If you were a hermit living in a remote cave then I expect that even you would be well aware that Prince Harry and his wife have been in the news recently quite a lot. Initially I decided I was going to avoid the mass hysteria and not tune into the Netflix documentary and certainly not partake in the reading of the controversial autobiography but I kind of got drawn into it all, so here we are. Firstly, the Netflix was pretty damned good. I felt that Harry and Meghan came out smelling of roses really. I was a big fan of Megan, the pretty legal secretary from ‘Suits’ before she even met Harry. Regarding Prince Harry, it’s been hard not to notice his life as he has lived it in the media spotlight. If anything, one of the most tainting effects of the media story of Prince Harry was the images of him in a full Nazi uniform at a fancy dress party in the redtops back in the day. This did, to be honest disgust me and I feel like I’ve been holding it against him every since, perhaps?
After watching the Netflix, seeing the media hate against them both and the reaction of his family and, having fully digested the book, I can honestly say that I am now a fully-fledged ‘Harryist’ and he’s one of my most favourite Royals. I think it’s all a big storm in a teacup and that he’s actually well in the right and I can see the overwhelming reasons for the Netflix and autobiography and I think anyone who continues to attack and denigrate and upset the balance of the life of Harry and his wife and children are plain and simple out of order. At the time of writing this review, we are in a week where the news of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in America and it is a sour footnote that apparently this collapse has swallowed up all of the profits Harry and Meghan have made from their ventures, which undoubtedly have attracted a lot of attention in the public worldwide. Since the release of the autobiography #SparePrinceHarry has hardly left ‘trending topics’ on twitter and every Tom, Dick and Harry has his opinion on the Prince’s affairs. Well, here’s my verdict, for what it’s worth:
Firstly I must comment that, and I make this claim being an avid reader of a wide variety of different texts so I think it is a qualified claim – ‘Spare’ is a very well-written and eminently readable text. This surprised me a lot. I never thought Harry was the brightest tool in the box. Even he admits he sort of struggled academically in school. Royal by fate of birth is indeed a unique phenomenon that Harry philosophizes about. However, I don’t think one can doubt the wisdom of ‘granny’ or Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II who has guided country and Commonwealth for longer than any previous monarch in history and was very successful in this. The high quality reputation of education at Eton is justified in the literacy and accessibility of the autobiography and Harry as much as he might try to be a ‘cool skiver’ was certainly not fully dormant during his Latin and Greek classes in school. A bit of a downer was learning that the book is in fact ghost-written, but even so, the very best ghost-writer, requires substance and a lot of input from the subject and we know when we read ‘Spare’ that it is coming straight from the horse’s mouth. It is a rare historical document in the sense that it is coming directly from a member of the Royal Family. As perhaps unimportant as the ‘Spare may be in relation to the ‘Heir’ or the King and Queen Consort, Prince Harry is a senior and very visible member of the Royal Household, carrying for many the light of his late mother, Princess Diana, as a public figure who is adored worldwide.
Harry openly discusses the sad loss of his mother and his inner torment is laid bare for the reader. He cannot get closure and even the journey through counselling doesn’t seem to aid in his quest. To lose one’s mother is such tragedy one can only dread to imagine and I don’t think anyone who suffered such a loss could ever get over it regardless. I think Diana would be proud of her son and Harry still feels her presence and refers often to little signs that the People’s Princess is smiling down on him and his new life and family. The media scrummage that he grew up in was hated by his mother and Harry’s own war with the media just seems totally farcical and unacceptable. Intrusion is an understatement. To hear Harry’s own words about some of the sick vile things he has had to tolerate from the most scummiest red-top journalists and photographers ion a daily basis throughout his whole life is stark and revealing. It’s just unbelievable. I often look at celebrities like David Beckham and their wealth and think to myself I’d hate to have to put up with all the intrusion into my life despite the many millions and billions. It’s not a fair trade off in many ways. It all goes up a notch for royalty and this hasn’t traditionally always been the case and is a recent development really spiralling out of control during the lifetime of Harry’s mother and seemingly ongoing and getting worse in his case. It’s high time to revert to tradition and on the plus side I can’t see a rosy future for newspapers and Murdoch dominions in the digital age of the future. Social Media and the internet bring doom to tabloids. Every day that passes where people spend on wifi and not on newspapers heralds a new age and reduced power for the sort of pondlife that these press institutions foster.
