Harry's Spare riddle - wild contradictions and bold claims mysteriously left out
Since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quit as working royals, they've dropped a string of explosive bombshells - but interestingly, there were some huge ones missing from his book.
It first started in their eye-raising tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey before their controversial Netflix series dropped. And when Harry released his eagerly-awaited memoir Spare exactly a year ago today, many expected him to flesh out some of his previous accusations. But to many readers' surprise, some of the biggest talking points from previous interviews and TV shows the couple have given got no mention at all. Not only that, but some of the accounts Harry did include appeared to completely contradict previous admissions made by the Sussexes....
Racism claims
One of the biggest talking points that emerged from Harry and Meghan's explosive chat with Oprah Winfrey was when they alleged that a senior royal had questioned the colour of their unborn son’s skin.
Harry and Meghan dropped bombshell after bombshell talking to Oprah WinfreyThe couple sent shockwaves through the British monarchy when they spoke of their disgust at "concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born". It even prompted Prince William to defend the royals by saying: "We are very much not a racist family."
However, this incident is not something that is picked up by Harry in Spare. And when questioned about it in an interview to promote the book on ITV, Harry back-tracked, telling News at Ten's Tom Bradby they did not label the royal family racist. During the interview Bradby said to Harry: "In the Oprah interview you accused members of your family of racism", the Duke snapped back, saying "no I didn't", adding "the British press said that".
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In a further snipe at his family, Harry denied he'd "describe that as essentially racist", retorting: "I wouldn’t, not having lived within that family." The Duke once again refused to name the individual concerned, saying: "The difference between racism and unconscious bias, the two things are different.
Harry backtracked on 'racism' claims while talking to Tom Bradby (ITV)However, the race row was reignited last month with the release of controversial book Endgme by Omid Scobie. The Dutch version of the book named two members of the royal family alleged to have raised "concerns" about the skin colour Archie. The version being sold in English-speaking countries does not name the two people with Mr Scobie stating: "Laws in the United Kingdom prevent me from reporting who they were."
The two names came to light in letters exchanged between Meghan and Charles in the aftermath of the Sussexes' Winfrey interview, according to Endgame. In his book, Mr Scobie says of Charles's correspondence with his daughter-in-law: "The King, said sources, wanted his response to make clear to Meghan that he felt there was no ill will or casual prejudice present when the two people had spoken about his future grandson." However, Harry and Meghan have not commented on this.
Meghan was refused help
Also in their explosive Oprah chat, Meghan talked about experiencing suicidal thoughts when she was pregnant with Archie and claimed she was prevented from getting help. It was also something she talked about in the Netflix series and claimed she wanted to go to a place to get help during her mental health struggles, but "wasn't allowed" because of "how that would look for the institution".
Harry said he was "devastated" at not being able to protect his wife while she was having suicidal thoughts and said he "hated himself" for how he handled the situation. In Spare, he details the moment he found Meghan sobbing and how she told him she didn't want to live anymore.
He then talks about how they later went to an engagement at the Royal Albert Hall that evening as Meghan "didn't trust herself to be at home alone". But when it came to seeking help for Meghan and that being refused - he did not repeat those allegations in the book.
Tense Sandringham Summit
When it came to the Netflix series, one of Harry's most explosive claims was that his brother William "screamed and shouted" at him during the so-called Sandringham Summit.
The Queen summoned the now King and his sons William and Harry to her Norfolk estate to try to resolve the Megxit crisis in January 2020, but it was ultimately decided Harry and Meghan could not be half in and half out. And it is in this meeting that Harry claimed William left him terrified by screaming and shouting at him.
Harry told two different stories about his Sandringham showdown with William (Getty Images)However, there is no mention in the book of William "screaming and shouting" or Harry being "terrified". Harry only says his brother "complained about a story in the morning papers suggesting that he was the reason we were leaving". In the same section of Spare, Harry recounts talking with his brother in Sandringham's gardens and says "he was braced for a lecture". But he adds that it didn't come and that "Willy was subdued. He wanted to listen. For the first time in a long time my brother heard me out, and I was so grateful".
Secret wedding
One previous claim that sparked confusion from Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview was the claim they married two days before their Windsor wedding in the garden of Kensington Palace. Meghan told Oprah: "You know, three days before our wedding, we got married. No one knows that."
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She added: "But we called the archbishop and we just said, 'Look, this thing, this spectacle is for the world but we want our union between us.' So, the vows that we have framed in our room are just the two of us in our backyard with the archbishop of Canterbury." However, in his book, Harry clears up the confusion and that the ceremony in the garden was "unofficial, non-binding, except in our souls".
First date confusion
Following their 2018 engagement, Meghan and Harry sat down for a joint interview in which they claimed they were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend. When asked whether it was a set-up, both Harry and Meghan laughed, with the former Suits actress saying: "Yes, it was definitely a set-up - it was a blind date."
However, in their docu-series, which dropped on Netflix last month, the pair revealed they had actually FaceTimed before meeting in the flesh for the first time at 76 Dean Street in London's Soho. But in his book Harry does not talk about them FaceTiming - only that they exchanged messages before their first date.
Dress contradiction
Royal fans with a good memory will also question the page on which Harry discusses what Meghan wore on their first date at Soho House.
Recalling their first meeting after weeks of messaging, Harry says she was wearing a black sweatshirt, jeans and heels. He adds that while he knows nothing about fashion (he later admits he only shops once every six months, and he only goes to TK Maxx), he says he could tell she was “chic”. He admired her "no frills” look at their first meeting, describing her as “heart-attack beautiful”. However, Meghan has previously revealed that she wore a blue dress for their first meeting.
When she was reunited with her stunning Givenchy wedding dress for an ITV documentary, Meghan revealed she had a thread from the dress sewn into her veil as her “something blue”. Seeing the dress for the first time since her wedding during ITV’s Queen and Commonwealth, she said: “My goodness, it’s amazing, isn’t it?
“Somewhere in here, there’s a piece of… did you see it?” she points out when inspecting her veil. “The piece of blue fabric that’s stitched inside. It was my something blue. It’s fabric from the dress that I wore on our first date. It’s nice to see it again. It’s beautiful.” However, it’s possible that there was just a bit of confusion as Harry recalls Meghan wearing a blue dress on their second date.
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