ROYAL FAMILY NEWSPrince Harry Excluded Chunks of 2023 Memoir 'Spare' to Not Anger Prince William and King Charles: 'I Don't Think They Would Ever Forgive Me'
Prince Harry took out several parts of his 400-page memoir 'Spare' in an effort to not upset his father, King Charles, or his brother, Prince William.
Jan. 12 2026, Published 2:53 p.m. ET
Prince Harry made jaws drop when he published his bombshell memoir, Spare, on January 10, 2023.
The Duke of Sussex, 41, spilled major royal tea about being the second son of King Charles and being Prince William's "spare" younger brother.
Harry once revealed that he slashed major parts of the 400-page novel in an effort to not upset his family even more than he already had with his revelations.
'Spare' Could Have Been Split Into 2 Books
Prince Harry released his bombshell tell-all in January 2023.
The Invictus Games founder divulged he had over 50 video calls with his ghostwriter, J. R. Moehringer, to discuss which parts to keep in his book, and which to exclude.
"It could have been two books, put it that way. And the hard bit was taking things out," Harry told The Telegraph. "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."
'Spare' included many details about Prince Harry's relationship with his family.
Spare was full of excerpts from Harry's life, including anecdotes about his rocky childhood, his time in the British military, his relationships with Queen Camilla, Charles, 77, William, 43, and his marriage to Meghan Markle.
Meghan, 44, and Harry had left the royal family in 2020 and moved their family to California due to the pressures they felt being senior members of The Firm.
The memoir further strained his connections with William and Charles and was seen as a major threat against the Windsor clan.
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'Spare' Was 400 Pages Long
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex left The Firm in January 2020.
"One thing one has to say about the paperback of Spare — at least it didn't include anything new," royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told GB News in 2024 when a second printing of the novel hit the bookshelves. "We know that 400 pages, according to Harry anyway, was originally cut out because it would be too sensitive. That was obviously a nasty threat."
He further commented on the tell-all's release to Daily Mail, saying the publication would be a royal reckoning for the family.
The memoir further tensed Prince Harry's connections with King Charles and Prince William.
“The consequences of this will be far-reaching and may be highly destructive,” Fitzwilliams said, adding that the title is “sensational” and “implies that [Harry] was not valued or … that he did not feel at the center of events.”
According to the royal expert, Harry “should have waited many years” before penning his memoir.
“Even Edward VIII — by then the Duke of Windsor — waited until 1951 before A King’s Story was published,” he said.
Harry's great-granduncle Edward VIII infamously abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson and was also seen as a royal pariah decades after the scandal.
