It’s no secret that the myriad startling revelations in Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex’s memoir, “Spare,” worsened his rift with the royal family. Since then, many folks have come to believe that a reconciliation between Harry and William, Prince of Wales could benefit the monarchy. And, even Harry, himself, has been clear that he wants a reconciliation with his brother and his father, King Charles III. Now, Harry’s latest move, albeit subtle, seems to speak volumes about his feelings toward his estranged family.
“Spare” hit the stands in January 2023, and on October 22, 2024, the paperback version became available in the United States. On October 24, the paperback edition will hit shelves in the United Kingdom. Interestingly, though, Harry chose not to add anything new to the new edition. Since it’s common for authors to add new content to their book for its paperback version, it certainly wouldn’t have been unusual for Harry to take this opportunity to add a new chapter to “Spare.” Instead, though, he left the book just as it was, and in doing so, he chose against adding any new fuel to the fire of the royal family feud.
Spare remaining unchanged feels meaningful in more ways than one
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Prince Harry took the “tell-all” aspect of his tell-all memoir seriously, and as a result, it included many things that upset his family. He made numerous claims about Prince William, including accounts of him “screaming and shouting,” per Yahoo! News. And, William reportedly isn’t prepared to forgive or forget. In September 2024, a friend of William told The Daily Beast, “The honest truth is that William has no interest right now in reaching out to Harry and Meghan [Markle]. He regards what Harry said in his book as unforgivable … There isn’t space for a complicated reconciliation process with Harry.” Harry’s choice against including anything new in the paperback version of “Spare” likely won’t remedy this situation, but it won’t make it any worse like a new addition might have.
Since Harry chose not to make any changes to “Spare,” that means the book’s dedication didn’t change either. So, just as it did in the original version, the dedication in “Spare” still seemingly pointedly excludes William and Charles. Instead, it is dedicated to his wife, Meghan, his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, and his late mother, Princess Diana — or, as he put it, “For Meg and Archie and Lili … and of course, my mother,” per People. The epigraph reportedly remained the same, as well, which seems to be even more relevant now. The quote from the book “Requiem for a Nun” by William Faulkner reads, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”
