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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
Entertainment
Darcey Barrett

Prince Harry's memoir Spare: Three key points that have got people talking

After an accidental early release in Spain, the ins and outs of Prince Harry’s memoir have already been heavily scrutinised by royal experts and the public alike. From sibling rivalry to the tragic loss of his mother at such a young age, Harry writes about everything he experienced before his decision to leave the country.

Strong opinions have been expressed about Harry and Meghan and their role in the Royal Family, and the highly-anticipated book was seen as an opportunity to reclaim the narrative in his own words. Some key points have been disclosed in his book and in Harry's interview with ITV, which also aired this week.

Today (January 10) marks the official UK release of the book, and some fans queued at midnight to get their hands on a copy. If you've not had a chance yet or don't want to read the entire book, take a look at three of the central talking points:

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Harry’s drug use

One of the themes Harry touched on in his book that has caught the interest of the public is his involvement with Class A drugs. In the book he admits "of course I had been doing cocaine around this time,” and he further goes on to explain “Feeling different was the goal". At aged just 17 he explained he was “deeply unhappy, and was willing to try anything to alter the status quo".

Prince Harry isn’t the first high-profile person to get caught up in drugs, nor will he be the last, but the open admission from a member of the royal family came as a surprise to some readers. When asked about his drug use in his interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby he said it is "important to acknowledge".

The loss of his mother Diana

While the news and story of Diana’s death was felt by everyone, no one can truly understand what it was like for her two young sons at the time. Over the years, Prince Harry has been very open about how the death of his mother affected him from childhood into his early adulthood.

In the book, Harry talks about how he refused to believe that Diana had actually died from the crash until early adulthood. He also talks about his request to be driven through the tunnel Diana died in at the same speed her car was travelling at.

Another topic linked to the death of his mother is his relationship with the British media and the paparazzi. After the hounding his mother experienced during her life, he explains that he doesn’t want the same to happen to his children.

The relationship with his father and brother

Every family has their own issues and squabbles, but above all love prevails. This is a point the Duke highlighted in his ITV interview: “I love my father, I love my brother, I love my family, I always do, nothing I have ever done in this book or otherwise has ever been with any intention to hurt or harm them.”

In his book he wrote about a few occasions when he and William had fallen out and said things turned physical. He claimed: “He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back.”

Despite everything, he told ITV: “I would like to have my brother back.” He further spoke in the interview about his relationship with his father, speaking of his deep love for him despite their troubles.

In his book he said of his dad that “he always gave an air of not quite being ready for parenthood” and that “single parenthood, father was never made for that, to be fair he tried". The book provides his side of the story from start to finish, from before he met Meghan to living in the States happier than ever before.

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To end his ITV interview Harry said: “I’m happy, my family is happy, its difficult to go back, but I'm in such a good headspace now that whatever conversations need to happen or whatever the future holds to the point where can there be reconciliation and whatever comes from that, I’m in a really good place to have those conversations.”

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