Princess Diana and Prince Charles Had a Rather Cruel Nickname for Harry — and It Still Stings
Prince Harry has had many monikers given to him by royal family members and admirers. However, not all have been to his liking. In his memoir Spare, Harry disclosed his long-standing annoyance with one particular nickname. From the time he was born, he was referred to as 'The Spare,' a nickname often used by several senior royals, including his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, and father, then-Prince Charles. In fact, it was Charles who first used the name.
Harry stressed that his existence was always about being a safeguard, a backup plan in case anything were ever to happen to his brother, Prince William, before he had an heir. In his memoir, Harry penned, "This was shorthand often used by Pa and Mummy, and Grandpa. And even Granny. The Heir and the Spare — there was no judgment about it, but also no ambiguity. I was the shadow, the support, the Plan B." As reported by The Mirror, he also referred to himself as a distraction, a diversion. As reported by the Daily Record, Harry recalled his father's exact words as having been, "Wonderful! Now you've given me an heir and a spare, my work is done."
Commenting on Harry's memoir, a source opined, “Harry’s resentment of being the ‘spare’ is the underlying theme of his book, through chapters on his childhood, his schooling, his career as a royal and in the British Army, his relationship with his parents and brother, and his life with Meghan through courtship, wed and marriage, to their own experience of parenthood.” Harry himself, too, admitted that he didn’t write it as a Prince but rather as the man he had grown to be. Over the years, he had worn many hats — both literally and figuratively — and by sharing his journey, the triumphs and the missteps, he hoped to remind folks that they were more alike than anyone realized.
The explosive 2022 work also pulled the curtain on other jaw-dropping royal secrets. One such claim was that Charles and Queen Consort Camilla allegedly tried to persuade Kate Middleton to change the spelling of her name. The reason for the bizarre request was that there were already too many royals with names starting with 'C,' including their own, and hence they suggested Middleton go by 'Katherine' instead.
Although Harry no longer required his grandmother Queen Elizabeth's consent, he did not keep the royal family in the dark about his memoir. As reported by PEOPLE, he discussed the book with them in private before its release. The memoir also reveals his strained relationship with his brother, William, and his journey of grief and healing after his mum, Princess Diana's, death.