Prince Harry’s resentment about his status as the second-born son has always been evident – and became even more apparent when he decided to title his explosive memoir Spare.
The spare to the heir represents a well-established royal expression. It signifies that any child born following their sibling, the heir, serves as their backup should anything occur.
While numerous notable spares have existed throughout history, including the late Queen‘s father, King George VI, the term is now primarily associated with Harry’s contentious memoir.
The moniker seems to have consistently troubled the Duke, so much that he utilized his revealing book to disclose which family member initially dubbed him with it.
He revealed that it was his father, King Charles, who employed the nickname, responding to Diana, Princess of Wales, delivering a second son.
Harry alleged that his father’s reaction was, “Wonderful! Now you’ve given me an heir and a spare – my work is done.”
Elaborating on his emotions about being the “spare,” Harry explained, “They would say it without a spirit of judgement, but straight out. I was the shadow, the supporting actor, the plan B. I was brought into this world in case something happened to Willy.”
In another section of his bombshell book, Prince Harry recounted additional recollections of his childhood within the royal family, including one Christmas when he received a “cold-blooded” gift from Princess Margaret, reports the Express.
Harry wrote about receiving a pen adorned with a small rubber fish, describing the act as “cold-blooded.”
He expressed his feelings towards his grandmother’s beloved sister, stating, “Nothing for her, except a bit of pity and a lot of jumpiness.”
In his 2023 memoir, he revisited family Christmas celebrations, revealing that he and Meghan “FaceTimed with several friends, including a few in Britain. We watched Archie running around the tree. And we opened presents. Keeping to the Windsor family tradition.”
He continued, “The whole family gathered to open gifts on Christmas Eve, as always, a German tradition that survived the anglicizing of the family surname from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor.”