Got "Spare"?

[kenny]

... and the BBC, which is not behind a paywall.

Spare review: The weirdest book ever written by a royal

Prince Harry's book, with sex, drugs and monarchy, reaches parts never seen before in a royal memoir.

www.bbc.com

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

i am a royalist but im bored to tears with all of this
is this really the only story in town ?
im tired of the chip on his shoulder
so many things i didnt need to know
and bad form as some of those stories were not his to tell
build a bridge Harrold, your dad wont be here for ever
your granny kept inviting you to come stay and you never went but you want to be with her on her death bed yet you argued so long some of her own children never got back to the castle in time
death does seem to bring out the worst in some families

i mainly read biographies and autobiographies
i have a bookcase full of them
but no room for this one
im spending my money on the Duke of Kent

 

[whitewave]

I am under the impression that Harry doesn’t utter the name Rose in his book so… (I’m just about to pick up on his gap year)

In His Memoir, Harry Says Charles and Camilla’s Media Team Gave The Press The Story About Prince William Allegedly Having An Affair

In Spare, the Duke of Sussex claims that members of the royal family and their staffers regularly feed stories to the British media.

www.buzzfeednews.com

“In His Memoir, Harry Says Charles And Camilla’s Media Team Gave The Press The Story About Prince William Allegedly Having An Affair”

Snipped

(about the bridesmaids dresses)
”Finally, finally, Willy leaned back and conceded that, ahem, while [Harry and Meghan] had been on tour in Australia, he and Kate had gone to dinner with Pa and Camilla… and, alas, he said sheepishly, he might’ve let it slip that there’d been strife between [the Sussexes and the Cambridges]…”

“I put a hand over my face. Meg froze. A heavy silence fell. So now we knew. I told Willy: You… of all people… should’ve known… He nodded. He knew.”

A year later, Harry writes, it was William’s turn to be the victim of a story that he and his brother believed originated in Charles and Camilla’s press offices.

“Towards the end of April 2019, days before Meg was due to give birth, Willy rang,” Harry writes. “Something had happened between him and Pa and Camilla. I couldn’t get the whole story, he was talking too fast, and was way too upset. He was seething actually. I gathered that Pa and Camilla’s people had planted a story or stories about him and Kate, and the kids, and he wasn’t going to take it anymore. Give Pa and Camilla an inch, he said, they take a mile. They’ve done this to me for the last time. I got it. They’d done the same to me and Meg as well.”
In April 2019, there was one particularly damaging story that was circulating on gossip blogs, and going viral on Twitter: William allegedly cheated on Kate. The rumor began with a story in the Sun, published March 22, 2019, claiming that Kate had a “falling out” with a “rural rival” named Rose Hanbury (aka the Marchioness of Cholmondeley). This story — which has now been scrubbed from Sun’s website — was followed by a Daily Mail piece published two days later claiming that the piece was false and that both Rose and Kate were considering legal action. Reading between the lines, people began to suspect that this was the UK press's way of hinting that William and Rose had been romantically involved.
The American gossip magazine In Touch picked up the story and reportedthe alleged affair on its cover in an early April 2019 edition. And then, on April 9, 2019, the Daily Beast published a story titled “Prince William’s Lawyer Tries to Suppress Rumors of Affair,” reporting that William and his legal team were sending threatening letters to UK media outlets warning them against publishing the rumors.

Twitter



In Spare, Harry specifies that he and William didn’t suspect Charles and Camilla specifically of planting the story, but instead a member of their media team.
“It wasn’t them, technically,” Harry writes. “It was the most gung-ho member of Pa’s comms team, a true believer who’d devised and launched a campaign of getting good press for Pa and Camilla at the expense of bad press for us. For some time this person had been peddling unflattering stories, fake stories, about the Heir and Spare, to all the papers.”

Harry says that he and William confronted their father about this individual and her actions.

“Willy put it to Pa: How can you be letting a stranger do this to your sons? Pa instantly got upset. He began shouting that Willy was paranoid. We both were. Just because we were getting bad press, and he was getting good, that didn’t mean his staff was behind it. But we had proof. Reporters, inside actual newsrooms, assuring us that this woman was selling us out. Pa refused to listen.”

