Prince Harry Reveals Who In The Royal Family First Called Him ‘Spare’ — A Name He Always Hated

Prince Harry has always hated his nickname 'Spare' and expressed his frustration in his memoir of the same name. In a shocking revelation, the Duke of Sussex disclosed the royal family member who gave him the moniker was none other than his father, King Charles III himself. Charles allegedly used it in a conversation with the late Princess Diana, on the very day Harry was born. Harry claimed the term stuck and eventually was used by senior royals all throughout his life, including by his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.

In his memoir, Harry revealed that at his birth, Charles told Diana, "Wonderful! Now you have given me an heir and a spare; my work is done." In royal families, the term 'spare' and 'heir' is commonly used. As reported by OK! magazine, it is usually to denote the line of succession and carries no judgment. Princess Margaret was too described as the late Queen’s spare and Prince Andrew (and sometimes Princess Anne) as spare to brother Charles.

As reported by Town and Country magazine, Harry's naming of his memoir as Spare—despite having once hated the name—can be interpreted as his eventual acceptance or willingness to open up about the subjects he had previously chosen to keep quiet about. It makes one wonder about the effect having the term attached to one's identity, right from birth, can have.

In his memoir, Harry also shared insights into how Charles coped with becoming a single parent after his mother Diana's passing. As reported by Town and Country magazine, he wrote, "He had always given an air of being not quite ready for parenthood—the responsibilities, the patience, the time. Even he, though a proud man, would have admitted as much. But single parenthood? Pa was never made for that." He added, "To be fair, he tried. Evenings, I would shout downstairs, 'Going to bed, Pa!' [And] He would always shout back cheerfully, 'I will be there shortly, darling boy!' True to his word, minutes later he would be sitting on the edge of my bed."

While Charles has kept silent about Harry voicing his grievances against him and other members of the royal family, Harry—now living in California with his wife and two children—has continued to openly discuss the issues in interviews. In his memoir, Harry reflected on the emotional distance he felt from Charles as a child, partly due to his father’s age. He noted that while Charles did have the energy to play with him and Prince William when they were younger, he gradually withdrew from those activities much earlier than they were ready for, as reported by TODAY.