Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Nov 28, 2025

Key Revelations From Prince Harry's Memoir 'Spare'

Key Revelations From Prince Harry's Memoir 'Spare'

Harry states in his memoir that he and William "begged" their father not to marry Queen Consort Camilla, with whom Charles was having an affair while married to their mother.
Prince Harry's memoir "Spare" officially goes on sale next week but much of its contents have already been leaked in British and US media.

Here are some of the notable details.

Altercation

Harry claims his older brother Prince William attacked him during an argument about his wife Meghan.

"He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor," he writes in the book, according to The Guardian.

"I landed on the dog's bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out."

'Arch-nemesis'

Harry refers to William as his "beloved brother and arch-nemesis".

"There has always been this competition between us, weirdly," he explained in an interview with the US television show "Good Morning America" set to air next Monday.

"I think it really plays into, or is played by, the 'heir/spare' (issue)," he added, referring to his traditionally diminished royal role compared to William, who is first in line to the throne.

'Misery'

The brothers' father, King Charles III, pleaded with his sons to stop fighting at a meeting after the funeral of his father, Prince Philip, in April 2021.

"Please, boys. Don't make my final years a misery," he told them, according to the memoir.

Harry also describes the "secret meeting" as resembling a duel rather than reconciliation.

William claimed he did not know why Harry had exiled himself in the United States, Harry writes, while his father "was looking at me with an expression that said, 'me neither'".

'Unfunny joke'

Harry reveals that Charles used to joke about whether he was really his father.

"Who knows if I'm really the Prince of Wales? Who knows if I'm even your real father?" Harry writes, according to The New York Post.

"He'd laugh and laugh, though it was a remarkably unfunny joke, given the rumour circulating just then that my actual father was one of Mummy's former lovers: Major James Hewitt."

Harry's mother, Princess Diana, had a five-year affair with Hewitt, an ex-cavalry officer, which gave rise to persistent speculation that he could be Harry's father.

Noting that Hewitt has similar "flaming ginger hair", Harry lambasts the claim as driven by tabloid "sadism".

"My mother didn't meet Major Hewitt until long after I was born," he notes.

'Heir and spare'

Harry writes in the book about his father's delight when Diana gave birth to a so-called "spare" in 1984.

Charles supposedly told his wife that Harry's arrival meant she had now given him both an heir and a spare -- and that his work was done.

Camilla

Harry states that he and William "begged" their father not to marry Queen Consort Camilla, with whom Charles was having an affair while married to their mother.

He recounts that the brothers said they would not stand in the way of Charles' relationship with her, but asked that they did not marry.

Harry also details how he felt when meeting Camilla for the first time, likening it to having an "injection".

"I remember wondering... if she would be cruel to me; if she would be like all the wicked stepmothers in the stories," he writes.

Drugs

Harry acknowledges using cocaine on several occasions when he was a teenager, saying he was "willing to try almost anything that would alter the pre-established order".

But he adds: "It wasn't very fun, and it didn't make me feel especially happy as seems to happen to others, but it did make me feel different, and that was my main objective. To feel. To be different."

Virginity

Harry recounts losing his virginity in a field behind a busy pub, to an "older lady" who "loved horses very much".

But he says it was a "humiliating episode" and rued it happening in the open, where they might have been seen.

'Your mother is with you'

Harry recounts seeking help since moving to California from a woman who "claimed to have 'powers'" and an ability to relay messages from the dead.

The Duke of Sussex does not describe her as a psychic or medium but writes that he felt "an energy around her" as soon as they met.

"Your mother is with you... right now," he says the woman told him. Harry says his neck grew warm and his eyes watered.

