A certain book

I had one through Amazon Audible I listened (whilst crocheting a jumper for DGD.. As nanna said, we all knew most of the content - although I don’t think we needed to know that he had frost nip on his penis after going to one of the poles with injured veterans… ewwwww
He talks about ’Mummy’ all the way through and he looked into a fox’s eyes and interpreted it as Mummy looking out for him. Ditto an incompletely sedated lion or leopard (you can tell how absorbed I was) - only he stepped forward looking into its eyes while everyone stepped back, and thought it was a sign from Mummy. Some mumbo jumbo from a lady who had ’powers’ who told him Mummy was looking on and wanted him to be happy. I have no doubt he was damaged by Diana’s death and you don’t ever get over losing a parent close to you, but this was creepy.
No-one in the faamily helped him on one page skip forward Willy rang to ask if I was ok, Harry said he was! In a way I feel sorry because he has listened to the wrong people who are telling him he needs this therapy or that therapy, and he is excusing himself for not moving on and not realising that millions of children, young people and adults have faced equally devastating life event and don’t a have a bank balance that most people can never imagine. ’ Meg ’ - well, she’s an actress isn’t she. Probably the last woman in the world he should have married.

I have bought the book and am now up to page 239. It is riveting and beautifully written. Very much in Harry's voice. I cannot understand why some people are happy to make judgements about the book and believe tabloid journalists' tittle-tattle, "hearsay" and speculation about Prince Harry and not read his own story about his life which debunks a lot of the made-up rubbish stories from the Press. It really is astonishing. Read the book if you can & make up your own mind, you will see a different narrative from the sensational headlines in the tabloids. He comes across as clear-eyed, intelligent, compassionate, hardworking and still deeply sad at the sudden death of his mother when he was only 12. Before reading the book, I thought he was just a privileged prince interested only in living the princely life so I am very much impressed by the years of discipline and tough, rigorous training he went through to become a Lieutenant in the Army, the same arduous training to be certified as an Apache helicopter pilot, his heroic fighting the Taliban and how committed he is in looking after and working with seriously injured soldiers, etc. He is remarkable and hardworking, completely different from the "thicko" Prince Harry the tabloid press would like us to believe. After reading this book, I feel I can no longer read stories about the Royal Family from the Press as most of what they write is speculation and distortion of the truth. I am glad Harry has written his courageous memoir - warts and al1 - so the tabloid press can now no longer invent stories about him & his family. Well done to him.

I assume that you never read a newspaper or watch Sky news, crazygranny.

What that young man and his wife have tried desperately to highlight is the totally vile out-of-control press in our own country
I will agree with that crazynanny
The shot of Diana with the then very young children on a skiing trip - surely the press had seen enough when the four of them, William, Harry, Beatrice and a very small Eugenie, were paraded out like animals in a zoo? But then the press weren't satisfied and carried on snapping and filming until Diana rushed towards one of them and put her hand over the camera.

The problem is, as Coco51 has said (who listened to the book herself) much of it is very strange, the excerpt she mentions sound almost delusional and learning about losing his virginity and frostbite is just tmi.

But perhaps the publishers know what will sell. They, as someone mentioned above, will be as ruthless as the press and may not care for the wellbeing of this man or his family.

£$ is not everything. Peace of mind and the love of a family is more important.

King Charles lived through ridicule, Princess Anne the hardest working member of the family is rarely mentioned; Camilla had an especially hard time with the press reporting St. Diana. Charles’ affair was with the love of his life, while St Diana had many, with married men as well as those available. What about ’Waitey Katie’, Sara Ferguson ridiculed for her lack of dress sense? Most of the bad press on Meghan and Harry arises from their contempt for institution that made them well off. But the dear little snowflakes couldn’ hack it.

I totally agree with you crazygranny!

Jenn53 how did you miss the fact that Harry was in the Army? Or is involved with The Invictus Games? There was a TV programme about him going to the Arctic with injured ex-servicemen too.
Perhaps you don't live in the UK, but yes, there has been a lot of positive press about him too.

I downloaded first three chapters for free on my device. The ghost writer is a very talented man. I enjoyed reading the descriptions of Balmoral inside and outdoors. Also enjoyed reading about Harry’s school life at Ludgrove. I don’t think I’ll buy the book but may pick it up later. Grace Kelly and Mary Donaldson both married into Royal families and did not put a foot wrong. They both married the Heir not the Spare of Monaco and Denmark. Just a thought. They also had to learn a new language.

