How Prince Harry’s Spare dominated the year in royal news - The Front Page

King Charles' coronation year was overshadowed by the release of Spare, Prince Harry's memoir, in January. Photos / Getty Images, AP

The early weeks of 2023 were dominated by an ugly royal family feud that played out on the global stage.

Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, released in January, stunned readers with his revelations about life in the royal spotlight, including revealing a fight between him and his brother, Prince William, and his harsh words aimed towards his stepmother, Queen Camilla.

The memoir was an instant bestseller and generated more bad headlines for the monarchy, in a year that was meant to mark the start of a new era.

That’s because May marked the first coronation in 70 years, with King Charles III formally marking his ascension to his throne. And despite those negative comments, Harry was amongst the thousands who went to London to witness the ceremony.

Despite the bad press for the royals, NZ Herald Lifestyle editor Jenni Mortimer told The Front Page at the time that the mood on the ground was receptive towards the event, with thousands taking to the streets for the event itself despite rain.

While some criticism was levelled at the royals for the extravagance of the coronation during a cost of living crisis, those complaints were in the minority.

“There was not nearly as much feedback as I would have thought from people complaining about the cost,” Mortimer said of the public reception.

“A friend of mine who lives here [said] people are so sick of doom and gloom, they want shiny, they want happy. So while some people sitting back feel the whole event is out of touch, the truth is, there’s not a lot of people complaining about what’s taking place right now.”

So how did Prince Harry’s memoir shake up the family - and how likely is it that New Zealand would choose to keep Charles as our head of state?

Listen to the full episode for a recap of the biggest stories from the year in royal news. New episodes of The Front Page return on January 15.

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. It is presented by Damien Venuto, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in business reporting who joined the Herald in 2017.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.