spare" comes out.
Prince Harry seems to think that the way forward and the way to mend the rift between himself and others in the royal family, including his brother and his father, is to tell his story. In the interview preview, he told Strahan, "Ultimately, I don't think we can have peace with my family unless the truth is out there." Prince Harry and Meghan Markle first started publicly discussing the issues they had with the royal family and the media in an explosive interview with Oprah in 2021, and again with their recent Netflix docuseries "Harry & Meghan," which was full of emotional moments for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Princess Diana didn't want Prince Harry to feel like just the spare
Princess Diana, mother to Princes William and Harry, seems to have had an idea as to the challenges that Prince Harry faced as the younger brother to the heir to the throne. James Patterson, who wrote "Diana, William, and Harry: The Heartbreaking Story of a Princess and Mother," told Fox News Digital that she didn't want Prince Harry to feel like the spare, but that it wasn't easy. "How do you make the other kids feel that they're just enough?" he said. "It happens pretty much to all families. And, in this case, the stakes are much higher because one is presumably going to be king someday." Diana also did her best to help protect her kids from the harsh media spotlight that she often found herself under, per the Independent.
Prince Harry's memoir doesn't seem like it was written simply to be a takedown of the royal family and an airing of grievances. As Strahan notes for "Good Morning America," it does discuss the family rift, but "it's also a story of triumph, how he found purpose in the military, in his marriage, and becoming a parent."