Spare by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex
Random House Audio
Audible Release: January 10, 2023
Listening Length: 15 hours 39 minutes
Narrators: Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex
Genre: Memoir/Non-Fiction
KKECReads Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
KKECReads Rating for Performance: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
KKECReads Rating for Story: N/A (memoir)
I purchased the audiobook on Amazon, and I leave my review voluntarily.
Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, is a husband, father, humanitarian, military veteran, mental wellness advocate, and environmentalist. He resides in Santa Barbara, California, with his family and three dogs.
For Harry, this is that story at last.
Before losing his mother, twelve-year-old Prince Harry was known as the carefree one, the happy-go-lucky Spare to the more serious Heir. Grief changed everything. He struggled at school, struggled with anger, with loneliness—and, because he blamed the press for his mother’s death, he struggled to accept life in the spotlight.
At twenty-one, he joined the British Army. The discipline gave him structure, and two combat tours made him a hero at home. But he soon felt more lost than ever, suffering from post-traumatic stress and prone to crippling panic attacks. Above all, he couldn’t find true love.
Then he met Meghan. The world was swept away by the couple’s cinematic romance and rejoiced in their fairy-tale wedding. But from the beginning, Harry and Meghan were preyed upon by the press, subjected to waves of abuse, racism, and lies. Watching his wife suffer, their safety and mental health at risk, Harry saw no other way to prevent the tragedy of history repeating itself but to flee his mother country. Over the centuries, leaving the Royal Family was an act few had dared. The last to try, in fact, had been his mother. . . .
For the first time, Prince Harry tells his own story, chronicling his journey with raw, unflinching honesty. A landmark publication, Spare is full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.
“Two years older than me, Willie was the heir. Whereas me, I was the spare.”
Prince Harry tells his life story, to date, from his perspective.
I pre-ordered this audiobook the day it was available. This is entirely unheard of, though much of Harry’s recent life has been unheard of.
Hearing Harry tell his story from his perspective was interesting. It had some insights into what growing up royal was like. He shared his memories of his mother with us.
Those were the chapters that were the most emotional for me. The chapters where Harry discusses the accident, the funeral, and the aftermath. It was heartbreaking to hear that he thought Princess Diana was hiding and that she would come for Harry and William later.
I don’t feel like this is a book I can review in the same way I would normally. One, who am I to agree or disagree with what’s been said? I cannot verify (or otherwise) anything in this book. Not really. And I don’t see King Charles or Prince William issuing any legit response. If anything, it will be the typical canned post that basically says nothing.
I was impressed with Harry’s narration performance. He did really well, bringing the various aspects to life, creating voices, accents, etc. He has a lovely speaking voice, maybe a brand new career as a book narrator would be in his future. I’d listen to him read books.
At the end of this book, I wish happiness upon all parties involved. I hope Harry and his family are enjoying the Californian sunshine, finding reasons to smile, and living their best lives.