Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir Spare took a bashing at the British Book Awards and didn’t come close to winning – even losing out to a puzzle book.
The Duke of Sussex sent shockwaves around the world when he released the bombshell book, which featured a number of accusations about members of the Royal Family. Harry also claimed to have taken drugs in his youth and detailed how he lost her virginity to an older woman before accusing Prince William of hitting him.
It sold 706,978 copies but was beaten in every category it was nominated in at last night’s bash. It fell short and missed out on the book of the year award, which went to Murdle by GT Karber. In the non-fiction section, he missed out too with Politics On The Edge by former international development secretary Rory Stewart scooping the gong.
There was no luck for the royal later. The panel of judges at Park Lane’s Grosvenor House, included Adrian Chiles and Lorraine Kelly, and they went for Katherine Rundell as Author of the Year, snubbing Harry who was also nominated. Royal family members were not painted in the best light in the book. The Duke claimed that William and Kate Middleton encouraged him to dress up in a Nazi uniform for a fancy dress party, an outfit that would draw extreme criticism.
Other revelations in Harry’s memoir include how he was against Charles marrying Camilla and thought of her as the “wicked stepmother” at the time. He also accused the future queen of having a “long-term strategy, a campaign directed at marriage and with time, the Crown (with the blessing of our father, we supposed).”
But Royal photographer Arthur Edwards is one of a number of people claim Harry wasn’t accurate within the book. When he recalled how he found out the Queen Mother had died. Harry wrote: “At Eton, while studying, I took the call. I wish I could remember whose voice was at the other end; a courtier’s I believe.
“I recall that it was just before Easter, the weather bright and warm, light slanting through my window, filled with vivid colours.” However, Arthur insisted Harry was actually in Klosters when the Queen Mother died. “I remember it clearly because I photographed him the next day leaving back for, going back to the UK for the funeral. So, a lot of that book is inaccurate,” Arthur told The Sun.
He then suggested it’s possible Harry also lied about taking drugs. Harry recalled taking cocaine as a teenager, smoking marijuana and trying magic mushrooms in his memoir, claims which have been scrutinised by right wing think tank The Heritage Foundation. Lawyer John Bardo, representing the Department for Homeland Security, suggested Harry may have exaggerated his claims about taking drugs in order to sell more copies.
Harry stated the original manuscript for his book was twice the length of the final draft and many details about interactions between him, Charles and William were edited out as there were things he didn’t want the world to know. Harry admitted he had 50 Zoom calls with his ghostwriter and sometimes struggled to decide which details to include and which to leave out.
Harry told The Telegraph: “It could have been two books, put it that way. And the hard bit was taking things out.” The Duke added: “There are some things that have happened, especially between me and my brother, and to some extent between me and my father, that I just don’t want the world to know. Because I don’t think they would ever forgive me.”
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