Royal Biographer Says Prince Harry Was Never Treated Like a Spare by the Royal Family
A royal expert is challenging the title of the upcoming Prince Harry memoir Spare, pointing out that he was never treated like a spare at all. The expert calls his choice of title “tragic” as it reflects “his resentments as a little boy.”
Expert calls Prince Harry’s memoir title ‘tragic’
During an interview with GB News, royal biographer Angela Levin explained that Harry was never treated like a spare.
Levin noted it was interesting to learn how Harry’s memoir title was translated in other languages. “So here in the UK, it’s Spare. Outside of the UK, it’s Leftovers and Neglected. And there’s another one — In the Shadows,” she explained.
“Which actually is tragic, isn’t it? That someone could actually allow a title like that on a book and that represents what’s inside it,” the biographer said. “It’s really, really sad that Harry can’t move forward at all.”
She added, “It’s obvious from the title that it’s going to go back to his resentments as a little boy, that his brother was going to get the crown.”
Prince Harry wasn’t treated like a spare, expert says
Levin went on to discuss how Princess Diana never treated Harry like a spare. “He told me when I interviewed him for the biography that his mother made every effort to make him feel wanted and that she wouldn’t let cameramen, for example, take pictures of just William, unless it was like his birthday,” she explained. “Harry was always there … she did her very best to make him feel right.”
She continued, “[He] also said he had more freedom, he had more opportunities. He was also incredibly close to his father. After Diana died, he said [Charles] really made sure… we were looked after and protected.”
The biographer noted, “And yet he is obviously going to try to smash the royal family [with his book]. The timing is appalling. King Charles is grieving and it’s before the coronation but he’s got to bring it out now.”
Levin also explained, “He wasn’t treated like a spare. He was incredibly popular, the most popular next to the queen. Because he was mischievous, he was fun. He was very lively. William’s got a much harder life because it’s so demanding to be a king and to be an heir.”
Expert says it’s ‘shocking’ if Harry’s motivation to write the memoir is money
Levin also touched on the money involved with the book deal. “He’s got what he wanted. He got freedom as much as he likes, he has got a woman he absolutely adores, he’s got children, he’s got 16 bathrooms,” she said. “It is really astonishing that he can’t see anything good despite having lots and lots of therapy.”
The biographer continued, “If he is doing it purely for money then it’s absolutely more shocking … but he should have come to a border where he said: ‘I’m not going further.’ I think you need to protect your family even if you fall out with them. You don’t want to tell the world all the nasty details of how people are because no parent is perfect.”
Levin added, “And I wonder how his children are going to react to the fact they have never known their father’s family.”
