Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club discussion

Voted by members for Memoir & Autobiography additional read

Spare by Prince Harry



It was one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow—and horror. As Princess Diana was laid to rest, billions wondered what Prince William and Prince Harry must be thinking and feeling—and how their lives would play out from that point on.

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.

I listened to this one on audio and had mixed feelings about it. I'm not one that follows the royal family but I find the way women are portrayed by the media interesting and disturbing so I was curious to see what Harry would have to say about how the media treated his mother and wife. I found some of his thoughts interesting but was also a little disappointed in his very surface level exploration of some topics. I'm glad Harry decided to tell his story as I think everyone has a right to tell their truth. The royal family at the very least sounds very toxic and it's sad that Harry felt that in order to protect his wife and kids, he had to cut ties with his family. Hopefully they find a little more peace and happiness in the United States.

I agree with Jenna's assessment (above). I just wanted to add that Harry also shares a lot about his military services for those who may be interested in this particular topic. I'd say a good 40% of his memoir is devoted to covering this area of his life.

I gave this one 3 stars. I follow the Royal family. I have ever since my mom and I watched Princess Diana get married to Prince Charles. I loved Princess Diana and watched Harry and William grow up in the spotlight. What they went through when their mother died was incomprehensible. I applaud Harry for speaking out about mental illness. Overall, though, the book was just not that well written and I agree with Jenna's assessment that the exploration of some of the topics was surface level.

I always try to get the audiobook versions of memoirs especially the ones that are read by the authors. It makes if feel so much more personable, as if they are talking to you.

Overall I enjoyed this book! I’m always amazed how other people’s childhood’s were.

I enjoyed the cute nicknames for families members and how they addressed each other. There were some fond memories.

This book feels like he was telling us really what had happened in the past, which has lead us to the present. And then explains his decisions for his family’s future. It’s all about setting the record straight and moving on.

Oh Harry hated the press lmao and understandable really