Prince Harry's Ghostwriter Recounts Tense Dispute Over 'Spare' Passage About Princess Diana
J.R. Moehringer, the British author and ghostwriter for Prince Harry's best-selling memoir "Spare," recently opened up about a heated disagreement he had with the Duke of Sussex during the writing process. The conflict centered around a passage in the book that involved the late Princess Diana.
In a piece published on The New Yorker's website, the 58-year-old author recounted a "middle-of-the-night Zoom session" during which he raised his voice at the 38-year-old royal, as they couldn't reach an agreement on how to portray a particular scene.
The contentious passage detailed Prince Harry's "grueling military exercises" in England, where he was captured by terrorists, beaten, and subjected to a crude remark about his mother, Princess Diana. Moehringer said that Harry insisted on including a "comeback" line in response to the captors, which the author considered "unnecessary and somewhat inane" for the book.
The disagreement escalated, and Moehringer recalled that it felt like they were "hurtling toward some kind of decisive rupture." Eventually, Prince Harry explained that he wanted the line included because it demonstrated his intellectual capabilities despite the physical and mental abuse he had endured.
However, Moehringer stood his ground, believing that the memoir wasn't solely about Prince Harry, but rather a "story carved from your life, a particular series of events chosen because they have the greatest resonance for the widest range of people." Therefore, the comeback line was not relevant.
Ultimately, Prince Harry conceded and even jokingly told the author, "'I really enjoy getting you worked up like that.'"
Despite their occasional disputes, Moehringer shared that the collaboration also had its pleasant moments. He visited Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Montecito mansion in California while working on "Spare" and mentioned that Harry impressed his daughter Gracie with his extensive knowledge of the movie "Moana."
"Spare" was released in January and delved into Prince Harry's experiences as a member of the British royal family, his coping mechanisms after Princess Diana's death, and a heated confrontation between him and his brother, Prince William.