Prince Harry Reportedly Asked His Friends—and His Exes—to Break Their Silence for \201cSpare\201d

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published 5 November 2022

Prince Harry’s voice might not be the only one we hear in his forthcoming memoir, Spare, due out on January 10, 2023. According to multiple outlets, the Duke of Sussex contacted both friends and exes to share their experiences for the forthcoming book, and, though The Telegraph claims that some were happy to cooperate, The Sun reports that others were “stunned” by the prince’s request, especially after years of Harry demanding discretion about his private life.

“Harry did reach out,” an unnamed source tells The Sun. “Friends and girlfriends were polite and said they would think about it, but ultimately most said no. It was felt to be kind of ironic that Harry would hit the roof if he ever had an inkling they spoke to the media, but now he wants them to when he needs their help.”

Before marrying Meghan Markle in 2018, Harry had two high-profile relationships: one with Chelsy Davy, whom he dated from 2004 to 2010, and Cressida Bonas, whom he dated from 2012 to 2014. He met and began dating Meghan in 2016.

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“Both have steered clear from ever speaking to the press about what dating the royal was like in the years since their respective breakups, and it is unknown whether they have commented in the duke’s forthcoming book,” Tatler reports.

Davy admitted to The Times in 2016 that she struggled with the media attention surrounding their relationship, saying “yes, it was tough. It was so full-on: crazy, scary, and uncomfortable. I found it very difficult when it was bad. I couldn’t cope. I was young, I was trying to be a normal kid, and it was horrible.”

Interestingly, Tatler also reports via publisher Penguin Random House that, while the book will be known as Spare in the U.S., it will go by His Words, His Story in the U.K.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.