I'm waiting for the free download on Amazon Prime

"People don't use bookshops anymore". I do! some books I buy some I get out of the library. The Waterstones in my town and previous town generally have a throng of people in them and queues for the tills.

In reference to the press crazygranny you posted ^These publications print a slurry of lies and fragments of truth in as salacious a fashion as possible^; a rather good description of H's book too by all accounts.

But what about the obvious lies discrepancies Jenn? M purchasing an air line ticket for her father; where H was and how he was told about his GGM's death; the discrepancies between what he said in the Netflix series and what's contained in the book?

I agree about the headlines and the way the press has intruded on his life but the lies discrepancies that have been noted are because of what he himself has said and what's been written in his memoirs.

My daughter-in-law has sent me the whole copy via WhatsApp. So freebies are out there.
Lots of ruthless people making good money out of a tragic situation. He’s being used and abused by the very people he detests, journalists. Poor damaged and naive young man running out of control.

I'm just tired of hearing about it now. I certainly wouldn't spend my hard earned money on it. I have some sympathy for Harry but am losing most of it the longer things go on.

Don't think he is intelligent enough to use these words!!

I won't buy or read it, but I have never bought or read any autobiographies - just not interested in that type of book. In any case, I think there have been so many 'leaks' prior to the official release to have served as a sufficient precis for many people.
Interestingly, according to a recent poll (YouGov?), people in the higher age brackets, presumably a similar age group to GN readers, have a pretty low opinion of Harry and presumably are less likely to buy the book, as opposed to younger age groups who have a better opinion and probably more likely to buy it. That may explain the great divide of "I'll never read it" - v- reportedly high sales figures for it.

I have it and I will read it, it is a replacement Christmas present.
I read a lot and am just interested to see what all the hype is about.

Jenn, H didn’t write the book. It was done by a well known ghost writer who admits the lines between memory and fact are blurred - in other words don’t believe everything you read. That lovely prose which has seduced you was not written by the academically challenged Spare.

Smileless2012

In reference to the press crazygranny you posted ^These publications print a slurry of lies and fragments of truth in as salacious a fashion as possible^; a rather good description of H's book too by all accounts.

But what about the obvious lies discrepancies Jenn? M purchasing an air line ticket for her father; where H was and how he was told about his GGM's death; the discrepancies between what he said in the Netflix series and what's contained in the book?

I agree about the headlines and the way the press has intruded on his life but the lies discrepancies that have been noted are because of what he himself has said and what's been written in his memoirs.

Exactly.
Well said.

Read Hugo Vickers in The Oldie - see link below

www.theoldie.co.uk/blog/prince-harry-drives-me-spare-his-memoir-is-crammed-full-of-fiction-and-his-ghost-makes-him-much-brighter-than-he-is-by-hugo-vickers

"Enjoy..."

Germanshepherdsmum

I don’t suppose posters are looking at the niceties of accounting practices. H has received income amounting to millions of dollars by way of an advance and H has paid out of that income a relatively pitiful sum to charity. Accounting practices are irrelevant to the principle that has been the subject of comment.

Perhaps.

With the tax collections and rules for the 2 countries, maybe not. I asked that yesterday, the answer was a bit confusing.

Later I asked brother, he told me "it depends, I pay both - you know my taxes (I help with his books), Harry's tax situation is not available. I've not noted, precisely, how the charity is paid and if it is tax advantaged."

Thank you brother, still unclear.

Perhaps H is donating a large percentage to what he ultimately pocketed? I doubt his accountants will divulge to us.

If you read anything written by a ghostwriter then you must accept that part of it will be a fiction - the particular ghostwriter involved in this book has already admitted that memories are very often not true representations of the facts of an event. Who on earth would waste whatever that book costs I wonder, and I also wonder how many trees have died to supply it.

It is actually very interesting and the bits getting all the publicity are a tiny part of it. You do have to bother to read it though. That's kind of what books are for. 😂

@Norah yes he is donating a large portion of the monies to charity. That’s all being divulged

The amount he is donating has been divulged and it’s about £1.5m. Personally I would not call that a large proportion.

I downloaded the free sample on to my kindle and was immediately drawn in by the feeling that I was about to enjoy a spine chilling murder mystery. Shades of Daphne du Maurier and Susan Hill set the scene.

Then I reminded myself it was an autobiography, expertly ghosted although, even in a short extract, facts had not been as thoroughly checked as they should have been.

I can understand why some might find it a page turner and believe every word but I won’t be buying it.