Prince Harry Disclosed Who in the Royal Family First Called Him a ‘Spare'— And It's Heartbreaking

Prince Harry announced with startling candor in his memoir Spare, which was published the previous year, which Royal Family member initially bestowed upon him the rather pessimistic moniker. As it turned out, it was none other than King Charles who first called his son a 'spare.' According to Harry, his father's response upon learning that he had a second son was as follows: "Wonderful! Now you've given me an heir and a spare - my work is done."

As per The Guardian, Prince Harry has seemingly harbored a lifelong grudge against the moniker, detailing his frustration with being the 'spare' in his memoir. The newspaper also spoke about how royal families employed the phrase 'an heir and a spare' to designate the progeny of a title or estate. The junior sibling—the 'spare'—is 'second is therefore a spare, should anything happen to the first-born.' Presently estranged from their counterparts in Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have an exceptionally fraught relationship with the Royal Family.

This wasn't the only detail about the current monarch that Harry detailed in his memoir. "He’d always given an air of being not quite ready for parenthood—the responsibilities, the patience, the time. Even he, though a proud man, would’ve admitted as much. But single parenthood? Pa was never made for that," said the younger prince about Charles' new life as a single dad. Harry also painted a warm picture of the king when they were younger, although things seemed to have soured since then. 

For instance, while Harry praised his father for never forgetting about his fear of darkness at bedtime, the Duke of Sussex also did not like how, when he was in the military, his father asked him to write letters than to call. In another portion of the book, as per Town & Country, Harry wrote, "He had trouble communicating, trouble listening, trouble being intimate face-to-face," even though the monarch would make up for it by certain gestures such as placing a letter on Harry's pillow. 

While the memoir details many explosive fights and arguments between members of the firm, Prince Harry has also been in the limelight for his philanthropic efforts. Following the 2014 establishment of the wildly successful Invictus Games, the Duke of Sussex, who currently resides in the United States with his wife, Meghan Markle, was scheduled to visit the United Kingdom to visit his father.

A source informed The Mirror, "Harry's first priority when he comes to England is to see his sick dad. He is pretty focused on this. It will be his first port of call when he comes off the plane to try and spend as much time with King Charles so that they can build bridges, and enjoy each other's company like before. Harry knows it will be awkward, but it's a time to put pride and differences to one side. He is coming over for his charity work, which is so important to him so he will juggle his schedule accordingly, but seeing his dad will come first."

A 30-minute encounter was arranged for Harry during his visit with his father, who was undergoing cancer treatment. Regardless of the brief duration, Harry reportedly appreciated the opportunity to see him. The insider further added, "He' wants the family to get back to the way they were and is going to be making an extra effort with his brother Will, too, as difficult as it may be. Now, more than ever, with Kate's cancer diagnosis too, Harry wants them to know he is there for them.

This article originally appeared 6 months ago.