MORE ON THIS​

• The Royal Family’s Press Offices Changed Their Story About Being Contacted By The Producers Of Netflix’s “Harry & Meghan” And Failed To Mention Their Communications With The Company
• King Charles Hired A Former Top Editor At The Tabloids That Published Critical Kate Middleton Columns And The Story That Was An Impetus For The Breakdown Of Meghan Markle’s Relationship With Her Father
• The Curious Timing Of The Confirmation That Prince Charles Met His Granddaughter Lilibet

Topics in this article

• Prince Harry
• Meghan Markle
• Prince William
• 
  Ellie Hall
  BuzzFeed News Reporter
  Ellie Hall is a senior reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in Washington, DC.
  Contact Ellie Hall at [email protected].
  Got a confidential tip? Submit it here

 

[smitcompton]

I'm not sure that Harry's goal is to change the monarchy, but to change its relationship with the British tabloid press. Or indeed, to take on the British tabloid press - I think he mentioned as much during the UK interview that was broadcast on Sunday evening. During this interview it was confirmed that Harry is involved in legal proceedings (with others) against two or three tabloid papers in relation to phone hacking. Will they hurt the monarchy? I'm not sure. People who are for 'queen and country' will jump on that particular bandwagon (I know the queen is gone but I personally won't be entertaining the idea of a king). Those who believe that the nonsense of kings and queens should quietly be put to bed will be hoping that the behaviour of all involved will dampen any enthusiasm to keep the royal institution going. What I really don't get is the hate that is pointed towards them (Harry and Megan).

Harry also mentioned that the conflict and division is created by the press. No party will be entirely innocent in that regard, but I can easily believe that the more conflict that is created, the more money the tabloid newspapers stand to make.

Edited for spelling

Hi,
I agree the press is a problem. Many celebrities are frustrated with the press and there should be a way to curb their actions. If Megan and Harry fervently went ahead to try to stop this awful intrusion into their lives I would and will support them. But, instead of conducting themselves with dignity they have fallen (IMO) to levels unbecoming to their very entitled position. Reminds me of Archie Bunker only with people with titles.
My news feed is covered with this nonsense ( not the press). It seems to me the world is full of grievances. Most lives have sorrow and trauma. We have become complainers to the nth degree. This kind of thinking only mires us on a downward spiral, forgetting to let the light in. I'm tired of complaints. America was never like this. We no longer can inspire the world. We are too blocked with grievances.

Annette

 

[whitewave]

Harry’s interview last night on Stephen Colbert show:

 

[whitewave]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also, Harry repeats his opinion throughout the book that “Camilla is dangerous”

 

[elizat]

I don't understand Harry or Megan. If you want a quiet "normal life" these actions are the opposite of it (albeit with more money than pretty much the top 1 percent of the world for their version of average/normal). Also, it seems that other royal families don't have near the issues with the press that they do. It may be UK centric but if you stop providing content and feeding the machine, I would think they'd be left alone. From some of the snippets, it appears Harry is not exactly stable either. I honestly do not have a lot of empathy for either of them because so much of what they are complaining about, they are doing themselves. I'm not sure how he's going to have content for another 3 books at this rate.

 

[HGar]

Harry needs to s.h.u.t. u.p. - he is bringing this all onto himself. Whatever mental health professionals he is seeing, he needs to sack immediately as they aren’t helping him.

 

[whitewave]

It’s a runaway hit. No one can deny that.



Put it this way, an accomplished author could only dream of selling 400,000 copies over the course of a book run. 400,000 books sales would be incredible.

 

[kenny]

It’s a runaway hit. No one can deny that.

I don't deny that, but so is McDonalds, Walmart, social media, white sugar, and ... tabloid media.

 

[whitewave]

I don't deny that, but so is McDonalds, Walmart, social media, and white sugar.

sooo good but so bad for you! Lol

 

[MissGotRocks]

I must say that I find Harry solo much more palatable than the interview of both of them with Oprah. He is personable and seems to be wanting to tell his 'truths'. Maybe it is helpful to him but it won't be helpful in his relationship with the royal family. You know the old saying - the more you stir sh*t, the more it stinks. I hope he just goes forth and lives his life in the way he wants to live it - and stop the constant droning. Once said, let it be and get on with life!

 

[kenny]

I agree that Harry needs to shut up - but only AFTER he's expressed his experience about what in the firm needs to change.
I for one am grateful he, and his mum, did the hard work of saying what needs to be said.
Sure, it's an ugly sh!t show now, but in the future perhaps the firm will be better, that is if it survives.
IMO Harry's doing the right thing, and bravely I might ad.

Someone commented that other royals aren't misbehaving like Harry's is.
I say that is because of the awesome power/control/suppression the firm holds on its members, British society.
They don't want to bite the hand that feeds them (and feeds them VERY nicely) in return for the silence of, Never Explain, Never Complain."

Hopefully, once the firm's failings are exposed, it may stop doing things it should not be doing.

