Prince Harry Reveals 'Spare' 'Could Have Been 2 Books' But He Feared Losing Prince William and King Charles Forever
Prince Harry's memoir, Spare, permanently altered his relationship with his father, King Charles, and Prince William. The Duke of Sussex claimed that he removed parts of the project to protect His Majesty and the Prince of Wales' reputations.
While promoting the book, Harry revealed that Spare could've evolved into an additional autobiography.
“It could have been two books, put it that way,” Harry told a publication. “And the hard bit was taking things out. There are some things that have happened, especially between me and my brother, and to some extent between me and my father, that I just don’t want the world to know."
"Because I don’t think they would ever forgive me," he added.
Recently, historian Dr. Ed Owens discussed the negative impact Spare had on the unit.
“The story is a slightly tragic one as it has damaged this idea of a family monarchy,” the royal author said on the "Pod Save the King" podcast. "The idea that this is a united group who embody, if you like, the best of British family life."
"Originally, King Charles III’s reign was going to be based around him being supported by his two trusty lieutenants — William and Harry," Owens explained. "But when that went so disastrously wrong in 2020 because of Harry and Meghan’s decision to leave Britain, it really put paid to that vision of the family monarchy."
The commentator later urged The Firm to step away from their current brand image.
“Do away with this family narrative once and for all,” Owens said. “We don’t need to have this big royal family presenting themselves as moral exemplars. King Charles is uniquely placed because he knows firsthand that the ideal of the family rarely matches the reality of the family monarchy.”
Although Harry hoped to avoid degrading William, royal correspondent Katie Nicholl claimed the Prince of Wales was left heartbroken by the tell-all.
"My royal sources say that any chance of a reconciliation really isn't ruled out, but it's certainly not going to happen anytime soon," Nicholl told an outlet. "Prince William is still incredibly upset with Harry's autobiography, which, of course, really cast William in a pretty bad light."
"No one's going to forget anytime soon the stories of them coming to physical blows, and William allegedly shoving Prince Harry, forcing him onto the ground where he landed onto a dog bowl," the biographer added.
The pages of Spare painted William as violent and ill-tempered after the siblings argued over Meghan Markle.
"I'm told by several sources close to the Prince of Wales that William really just cannot find it in his heart at the moment to forgive his brother for what he's done," she shared. "I think Kate, Princess of Wales, she's always always had a very close relationship with Prince Harry, but she's been left quite devastated by some of the anecdotes that Harry told in Spare that didn't cast her in a particularly good light."
"I think there's a great sense of betrayal," she added.
Harry spoke to The Telegraph.
Nicholl spoke to Entertainment Tonight.