The title of Prince Harry’s memoir, due to be released on January 10, is a nod to the phrase ‘the heir and spare’ – a reference to his status as a second-born and place in the line of succession
Prince Harry has finally revealed the title of his upcoming tell-all memoir, Spare.
The name is a nod to the phrase ‘the heir and spare’, which was often used to describe the differing destinies of Harry and his older brother Prince William.
It refers to Harry’s status as a second-born son and his place in the line of succession, ensuring a family’s bloodline.
Hundreds of years ago, parents would have an heir (a first-born) as well as spares (second-borns) as essentially insurance in case anything befell their first child.
But King Charles allegedly wants to echo moves by other European royal families and make the monarchy slimmer under his new reign, in a modernisation plan titled Operation Golden Orb.
If he goes ahead with reducing the size of the monarchy, Charles plans to cut it to just seven key members, all senior working royals.
According to royal commentator Kinsey Schofield, the slimmed-down version could include King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla, Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex Sophie, Prince William and Kate, and Princess Royal Anne.
The original line-up also may have included Prince Harry before he stepped down from active royal duties, Schofield added.
It was reported in 2019 that Charles wanted to follow in the footsteps of the Swedish King, Carl XVI Gustaf, who decided in October of that year that he would remove the royal status of some of his grandchildren.
Sweden’s spare, Prince Carl Philip, was told that his two sons would be removed from the royal household.
The two children of first-born Princess Victoria were the only grandchildren to keep their positions in the line of succession.
Prince Carl Philip and his wife Sofia – who are often compared with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – retained their official duties and continued their charity work.
The couple even appeared to welcome the move, writing that their children would enjoy “freer choices in life”.
More recently, the Queen of Denmark adopted a similar move by also deciding to strip the royal titles from four of her grandchildren.
Denmark’s spare, Prince Joachim, had an entirely different response however.
The younger brother claimed his children were upset over their “identities” being “removed”, telling Danish outlet Ekstra Bladet: “We are all very sad.
“It’s never fun to see your children being mistreated like that. They find themselves in a situation they do not understand.”
While complaining about the ruling, Joachim and his wife Princess Marie also confessed that not all was well in the royal household.
In a similar echo of Prince Harry and William, Joachim revealed his relationship with his older brother and the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Frederik and his wife Crown Princess Mary, is a “complicated” one.
A few days after the announcement, Queen Margrethe apologised to her family for “underestimating” the impact of stripping the prince and princess titles, but also expressed that the decision was final.
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