2026 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss Spare by Prince Harry.

Pages: 410 pages

Length: 1 month (May)

Participants:Caterina, Allie

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Hi Allie- Happy to start this later this month. I am still waiting on my hold from the library; I am currently 145th in line, but there are 138 copies.

My library hold arrived and I will be starting today! Hope you're still planning to read this.

The chapters are really short, so I am about 20 chapters in. It's pretty good so far, heavily focused on Diana, the aftermath of her death, and the effect that event had on him.

Caterina wrote: "My library hold arrived and I will be starting today! Hope you're still planning to read this."

Hi Caterina, mind if I join in? I just read this a couple of weeks ago

Alyana wrote: "Caterina wrote: "My library hold arrived and I will be starting today! Hope you're still planning to read this."

Hi Caterina, mind if I join in? I just read this a couple of weeks ago"

Of course! I would love to discuss this book with you. Do you want me to post my thoughts on the chapters I've read so far? Or just discuss at the end?

Caterina wrote: "Alyana wrote: "Caterina wrote: "My library hold arrived and I will be starting today! Hope you're still planning to read this."

Hi Caterina, mind if I join in? I just read this a couple of weeks a..."

I'm good with either, whatever works better for you :)

My favorite part of the book so far is Harry dissing Hamlet and Shakespeare.

“Unlike Shakespeare, Steinbeck did not need a translator. He wrote in the vernacular, plain and simple. Better yet, it was brief.”

🤣🤣🤣 He's dropping facts, but no one is read for that conversation.

I was surprised to find out that Harry and William were never on the best of terms. Admittedly, I am not a royal watcher, but from what I caught about them, they seemed very close. I would have never known he wasn't William's actual best man at the wedding. That was quite the shocker!

Caterina wrote: "My favorite part of the book so far is Harry dissing Hamlet and Shakespeare.

“Unlike Shakespeare, Steinbeck did not need a translator. He wrote in the vernacular, plain and simple. Better yet, it..."

I felt the same way. This book completely disillusioned me on my idea that Harry and William had a really close relationship. I wanted them to be childhood best friends, and now, I'm sad that they weren't best buds.

Rebecca wrote: "Caterina wrote: "My favorite part of the book so far is Harry dissing Hamlet and Shakespeare.

“Unlike Shakespeare, Steinbeck did not need a translator. He wrote in the vernacular, plain and simpl..."

Not only are they not best buds, but there seems to be a rivalry between them. I can understand William not wanting his little brother around while they were at school, because teenagers are weird like that. But as adults, I would have assumed they would grow closer given that they're the only ones who can understand the crazy lives they live.

I am now on part 3.

Another part of the book that I couldn't get over was the fact that Charles repeatedly chose Camilla over his sons. And Camilla and her courtiers found various ways to throw William and Harry under the bus to get better coverage for herself and Charles. Yikes! The scene were the tabloids are describing Harry as a drug addict and Charles chooses not to respond that allegation. I would have been LIVID!

I'm thinking a lot about the Faulkner quote at the beginning of the book: "The past is never dead. It's not even past." I feel like this book is a representation of how you can't escape your childhood trauma. You can avoid dealing with it as long as you want, but eventually, it catches up to you.

I finished reading this book last month. I understand the monarchy needing to be involved with the tabloids and the press and controlling the narrative. Where does the line end when it comes to protecting your immediate family and your immediate circle? I would have thought it would have been Diana's death. I was young when Diana passed so I don't remember a ton of what happened. God forbid Harry wants to do what the British Monarchy has decided not to. God forbid Harry wants to make sure that his children and his wife don't go through the same thing he went through as a child.