With the release of Spare, Prince Harry has been open and honest about his place within the Royal Family. His book’s title alone gives you a lot of insight into his feelings about how his family perceives him. It alludes to a joke made by the now-King Charles about how Prince William and Harry and “the heir and a spare,” and looking at the translated titles of Spare are just as brutal. Now that both princes are fathers, Harry explained that he “worries” about Prince William’s kids being treated the same way he was, as the spare, however, his brother said that is not his “responsibility.”
While speaking with The Telegraph the Duke of Sussex talked about his relationship with his brother and his kids. Prince Harry explained that he is “someone who likes to fix things,” and he worries that Prince William’s kids will end up as “spares.” However, Prince William “made it very clear” his brother isn’t responsible for them. Although, Harry does not want his niece and nephews to be treated how he was:
If I see wrongdoing and a pattern of behaviour that is harming people, I will do everything I can to try and change it.
Prince Harry then explained this relationship with his nephews, niece and brother, saying:
As I know full well, within my family, if it’s not us, it’s going to be someone else. And though William and I have talked about it once or twice, and he has made it very clear to me that his kids are not my responsibility, I still feel a responsibility knowing that out of those three children, at least one will end up like me, the spare. And that hurts, that worries me.
It’s apparent that Prince Harry has been seriously hurt by the way he’s been treated by his family and the press. Based on this quote, while his brother noted it’s not his responsibility, he wants to make sure Prince George and Prince Louis as well as Princess Charlotte aren't treated as a spare.
The Duke of Sussex has been very open about how he’s been treated by the Royal Family in recent months. Some critics have said Spare reveals a lot, maybe too much, about Prince Harry’s past. Among Spare’s revelations and accusations, the prince recalled the story behind the dress drama on his wedding day between Meghan and Kate, he also said Kate and William were involved in the decision he made to wear a Nazi costume to a party.
Along with all these stories, revelations and worry from Prince Harry, he’s also spoken about if he would be willing to reconcile with Prince William and King Charles. The Duke of Sussex explained that he would like to have his brother back in his life, however, the heir to the throne has “shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile.”
We’ve learned a lot about Prince Harry through his book, and his docuseries Harry & Meghan, which can be watched with a Netflix subscription. Now, with this new information, we’ve gotten some insight into how he feels about his niece and nephews and their future in the Royal Family.
