Three years on from its explosive publication, a startling revelation has emerged about the Duke of Sussex's memoir, Spare. Prince Harry has admitted he deliberately omitted a string of major family secrets from the damning book, fearing his brother, the Prince of Wales, would never forgive him if they were made public.
The Secrets Left Unsaid
When Spare was released on 10 January 2023, it sent shockwaves through the monarchy with its candid claims. It detailed a physical altercation with William at Kensington Palace, a tense confrontation at Prince Philip's funeral, and the simmering discord between the brothers and their wives, Kate and Meghan. Despite the barrage of revelations, Harry has now disclosed that the original manuscript was twice the length of the final published version.
In the days following the book's release, Harry told The Telegraph that the process of deciding what to include was agonising. "It could have been two books, put it that way. And the hard bit was taking things out," he confessed. The Duke revealed he held over 50 Zoom calls with his ghost-writer, struggling to edit out intimate details about his relationships with his father, King Charles III, and his brother.
"There are some things that have happened, especially between me and my brother, and to some extent between me and my father, that I just don't want the world to know," Harry stated. "Because I don't think they would ever forgive me." This admission highlights the fragile state of royal relations, even at the height of the Sussexes' public disclosures.
Irreparable Damage to the 'Family Monarchy'
The publication of Spare was the culmination of a series of public airings of grievances by Harry and Meghan, following their 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview and their 2022 Netflix documentary. According to royal historian Dr Ed Owens, this sustained campaign has inflicted severe, lasting damage on the Royal Family's carefully curated image.
Speaking on the Mirror's Pod Save The King podcast, Dr Owens described the situation as "slightly tragic", arguing it has shattered the concept of the monarchy as a united family embodying the "best of British family life". He noted that King Charles III's reign was initially envisioned as being supported by his "two trusty lieutenants", William and Harry.
"When that went so disastrously wrong in early 2020 because of Harry and Meghan's decision to leave Britain, it really put paid to that vision of the family monarchy," Owens explained. "And then of course we've had the Sussexes airing their dirty laundry in public for the best part of three years - and again it has done much damage to that narrative of happy family life."
A Legacy of Fractured Relations
The revelation that Harry withheld his most damaging anecdotes underscores the profound and ongoing nature of the rift. His fear of permanent estrangement suggests a glimmer of hope for reconciliation was still present, even as he penned the memoir. However, the very act of publishing Spare, despite the omissions, has cemented a public perception of deep dysfunction within the House of Windsor.
Three years later, the royal family continues to navigate the fallout. The narrative of a supportive, unified family unit, a cornerstone of the modern monarchy's public relations, has been fundamentally challenged. While Harry held back his most explosive secrets, what he did publish was enough to alter the royal landscape indefinitely, leaving a legacy defined more by conflict than by the intended vision of a reinvigorated monarchy under King Charles.