To repeat, I don't like the idea of monarchy.
Now in the 21st century, human rights and equality is recognized as fundamental.

IMO the two biggest offenses to equality are royalty and slavery.
Both are not right, and not fair.
I see them as two sides of the same coin in that the recipients have done nothing to deserve the fate they are born into.

 

[kenny]

Correction:

I wrote, "I say that is because of the awesome power/control/suppression the firm holds on its members, British society."

I should have written, "I say that is because of the awesome power/control/suppression the firm holds on its members and on British society."

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Okay he wants to tell his side, that’s fine, then do ONE interview or ONE book. Otherwise it comes off as a money grab. Just say what you need to say and move on rather than dragging this out over multiple television appearances and books.

 

[Gussie]

His lack of awareness of his privilege and entitlement is almost comical. We all have some kind of sob story and very few involve tiaras. Put your big boy briefs on, Harry; pity parties are so unattractive.

 

[whitewave]

Ok so here is an absolutely bizarre thing today.

In the book, (pre Meghan), Harry talks about how his clothing allowance from his dad was only for dress and special occasion clothes for business and formal events. He was on his own for his regular street clothes.

So he shopped at TK Maxx and he planned his shopping trips around their sales, where he could get name brand clothes like J Crew for super low prices.

Here is today’s Independent:


Here is the link: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-...Echobox&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1673468301

”TK Maxx denied Prince Harry’s claim about shopping at the retailer during its yearly sales, which he mentioned in his new memoir, Spare.

In his book, which was released on 10 January, the Duke of Sussex reflected on buying from TK Maxx during their “once-a-year sale”. However, TK Maxx has now responded to the royal’s claim, noting that its stores don’t “do sales”.

Whilst we’re delighted Prince Harry is a big fan, we thought we should explain we don’t actually do sales,” a spokesperson for the brand told Express. “Instead, we offer great value, style, and savings all year round.”


Receipts:















I mean, what is really going on here? It’s so weird.

 

[AprilBaby]

Publish date is tomorrow, Tues.

Have you ordered or bought, or do you intend to buy, Prince Harry's book, "Spare"?

The fine print: I set up this poll so votes are confidential.

Hell no!

 

[whitewave]

Another bizarre thing this morning. Some people are making up light hearted silly things about what is in the book, but it’s all a joke. Some of these things poke fun at Harry but are basically harmless like this:



As you can see, this account name is “parody” and this isn’t in the book.


Now here is one of the so called self named Royal Correspondents who is friends with Camilla and is her official biographer. This isn’t the first time she has done things like this.


It’s absolutely insane IMO the very obvious bias these people have against Harry.

 

[telephone89]

It's quite funny to me to see/hear people saying "its a money grab" "He's in it for the money" "he's whoring himself out for money" etc, when previously it was "stop mooching off the british people". But now its only OK to make money the way they say? Or that's its only acceptable to do ONE interview and/or ONE book? Hilarious! The literal definition of damned if you do and damned if you don't.

 

[whitewave]

Harry’s next project airs this summer

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Um, that is just MY OPINION that he should do one interview or book. I do not see the need for endless public discussion, it would have more of an impact as a “once and done”

I swear some just have to take issue with anything I post. Keep it moving then.

ETA: It is IMO a money grab to continuously share your story for profit. He is just dragging it out to get as much as he can. So yeah, that’s a money grab and I am positive that I am not the only one to think so even if nobody else has the balls to say it.

 

[telephone89]

Um, that is just MY OPINION that he should do one interview or book. I do not see the need for endless public discussion, it would have more of an impact as a “once and done”

I swear some just have to take issue with anything I post. Keep it moving then.

I take it you are referring to my post? You were not the only person who expressed this, in fact everything I quoted was from this thread. If you take issue with my post, feel free to take your own advice and keep moving as well.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I take it you are referring to my post? You were not the only person who expressed this, in fact everything I quoted was from this thread. If you take issue with my post, feel free to take your own advice and keep moving as well.

Oh okay, it just coincidentally came after I posted. Gotcha.

You’re right I should keep it moving and I will from now on for sure.

 

[DutchJackie]

Beware the ‘spare’: let’s drop the need for a second-in-line, and let Harry be the last | Kate Williams

Heirs’ early deaths are a lot less common these days, so Britain should copy European royalty and let No 2s work unimpeded, says history professor Kate Williams

www.theguardian.com

this

 

[Tartansparkles]

Correction:

I wrote, "I say that is because of the awesome power/control/suppression the firm holds on its members, British society."

I should have written, "I say that is because of the awesome power/control/suppression the firm holds on its members and on British society."

