Victoria Arbiter: 'Royal history proves the potential of a "spare" shouldn't be underestimated'
By Victoria Arbiter|
Just under two months from now, on January 10, 2023, Prince Harry's highly anticipated memoir, Spare, will hit book shelves around the world.
Set to be published in 16 languages including Spanish, Italian, German and Chinese, the English version will be available to purchase in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand as well as Canada, India and South Africa. The unabridged audio edition recorded by the Prince is scheduled to drop the same day.
Initially expected to be released before Christmas, the book will make its debut two days after the third anniversary of the Sussexes' official departure from royal life.
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Reportedly written with "raw and unflinching honesty," a statement issued by Penguin Random House said it will be "full of insight, revelation, self-examination and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief."
Covering Harry's time in the public eye, and his "dedication to service," it will explore his years in the military, his experiences on the frontline and the "joy" he's found in being a husband and a father.
Considering its provocative title, however, some have suggested it will focus more on the system of hierarchy upon which the monarchy is built and his rumoured frustration at being labelled "the spare" to his older brother "the heir."
An irreverent term, "The heir and the spare" or "the spare to the heir" has long been used to describe the future monarch and their sibling.
According to Victoria Murphy, Contributing Editor to Town and Country, Consuelo Vanderbilt, an American socialite, coined the phrase in reference to the two sons she shared with her British aristocratic husband whom she married in 1895. Murphy says it's been used in reference to British royalty for "the past 100 years."
In the olden days, when disease was rampant and infant mortality rates were high, monarchs typically produced an heir and several spares in an effort to preserve the royal bloodline.
"Many spares have struggled to carve out a meaningful existence in which their individual achievements are recognised."
As society progressed and advances in modern medicine prevailed, the practice became less of necessity, but still royal women have been required to provide a spare in the event tragedy strikes the first born heir.
Deprived of a constitutional role and bound by constraints, many have struggled to carve out a meaningful existence in which their individual achievements are recognised.
Nonetheless, free of the burden of sovereignty, they've undoubtedly benefited from the trappings of royal life. Some have gone on to revolutionise entire eras, while others have irrevocably tarnished the family name.
Arguably one of history's most notorious royal spares, Henry VIII, assumed his position as heir apparent in April 1502 following the death of his elder brother, Prince Arthur. The principal founder of the Royal Navy, he established the Royal College of Physicians in 1518 and, in the wake of his quarrels with the Pope, he created the Church of England – for which he installed himself as the Supreme Head – in 1534.
Thanks to the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, members of the royal family are now permitted to marry Roman Catholics without sacrificing their place in line, but a Catholic monarch remains strictly off-limits.
Perhaps better known for his six wives, two of whom were executed, his kingship continues to have a lasting impact. Largely remembered as a tyrant and a brute, he promoted parliamentary government by expanding the privileges of both houses and he was responsible for introducing progressive and efficient taxation systems.
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A knowledgeable theologian, he was the first monarch to authorise an English translation of the Bible giving his people access to the "Word of God."
The late Queen's grandfather, George V, was also a royal spare. The second-born son of King Edward VII, his elder brother Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, died in 1892 after contracting influenza at the age of 28. His death put George in direct line to the throne and paved the way for the first Windsor monarch.
In July 1917, as anti-German sentiment escalated due to the Great War, he issued a Royal Proclamation changing the family name from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the more Anglican-sounding House of Windsor. Over a century later, a Windsor monarch still reigns.
On November 7, 1919, in tribute to the fallen, George announced that a two-minute silence should be observed "so that, in perfect stillness, the thoughts of everyone may be concentrated on reverent remembrance of the glorious dead."
Following his decree, the nation marked its first Armistice Day on November 11.
And, in December 1932, he delivered the first Christmas Day Message to the "Empire." Written by Rudyard Kipling, it was broadcast live from a temporary studio at Sandringham. His great-grandson, King Charles III, will soon record his first.
George VI, the Queen's father, was another spare thrust into fulfilling a destiny not his by birth.
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Upon the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII, who stepped aside to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson after a reign of only 325 days, George reluctantly took on the role of King.
Restoring a sense of continuity, he boosted public morale and valiantly led his country through the war years. In April 1926, his first child, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born.
At the time, she was thought unlikely to ever assume the throne, but on February 6, 2022 she became the first British sovereign to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee.
Of the 42 monarchs to have reigned since the Norman Conquest, 16 have inherited the throne as a spare.
All the same, the difficulties endured by Princess Margaret, Prince Andrew and Prince Harry have given rise to a negative connotation. Often the focus of intense and unrelenting scrutiny by the press, each was seemingly denied an easy ride.
Viewed as a victim of the system, Margaret is routinely portrayed as a tragic figure who turned to drink in a bid to numb her pain, but friends say she was an "incredibly loyal, warm, loving, brilliant, smart, highly intelligent, funny woman," who lived life to the fullest.
Contrary to popular belief, she was not banned from marrying Group Captain Peter Townsend. Instead, when presented with a choice, she opted to give him up. Pampered by her adoring family, her troubles more likely stemmed from poor health and her failed marriage to Lord Snowdon than because she was sidelined as the spare.
Devoted to her sister and a staunch proponent of the monarchy, she helped set up The London Lighthouse, the first centre and hospice dedicated to patients with HIV/AIDS.
Similarly indulged, Prince Andrew was, until fairly recently, rarely told "no." A decorated war hero, he served admirably during his time in the Navy and he was hailed for risking his life by using a Sea King helicopter as a decoy for an Exocet missile in the Falklands.
Likewise, Pitch@Palace, an initiative he founded in support of entrepreneurs, received universal praise, but decades of bad choices resulted in his spectacular fall from grace. Despite being offered ample opportunity to succeed, Prince Andrew was the master of his own demise.
"'Only when Harry is a lot older will he realise how lucky he is not to have been the eldest,' Diana once said."
Raising Princes William and Harry, Diana was conscious that her eldest son would be taken care of by the establishment. As such, she made a concerted effort to ensure her youngest child was treated equally and that he never felt left out.
A 10-year army veteran, Prince Harry conducted two tours to Afghanistan where he served on the frontline. In 2006, he created Sentebale, a charity committed to the welfare of children in Southern Africa, and in 2014 he launched The Invictus Games.
Mindful of the need for him to have a purpose, the Queen appointed him President of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust in April 2018.
A week later, he was declared a Commonwealth Youth Ambassador. Considering the Commonwealth's reach – 56 independent countries encompassing 2.5 billion citizens – each position illustrated the monarch's faith in her grandson.
By granting him a specific job, she afforded him a unique place within "The Firm," but in spite of her doing so, he chose to relinquish his royal role.
How Harry elects to recall his experience as a "spare" remains to be seen, but in light of the truth bombs he's dropped thus far, one can appreciate why the royal family might be wary of his account.
As history has shown, the British monarchy is anything but predictable. In two of the last three generations of monarchs, the second-born son has risen to the occasion, proving that one should never underestimate the potential of a spare.
"Royal firstborns may get all the glory, but second-borns enjoy more freedom," Diana once said. "Only when Harry is a lot older will he realise how lucky he is not to have been the eldest."
It could be years from now before he recognises his good fortune, but how he's perceived in the future will ultimately rest on the contents of Spare.
