One might also read Spare for what it tells us about the institution of monarchy,and the ways in which the royals resemble pampered pets,spoilt lavishly but also constrained from any form of spontaneity. From early childhood,Harry was raised to be “the spare”,constantly reminded that he ranked below his older brother.
He is not the first “spare” to rebel:there are parallels to his great aunt Margaret,which he briefly acknowledges,and hisuncle Andrew,where he maintains a tactful silence. Butlike his mother,Harry has gone public with his frustrations,building a multi-million-dollar business out of whingeing about his lot.
The further one reads into Spare the more familiar the stories become;we have heard them in theinterview with Oprah,watched them in the interminableNetflix series. We have all heard the arguments about Meghan Markle,who seems more naïve and less manipulative than most media reporting suggests.
YetSpare manages to add more to the story than I had expected. The book was written with J.R. Moehringer,an established author who had already worked with Andre Agassi and George Clooney,who reportedly introduced him to Harry.
Between them,they have created some genuinely moving moments,most notably in describing Harry’s many visits to southern Africa and his encounters with wild animals. For his first 30 years Harry seemed perpetually to be travelling,often to test himself against the rigours of climate,as in his treks to both Poles.
Spare also offers important insight into the workings of the modern military. Harry served two periods in Afghanistan,in both cases terminated when his presence made him a Taliban target. While he has been criticised for acknowledging hekilled 25 “enemy combatants”,his openness about military operations in Afghanistan is revealing.