Supporters of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan believe that it is incorrect for commentators to assume that his upcoming memoir, Spare, will be a score-settling Exocet directed at the Royal Family based on the title.
The majority of people in this country think that the word “spare” refers to the phrase “an heir and a spare,” and that Prince Harry will express feelings of rejection and isolation that will be bad for the other royals.
The subtitle for the Spanish-language version, “En La Sombra,” which translates to “in the shadows,” tends to imply the same.
Team Sussex claims that Spare will focus entirely on what Meghan would refer to as “compassion in action.”
We should consider how the word spare is used as a verb, according to columnist Elaine Lui, a Canadian TV personality who has collaborated with Meghan’s friend Ben Mulroney and is close to Markus Anderson, the executive of Soho House.
It is actually a very kind verb, she remarked. It requires work. You are making an effort and, more often than not, a helpful effort when you give someone your time, money, or thought.
To spare is sometimes to save, she continues. You can save someone from having to go through the inconvenience of doing something unpleasant or potentially dangerous. In that situation, sparing and saving are equivalent terms.
There may also be goodwill involved in saving someone.
In order to protect her feelings, I refrained from asking her about it.
And given Prince Harry’s personal development and the goals he and Meghan Markle have established for themselves and their work, all of those concepts also apply to him.
Come January 10, we’ll find out who’s got the short end of the stick.