"You're living the life she couldn't. You're living the life she wanted for you," she said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Will Saudi Arabia End Up Bankrolling Israel’s Post-Ceasefire Order in Lebanon?
Saudi Arabia’s SAMAI Initiative Surpasses One-Million-Citizen Milestone in National AI Upskilling Drive
Saudi Arabia’s Specialty Coffee Market Set to Surge as Demand Soars and New Exhibition Drops in December
Saudi Arabia Moves to Open Two New Alcohol Stores for Foreigners Under Vision 2030 Reform
Saudi Arabia’s AI Ambitions Gain Momentum — but Water, Talent and Infrastructure Pose Major Hurdles
Tensions Surface in Trump-MBS Talks as Saudi Pushes Back on Israel Normalisation
Saudi Arabia Signals Major Maritime Crack-Down on Houthi Routes in Red Sea
Italy and Saudi Arabia Seal Over 20 Strategic Deals at Business Forum in Riyadh
COP30 Ends Without Fossil Fuel Phase-Out as US, Saudi Arabia and Russia Align in Obstruction Role
Saudi-Portuguese Economic Horizons Expand Through Strategic Business Council
DHL Commits $150 Million for Landmark Logistics Hub in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Aramco Weighs Disposals Amid $10 Billion-Plus Asset Sales Discussion
Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince for Major Defence and Investment Agreements
Families Accuse OpenAI of Enabling ‘AI-Driven Delusions’ After Multiple Suicides
Riyadh Metro Records Over One Hundred Million Journeys as Saudi Capital Accelerates Transit Era
Trump’s Grand Saudi Welcome Highlights U.S.–Riyadh Pivot as Israel Watches Warily
U.S. Set to Sell F-35 Jets to Saudi Arabia in Major Strategic Shift
Saudi Arabia Doubles Down on U.S. Partnership in Strategic Move
Saudi Arabia Charts Tech and Nuclear Leap Under Crown Prince’s U.S. Visit
Trump Elevates Saudi Arabia to Major Non-NATO Ally Amid Defense Deal
Trump Elevates Saudi Arabia to Major Non-NATO Ally as MBS Visit Yields Deepened Ties
Iran Appeals to Saudi Arabia to Mediate Restart of U.S. Nuclear Talks
Musk, Barra and Ford Join Trump in Lavish White House Dinner for Saudi Crown Prince
Lawmaker Seeks Declassification of ‘Shocking’ 2019 Call Between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince
US and Saudi Arabia Forge Strategic Defence Pact Featuring F-35 Sale and $1 Trillion Investment Pledge
Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund Emerges as Key Contender in Warner Bros. Discovery Sale
Trump Secures Sweeping U.S.–Saudi Agreements on Jets, Technology and Massive Investment
Detroit CEOs Join White House Dinner as U.S.–Saudi Auto Deal Accelerates
Netanyahu Secures U.S. Assurance That Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge Will Remain Despite Saudi F-35 Deal
Ronaldo Joins Trump and Saudi Crown Prince’s Gala Amid U.S.–Gulf Tech and Investment Surge
U.S.–Saudi Investment Forum Sees U.S. Corporate Titans and Saudi Royalty Forge Billion-Dollar Ties
Elon Musk’s xAI to Deploy 500-Megawatt Saudi Data Centre with State-backed Partner HUMAIN
U.S. Clears Export of Advanced AI Chips to Saudi Arabia and UAE Amid Strategic Tech Partnership
xAI Selects Saudi Data-Centre as First Customer of Nvidia-Backed Humain Project
A Decade of Innovation Stagnation at Apple: The Cook Era Critique
President Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington Amid Strategic Deal Talks
Saudi Crown Prince to Press Trump for Direct U.S. Role in Ending Sudan War
Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince: Five Key Takeaways from the White House Meeting
Trump Firmly Defends Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi Murder Amid Washington Visit
Trump Backs Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi Killing Amid White House Visit
Trump Publicly Defends Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi Killing During Washington Visit
President Donald Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at White House to Seal Major Defence and Investment Deals
Saudi Arabia’s Solar Surge Signals Unlikely Shift in Global Oil Powerhouse
Saudi Crown Prince Receives Letter from Iranian President Ahead of U.S. Visit
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Begins Washington Visit to Cement Long-Term U.S. Alliance
Saudi Crown Prince Meets Trump in Washington to Deepen Defence, AI and Nuclear Ties
Saudi Arabia Accelerates Global Mining Strategy to Build a New Economic Pillar
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Arrives in Washington to Reset U.S.–Saudi Strategic Alliance
Saudi-Israeli Normalisation Deal Looms, But Riyadh Insists on Proceeding After Israeli Elections
Saudis Prioritise US Defence Pact and AI Deals, While Israel Normalisation Takes Back Seat
×