The Mirror's Royal Editor Russell Myers says Prince Harry has run roughshod over the entire institution and the relationships of his closest relatives, including his brother William and father Charles
From the first few words in his extraordinary memoir, the tone was set: “For Meg, Archie and Lili... and of course my mother”.
Naturally given the bitterness that has enveloped Harry and the family he left behind, no mention of his father Charles or once beloved brother, William.
Perhaps the irony of his chosen title Spare was lost on Prince Harry, for not one of his formerly close relatives or their loved ones is spared from a catalogue of explosive accusations.
Ridicule, abandonment, violence, hate and despair are just for starters. Through 557 pages the reader is left feeling an overwhelming sense of astonishment and despair on his behalf and the path taken to this end of utter destruction of his family unit.
Indeed, loss and sadness seem to be at the heart of Harry’s life, a tale which looks guaranteed to continue as far as any bond that may once have existed.
Amid feverish speculation as to what would be contained in Harry’s life story, yesterday in his own words he revealed what must surely be the most telling expression during this spectacular fallout.
“I don’t know how staying silent is ever going to make things better.” Perhaps a last-ditch attempt at engagement after being locked in a (particularly one-sided) war of words, but more honestly, another example of a litany of contradictions in what is a breathtaking bestseller.
In the quagmire of this extraordinary insight into Harry’s experience during his time in the royal fold, it can surely be argued that he is on a one-man mission to destroy the family he left behind.
How he can profess to want his father and brother back in his life, and go even further to state he still believes in a monarchy, when he has run roughshod over the entire institution and the relationships of his closest relatives.
At every twist and turn, the brutal assassination of his brother’s character shows a man so embittered and damaged by his role as a younger sibling that he will now stop at nothing to destroy him.
Many will reference the formative years of Harry’s upbringing, alongside his own father’s assessment of being “given” an “heir and a spare”, and the countless examples he has given of being treated differently to the future King, William.
Starved of his mother’s love when she was tragically killed in a Parisian car crash when he was just 12 years old, it is a burden Harry has understandably been unable to carry.