Harry’s life contains and inherent duality. His Royal Blood on the one hand and on the other his desire to be just a normal human being. We can see his struggle and in the modern world where life for everyone changes so rapidly, this duality is a curse in many ways. People question the funding and very existence of the Royal family, new technologies can make the media more intrusive, a more globalised society, changing values and continuing his mother’s legacy. I remember at Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s wedding the big question was whether to allow a ‘commoner’ into the royal lineage. Harry carries dual genes and the loss of his mother drives him on in life to further the sort of goals that would make her proud. Charity work, resisting press intrusion, an affinity with the general public and using your status to benefit the most needy in the most neediest of places, Diana’s flame very much lives on in ‘Spare’. Some issues such as the removal of his security detail after later flare ups are unbelievable and when Harry says he’s only every used the London Underground a couple of times in his life it puts into perspective just how sheltered an existence living in the Royal ‘fishbowl’ actually is. I think that the best Harry can hope for is to recognise his uniqueness as an asset and not to regard it as inhibitive in any way. Don’t feel the need to apologise for blue blood but celebrate it. I think in many ways this is what Netflix and ‘Spare’ are for Harry and the public, be they fans of his or trolling haters….
I wasn’t keen on hearing juicy gossip and witnessing a publicly aired family feud really and having watched the documentary and reads the book I think that Harry is actually pretty light on the whole saga and comes out shining really as pretty much an innocent victim of unjustified decisions against him where he isn’t at fault, has done very little wrong and he doesn’t seem to harbour grudges and isn’t particularly scathing or vindictive against the other sides of the alleged war. The closeness between Prince William and him as they are growing up, especially in the way they cope with their dear mother’s passing, shows a very close brotherly bond and Prince Harry describes King Charles very much differently to how perhaps the media have portrayed him. King Charles comes across as really nice man and a good father. We get a glimpse behind the scenes. Yes, we know Charles is eccentric but I was quite touched by the intimacy and care he and love that he has for Harry. The whole burden of the Crown and governance of nation and Commonwealth is alluded to by Harry and he has enough distance as ‘Spare’ yet proximity to understand the actual benefits and drawbacks of hereditary birth. As news unfolds regarding the forthcoming coronation and the results of Netflix and ‘Spare’ I just hope that this family which are sacred to the British people can iron out their difficulties. I think it may take moves from both sides to diffuse the situation but equally I do not see it impossible for them to achieve a harmonious future for the good of all. Yes, the Royal Family, like any other family, has its ups and downs, but to me it’s not really that dysfunctional. My own close family life is an awful to more dysfunctional than Harry’s has ever been – this in one reason I really enjoyed the book and nothing is beyond hope. War and Peace and peace is the preferred path.
Harry is a bit of partier that is for sure. He is overly frank and candid regarding the use of illegal drugs. Cannabis is just part of his daily life and he mentions cocaine use too. It is a different era and a new generation where values have changed and I guess that living in the USA where cannabis is legal helps a bit for the ‘Stoned Ginger’ Prince. He should calm down a bit really though as it is a bit excessive and perhaps something he should be a bit more responsible about.
The army stuff was great and I felt him discovering his freedom and normality during this period. It blew my head away really seeing the actual inner story of his military work. Yes, he may have been blasted for Taliban kill claims and I’ve spoken to military veterans who are disgusted by this and say it’s wrong. But I like to hear that a member of our inner core of The Royal Family is directly fighting Islamic terrorism directly. 50 kills would be better than the 25 or so mentioned in my opinion. – there was about 4000 innocents dead in the Twin Towers terrorist attack. 25 armed jihadists, totally opposed to Western life and Western values is but a drop in the ocean. If Harry’s book can inspire the end of Islamic terror and its eradication for future generations in any way then all the better.
And on to the Meghan romance and family. Harry’s situation has left him with difficulties with the practicalities of serious romantic relationships. In Meghan, I think he has found a genuine Princess, a new ‘Diana’ a people’s princess. Firstly I’m not even going to illuminate anything regarding ‘racism’ – It’s just outmoded, outdated, irrelevant and not worth talking about. Their story is a beautiful story of true love and in an age where values are eroding and families falling apart it brings light to see them making their way in life with a good solid nucleus. I hope that one day their children will grow up being able to be proud of both their parents for what they have done in documenting their own lives and feelings in the Netflix documentary and also in Harry’s autobiography.
I hope that this is not the final time we will hear from Harry direct in print. I hope things work out for the Coronation and in the future for Harry, Princess Megan and their children. I’m more of a fan after reading and offer as much support as I can. I encourage people to actually go out and buy the book and read it because you will enjoy it and gain from the experience.
Good luck Prince Harry – remember that a ‘Spare’ in bowling is actually quite a good score.