London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 06, 2026

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

0:00
0:00
Close
Office for National Statistics Updates Historical Investment Data Review to Improve Accuracy
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Highlights Economic Gains From Digital Inclusion
Debate Intensifies Over UK Defence Strategy and Domestic Security Priorities
Report Warns Full Transport Accessibility Could Add £176 Billion to UK Economy Annually
Medicines Regulator Approves First Targeted Treatment for Advanced Merkel Cell Skin Cancer
Government Commits £22 Million to Brighton Seafront Infrastructure Renewal and Transport Safety
National Security Bill Returns to House of Commons Amid Calls to Protect Humanitarian Work
Government Tightens Overseas Political Donation Rules to Strengthen Safeguards Against Foreign Influence
NHS Maternity Reform Expands Central Oversight After Critical National Review
Dover Border Warnings Highlight Post-Brexit Pressure on Cross-Channel Trade
Private Nuclear Consortium Advances £35 Billion Small Reactor Strategy in UK
UK Labour Leadership Signals Shift Toward Reindustrialisation and Regional Power
House of Lords Debates Rail Nationalisation Bill to Create Great British Railways
Scottish Affairs Committee Expands Inquiry Into SNP Financial Conduct
Evri Launches £1.2 Million Defamation Case Against BBC Over Panorama Investigation
Port of Dover Warns of Border Delays as EU Entry-Exit System Looms
Nigel Farage Referred to Standards Watchdog Over Alleged Undeclared Benefits
UK Government Faces Scrutiny Over Claimed AI Datacentre Investment After FOI Findings
UK and India Finalise Trade Agreement Rules Ahead of Mid-July Implementation
UK Government Establishes National Maternity Commissioner After Major Review of NHS Care Failures
Private Consortium Plans £35 Billion UK Nuclear Programme Targeting Small Modular Reactor Rollout
Andy Burnham Sets Out Ten-Year Reindustrialisation and Devolution Plan as Leadership Transition to UK Premiership Advances
Morocco and France Advance as 2026 FIFA World Cup Enters Quarterfinals.
Historic 2026 Tour de France Opens in Barcelona With Revamped Team Time Trial.
Global Mergers and Acquisitions Approach $4 Trillion Defying Geopolitical Tumult.
Negotiators Advance 20-Point Framework for Gaza Ceasefire and Demilitarization.
OECD Warns Middle East Conflict Will Depress Global Economic Growth.
Ukrainian Drones Strike Major Oil Terminal in St. Petersburg.
World Meteorological Organization Issues Urgent Alert Over Rapidly Intensifying El Niño.
United States Commemorates 250th Anniversary With Diplomatic Summits and Global Flotilla.
Iran Begins Days-Long Funeral for Supreme Leader Khamenei Amid Strait of Hormuz Standoff.
Technology giant reports surging carbon emissions driven by artificial intelligence infrastructure demands.
Artificial intelligence adoption accelerates workforce reductions across the technology and financial sectors.
Global technology and financial conglomerates collaborate to launch a new stablecoin standard.
United States regulators lift export restrictions on a major frontier artificial intelligence model.
Royal Society Exhibition Highlights Growing Focus on Public Trust in Science
Energy Costs and Supply Chain Risks Continue to Shape UK Business Strategy
Rapid Rise in Artificial Intelligence Adoption Reshapes UK Corporate Operations, ONS Says
UK Businesses Turn Defensive as Economic Outlook Weakens, Institute of Directors Data Shows
UK Government Faces Criticism Over Late Extension of Pub Hours for England Match
Inquest Continues Into Death of Noah Donohoe as Jury Deliberates Findings
Calls for Stronger Wildlife Attraction Safety Rules After Crocodile Enclosure Injury
City Fire Under Control After Major Blaze Sends Smoke Across Urban Area
Police Investigation Continues After Officer Killed During Road Closure Duties
Blackpool Hotel Fined £120,000 After Electric Shock Incident Involving Child
Whistleblowers Allege Delays in UK Special Educational Needs Support Services
Calls Grow for Improved Support for UK Armed Forces Personnel Facing Health Conditions
Rising UK Energy Price Cap Increase Prompts Wider Concerns Over Household Pressures
UK Businesses Remain Concerned Over Global Conflict Risks to Supply Chains, ONS Finds
Office for National Statistics Reports Rising Adoption of Artificial Intelligence Across UK Businesses
×