I'm not sure about the level of power etc held over British society - many British people would be happy to see the monarchy go. I personally don't see their relevance (I'm in the UK). The queen was maybe a special case but I don't see Charles and the rest gaining anywhere near that level of 'adoration'. When the queen passed away many people queued to pay their respects. There were also many people who rolled their eyes at the idea of spending 18hours in a queue. I'm sure many of the mourners were genuine well wishers but there were also people who queued just so that they could say "they queued!". It will be the same with the coronation. It will be reported that the British people were falling over themselves with street parties galore - in reality, lots of folks will be enjoying an extra day off work with no interest in the coronation whatsoever. (I also suspect that the reason the majority of shops chose to close on the day of the queen's funeral wasn't to give their employees the opportunity to pay their respects but to avoid any possibility (or heaven forbid, national embarrassment) that folks disinterested in a royal funeral might instead choose to do some DIY shopping. How bad would that look for a country so loving of their royal family?). If the British monarchy disappeared overnight there would be an economic impact in terms of job losses (tourist related/royal households etc), charities would need new figure heads to help boost donations, the "OK/Hello" type magazine would be short of a few glamour photos and the press would have less stories to print. Aside from the negative economic impact, I struggle see any downside to them not being there. Hopefully an upside would be a reduction in the level of hate aimed at other human beings and surely a world with less opportunity for hate is a good thing.

 

[pearlsngems]

I have not read the book, and do not plan to any time soon, but I am reminded of the Tolstoy quote:
"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

The royal family seems to me to just be another family that is unhappy in its own way. So much dysfunction all around.
It all seems so tawdry. But I don't feel like I can judge any of them, coming from an unhappy birth family of my own (of whom I am the last survivor).

Every action has a reaction, in physics and in life. Harry knowingly chose to risk the reactions. Evidently he felt he needed to do this.
He is still rather young. He may come to view things differently in time. So may the rest of them. I came to a more balanced understanding of what went on in my birth family, but it took time--years.

I'm not a fan of the monarchy but families are families, and I hope that family finds some way to mend itself, in time.

 

[whitewave]

Ok. Well this might explain the lies by TK Maxx

apparently the company has ties to Charles and his initiatives (prince’s trust etc)

 

[kenny]

I'm not sure about the level of power etc held over British society - many British people would be happy to see the monarchy go. I personally don't see their relevance (I'm in the UK). The queen was maybe a special case but I don't see Charles and the rest gaining anywhere near that level of 'adoration'. When the queen passed aw street parties galore - in reality, lots of folks will be enjoying an extra day off work with no interest in the coronation whatsoever. (I also suspect that the reason the majority of shops chose to close on the day of the queen's funeral wasn't to give their employees the opportunity to pay their respects but to avoid any possibility (or heaven forbid, national embarrassment) that folks disinterested in a royal funeral might instead choose to do some DIY shopping. How bad would that look for a country so loving of their royal family?). If the British monarchy disappeared overnight there would be an economic impact in terms of job losses (tourist related/royal households etc), charities would need new figure heads to help boost donations, the "OK/Hello" type magazine would be short of a few glamour photos and the press would have less stories to print. Aside from the negative economic impact, I struggle see any downside to them not being there. Hopefully an upside would be a reduction in the level of hate aimed at other human beings and surely a world with less opportunity for hate is a good thing.

I felt it went without saying that Brits vary.

Oh, and paragraphs are good.

 

[Box]

Ok so here is an absolutely bizarre thing today.

In the book, (pre Meghan), Harry talks about how his clothing allowance from his dad was only for dress and special occasion clothes for business and formal events. He was on his own for his regular street clothes.

So he shopped at TK Maxx and he planned his shopping trips around their sales, where he could get name brand clothes like J Crew for super low prices.

Here is today’s Independent:


Here is the link: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-...Echobox&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1673468301

”TK Maxx denied Prince Harry’s claim about shopping at the retailer during its yearly sales, which he mentioned in his new memoir, Spare.

In his book, which was released on 10 January, the Duke of Sussex reflected on buying from TK Maxx during their “once-a-year sale”. However, TK Maxx has now responded to the royal’s claim, noting that its stores don’t “do sales”.

Whilst we’re delighted Prince Harry is a big fan, we thought we should explain we don’t actually do sales,” a spokesperson for the brand told Express. “Instead, we offer great value, style, and savings all year round.”


Receipts:















I mean, what is really going on here? It’s so weird.

Agree very weird I have attended their sales for coming on 28 years what are they gaining from lying.

Lately they do only use the word clearance not sale (presumable PR believe it sounds less common) but as they are not closing down, I would say rather the same meaning.