Prince Harry Once Exposed the Royal Behind His Infamous Spare Nickname

Published 08/21/2024, 9:33 PM EDT

There is no doubt that Prince Harry turned the tables upside down at Buckingham Palace with his bombshell of a memoir, Spare. However, a young Prince Harry did not know he could make a whole living out of the royalties of a lifetime book. All he could do was feel the weight of his nickname, a constant reminder of his secondary role to his older brother, Prince William. However, years later, in his streak of exposing the royal life behind closed doors, Prince Harry has broken free. 

The Duke of Sussex is finally out with the name who dubbed him the 'spare' for the first time.

Who was the royal family member behind Prince Harry's lifelong disdain?

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Prince Harry revealed in his infamous memoir Spare, the first royal who tagged him with his most infamous nickname, which he resents to this day. While many were under the impression that it must be one from distant relatives, it was none other than his father King Charles, who came up with the term 'spare' to refer to Prince Harry. "Wonderful! Now you've given me an heir and a spare - my work is done,wrote the Prince quoting his father, in his memoir (via The Mirror).

According to the statement in the book, his father, King Charles, bestowed him the nickname Spare right after his birth. Although no one exclusively followed suit, not one acted otherwise either to save Prince Harry from feeling like Plan B. Not just in his memoir, the Duke has taken to multiple platforms to reveal what it was like always to be the shadow, the one to be kept in handy only if certain situations demand. 

Prince Harry “desperately” Misses His UK Life Even as He Keeps His Family Stateside for Safety’s Sake 

The Duke further mentioned that his UK family was not all that suffered the aftermath of the discrimination.

The effect of being a Spare on Prince Harry

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Prince Harry's memoir runs with a recurring theme of resentment towards his nickname, Spare, throughout, analyzed Guardian. His feelings about being the secondary heir are deeply intertwined with his life experiences, both personal and professional. Prince Harry’s resentment of the name and the treatment that came along with it spanned chapters on his childhood, education, royal duties, and military career. 

The outlet further noted that his resentment is also reflected in his accounts of relationships with his family members, including his present family, the Sussexes. His love life with the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, from the time of their courtship to parenthood, is also heavily influenced by his thoughts. Time and again, the Duke has kept a clear check that his family does not fall prey to the vicious circle that he and his mother were a part of. 

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Prince Harry Breaks Down While Worrying About “history repeating itself”, Compares Princess Diana to His Wife Meghan Markle

What do you think of Prince Harry's revelations about the unseen royal life in Spare? Let us know in the comments below. 

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Shraddha Suman

1890 articles

Shraddha Das is a Content Lead and the Sub Group Head at Netflix Junkie. Captivated by the power of storytelling and the written word at a young age, which led her to pursue a career in journalism at the Esteemed KIIT School of Journalism and Mass Communication, in Orissa. She has over 1500 articles to her name.

Edited By: Itti Mahajan

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