Prince Harry grew up knowing that he was the "spare" to his brother William, the heir. Photo / Getty Images
Prince Harry grew up knowing that he was the "spare" to his brother William, the heir. Photo / Getty Images
Prince Harry has opened up about his childhood and his relationship with his brother William in his explosive memoir Spare.
The Duke of Sussex writes that he grew up knowing he was alive in case his brother, the heir to throne, needed an organ donation, reports the Daily Mail.
“I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy,” he wrote, claiming that his family members referred to him and his brother as the “heir and the spare” as a form of “shorthand”.
His life was a “mission to offer a source of distraction, entertainment and, in case of need, a spare part”, like a kidney, blood transfusion, or bone marrow, he went on.
Harry, two years William’s junior, explained that the concept of “heir” and “spare” had been apparent his entire life.
It was made “abundantly clear” to him from an early age that he was born in case something happened to his brother, he said.
He then recalled an anecdote from when he was 20 years old, hearing a story about his father Charles’ “supposed words” to his mother Diana on the day he was born.
Prince Harry was aware of his role in life from a young age. Photo / Getty Images
King Charles allegedly said to his wife, “Wonderful! You have already given me an heir and a spare; I have done my job.”
Elsewhere in the book, Harry breaks royal protocol and discusses his father’s neck and back pain.
The Duke of Sussex writes about his father’s “constant pain”, due to old polo injuries.
He also described the awkward moment his brother William “recoiled” from Meghan’s hug during their first meeting, calling the introduction a “classic collision of cultures”.
Harry described Meghan's first meeting with William as a "clash of cultures". Photo / AP
They met in late 2016 at the now Prince and Princess of Wales’s apartment in Kensington Palace.
Harry writes that he was more nervous for his girlfriend to meet his brother than anyone else.
William was a “bit dressed up” in a shirt and smart trousers when he opened the door.
“I introduced Meg, who leaned in and gave him a hug, which completely freaked him out. He recoiled,” Harry writes.
He added that William wouldn’t normally hug someone he didn’t know - but explained that hugging was Meghan’s way of greeting strangers.
