Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Dec 18, 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
Saudi Hotels Prepare for New Hospitality Roles as Alcohol Curbs Ease
Global Airports Forum Highlights Saudi Arabia’s Emergence as a Leading Aviation Powerhouse
Saudi Arabia Weighs Strategic Choice on Iran Amid Regional Turbulence
Not Only F-35s: Saudi Arabia to Gain Access to the World’s Most Sensitive Technology
Saudi Arabia Condemns Sydney Bondi Beach Shooting and Expresses Solidarity with Australia
Washington Watches Beijing–Riyadh Rapprochement as Strategic Balance Shifts
Saudi Arabia Urges Stronger Partnerships and Efficient Aid Delivery at OCHA Donor Support Meeting in Geneva
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 Drives Measurable Lift in Global Reputation and Influence
Alcohol Policies Vary Widely Across Muslim-Majority Countries, With Many Permitting Consumption Under Specific Rules
Saudi Arabia Clarifies No Formal Ban on Photography at Holy Mosques for Hajj 2026
Libya and Saudi Arabia Sign Strategic MoU to Boost Telecommunications Cooperation
Elon Musk’s xAI Announces Landmark 500-Megawatt AI Data Center in Saudi Arabia
Israel Moves to Safeguard Regional Stability as F-35 Sales Debate Intensifies
Cardi B to Make Historic Saudi Arabia Debut at Soundstorm 2025 Festival
U.S. Democratic Lawmakers Raise National Security and Influence Concerns Over Paramount’s Hostile Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery
Hackers Are Hiding Malware in Open-Source Tools and IDE Extensions
Traveling to USA? Homeland Security moving toward requiring foreign travelers to share social media history
Wall Street Analysts Clash With Riyadh Over Saudi Arabia’s Deficit Outlook
Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Cement $1 Trillion-Plus Deals in High-Profile White House Summit
Saudi Arabia Opens Alcohol Sales to Wealthy Non-Muslim Residents Under New Access Rules
U.S.–Saudi Rethink Deepens — Washington Moves Ahead Without Linking Riyadh to Israel Normalisation
Saudi Arabia and Israel Deprioritise Diplomacy: Normalisation No Longer a Middle-East Priority
Saudi Arabia Positions Itself as the Backbone of the Global AI Era
As Trump Deepens Ties with Saudi Arabia, Push for Israel Normalization Takes a Back Seat
Thai Food Village Debuts at Saudi Feast Food Festival 2025 Under Thai Commerce Minister Suphajee’s Lead
Saudi Arabia Sharpens Its Strategic Vision as Economic Transformation Enters New Phase
Saudi Arabia Projects $44 Billion Budget Shortfall in 2026 as Economy Rebalances
OPEC+ Unveils New Capacity-Based System to Anchor Future Oil Output Levels
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
×