Too many imperial gallons of ink have been spilled over the pros and cons of the decision of Prince Harry to leave the UK and the Royal Family. And no, I am not going to discuss, praise or criticise his actions, but I shall defend the right of every human being, royal or not, to choose where and how they will live their lives.
We can agree or disagree with his decisions, but we cannot ignore the fact that Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir book was already translated into 19 languages and sold more than 3.2 million copies worldwide after just one week of publication – probably the fastest-selling non-fiction book ever.
Prince Harry hired J. R. Moehringer to ghostwrite the story. The Tender Bar, an American coming-of-age movie directed by George Clooney, was based on the novelist’s memoir about his adolescence in New York. Moehringer is also a known professional ghostwriter; he helped Andre Agassi and Phil Knight create their polished memoirs. Did they succeed or not? It is not to me to decide, but you, all the great variety of readers.
Harry’s memoir is not the story of the firstborn heir to the throne but instead the story of the ‘spare’. “For Meg, and Archie and Lili … and, of course, my mother.” Let us start with his touching dedication. Yes, Meghan, Archie, Lilibet and Diana, wife, children and mother, they are his life and mean everything to him.
The major themes of the memoir, and its highest points, are: Princess Diana, the Queen, his life as a British prince in the 20th and 21st centuries, including the endless harassment suffered from the journalists and paparazzi, his time serving in the military and the missions in Afghanistan, his mental health struggle with anxiety and depression after his mother’s death , then the philanthropic assignments and his marriage.
As far as I’m concerned, there are no good or bad books. Some resonate more with certain minds, while others resonate with others. Therefore, I am not entitled to tell anyone what they should and shouldn’t read. What I do is invite you to ponder whether this or another book resonates more with your mind. It’s as simple as that.
A website was specially launched to support the book: princeharrymemoir.com with a hashtag: #PrinceHarryMemoir. How very modern.
If, after this wordy consideration and after watching Harry and Meghan’s recent Netflix documentary, you still want to discover Prince Harry’s SPARE, you can find the book on Amazon.es from 17.99€ (Kindle Edition) up to 32.47€ (paperback), or at Bertrand Livreiros with 32.45€ (paperback).
Photo ©princeharrymemoir.com
