Prince Harry’s “Spare”: Discover The Book’s Shocking Facts For Free
The British royal family has always made the headlines, but one member, in particular, has dominated them in 2023. That member? Prince Harry, of course.
On January 10, Harry’s tell-all memoir “Spare” hit the shelves. Despite not being out for long, the memoir has already become the UK’s fastest-selling nonfiction book since records began.
From his mother’s death to his marriage to Meghan to his decision to quit the royal family altogether, “Spare” tells the side of the stories you’ve probably never heard about before. Along with an insight into royal life, Harry gives a candid account of the strained relationship he has with his family.
Discover the Shocking Secrets in “Spare”
Want to join the discussions about the book everyone’s talking about, but don’t have time to read it in full? The Blinkist app is offering the explainer of “Spare” for free.
“When I go to a social function and have to be ‘in the know’ about something, I listen to Blinkist to get key information quickly.” –Aria, Educator
What’s Blinkist? Blinkist is an app that shares the most important parts of nonfiction books in bite-sized explainers. You can read or listen to these explainers in about 15 minutes. Beyond “Spare”, there are 5,500 titles to choose from across 27 categories including memoirs, personal development, and psychology.
The explainer to “Spare” will only take you 19 minutes to get through, but you’ll leave knowing all the shocking stories, juicy gossip, and honest accounts that have made this memoir so controversial already.
Spare
- 19 min reading time
- audio version available
Want to know what you can expect from the book? Here are four surprising stories you can learn from Blinkist’s explainer on it.
1. “Spare” is More Than Just a Catchy Title
When Harry was born, his father, who is now King Charles, turned to Princess Diana and said, “Wonderful! Now there’s an Heir and a Spare.”
Harry’s older brother, William, was second in line for the throne, and Harry himself was nothing more than the backup. That’s the way he was seen by the press, the public, and even his own family.
“The Heir and the Spare—there was no judgment about it, but also no ambiguity. I was the shadow, the support, the Plan B. I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy. I was summoned to provide backup, distraction, diversion and, if necessary, a spare part. Kidney, perhaps. Blood transfusion. Speck of bone marrow. This was all made explicitly clear to me from the start of life’s journey and regularly reinforced thereafter.”Prince Harry, Spare
2. Harry Didn’t Believe His Mother Had Really Died
Princess Diana died after the car she was traveling in crashed in a tunnel in Paris while trying to escape the paparazzi. Harry was only 12 when it happened, and he didn’t believe it was true when his dad first broke the news.
At the funeral, Harry had to shake hands with sobbing strangers and walk behind his mother’s coffin as millions around the world watched.
But even after all that, he didn’t believe Diana had really died, and he kept thinking she’d come back. It wasn’t until he sought out photos from the fateful night and visited the tunnel years later in his twenties that the truth started to sink in.
3. Charles Worked with the Press Against Harry
Harry wasn’t exactly a fan of the press after hoards of paparazzi essentially caused his mother’s death. But his relationship with them didn’t get any better as he grew up.
When he was a teenager, the tabloids published stories about Harry taking drugs. The problem? It was a lie. The even bigger problem? Charles indirectly worked with the press and approved the story.
Charles wasn’t looking great in the press, and a story about a single father struggling to control his drug-using teenage son made him look better.
4. The Royal Family Didn’t Support Harry and Meghan
The press was a big part of Harry’s life as he grew up, married Meghan, and started a family. Meghan was harassed by the media in a startlingly similar way that Diana was. But the royal family did nothing to stop it, and they may have been making it worse.
When Harry and Meghan moved to the US and stepped down from the royal family, the news was leaked to the press, including the fact the couple had offered to give up their Sussex titles.
But this detail wasn’t public knowledge. In fact, it was only mentioned in a private letter from Harry to his father. Yet again, Harry felt abandoned by his family, abused by the press, and treated as the spare.
Want to learn more damning secrets from Harry’s life as a royal? You can read or listen to Blinkist’s full explainer of “Spare” for free. Here’s how the app works.
The Tell-All Memoir Explained in 19 Minutes
Harry’s memoir may be 400 pages long, but the prince revealed it was originally twice that length, and it was tough to cut it down.
The experts at Blinkist have read the entire book and pulled out the most shocking stories and surprising secrets, so you can find out everything you need to know about “Spare” in just 19 minutes.
Beyond Harry’s memoir, the Blinkist team adds 70 new books each month. That includes the latest New York Times bestsellers and trending titles, meaning you can always be in the know about the books everyone’s talking about.
The sleek and simple design makes it easy to learn from some of the world’s best books in minutes — whether that’s through listening or reading.
Catch Up on Gossip on the Go
Tight on time but still want to know the latest on life as a royal? Blinkist explainers are available in text and audio form, so you can fit them into your day. Read over your morning coffee or before bed, and listen while commuting, cooking, or running errands.
“Blinkist caters to readers with more curiosity than time.” –TechCrunch
25 Million Users Stay in the Know
Blinkist has 25 million users around the world who use the app to stay up to date on the latest releases and trending nonfiction books. And they’ve given the app 94,000 5-star ratings across the app stores.
“It’s a great app with amazing content of so many books I’m interested in. I love the summary of the key points. It gives me the opportunity to “read” more books in a short time.” –5-star review.
Beyond users, Blinkist is loved by the likes of Forbes and Techcrunch, it’s won awards from Google and the United Nations, and Apple named it one of the world’s best apps.
Want to discover the other shocking stories Harry opens up about in Spare? Check out Blinkist’s free explainer of the book for yourself. Visit the web app or download the phone app and search for the book.
Images provided by: Defensie, “Lancering Invictus Games“, 2019, via commons.wikimedia.org, licensed under CC0 and Archives New Zealand (adapted), Harry of Wales in 1987, 1987, via commons.wikimedia.org, licensed under CC by 2.0
Vanessa is a freelance writer living in London. When not at her laptop, she loves to run, travel and scuba dive wherever she can.
Start your free trial with Blinkist
A small investment, an incredible growth opportunity: Get access to powerful ideas from top nonfiction books and podcasts.
Start your free trialStart your free trial with Blinkist
What is Blinkist?
Blinkist is an app that transforms key insights from great nonfiction books into quick, easy-to-understand highlights. The reality is – everyone loves reading, but no one has the time. Blinkist fills this learning gap and makes acquiring new knowledge effortless.
Download the Blinkist app
