Prince Harry’s ghostwriter on Spare has revealed his “head was pounding” after the pair clashed over an anecdote about the Duke of Sussex’s late mother, Princess Diana.
Harry’s tell-all memoir Spare quickly became the fastest-selling non-fiction book of all time after its release on January 10.
The book shifted 1.43 million copies during its first day on sale in the UK, US and Canada.
Spare’s success has not come without controversy – the Duke makes a series of explosive claims about royal life that has divided public opinion.
Now, Spare’s ghostwriter John Moehringer has revealed he became “exasperated” with Harry after the Duke insisted on keeping a specific detail related to Diana in the book.
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In an article for The New Yorker, Moehringer recalled the pair clashing in a 2am Zoom call over a story involving a hostage scenario during the Duke’s military training.
The Duke wanted to include a comeback to a “vile dig” one of the “captors” made about his mother.
Moehringer said he disagreed as it was “somewhat inane” and would “dilute” the story.
“My head was pounding, my jaw was clenched, and I was starting to raise my voice,” he recalled.
The ghostwriter continued: “And yet some part of me was still able to step outside the situation and think, ‘this is so weird. I’m shouting at Prince Harry’.
“Then, as Harry started going back at me, as his cheeks flushed and his eyes narrowed…”
He said the Prince explained he wanted it left in to show he still “had his wits about him” in highly stressful situations as all his life “people had belittled his intellectual capabilities”.
But the pair’s fiery exchange soon became good-natured again, with the Duke quipping: “I really enjoy getting you worked up like that.”
Moehringer said he was “stalked” by the media after Spare received a “frenzied” response.
At the height of its reception, a photographer even followed him and jumped in front of his car while he was driving with his son, with another reporter turning up at his window just an hour later.
The ghostwriter also revealed that key parts became distorted with many facts “wrenched out of context” in a desperate race to translate the most sensational details from a leaked Spanish language copy.
However, the buzz generated by the book’s release caused it to fly off the shelves, with Harry apparently delighted.
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The Duke had “tears in his eyes” at a friend’s party for the book.
“His smile was wide as he embraced us both,” said Moehringer in his article.
“He was overjoyed by many things. The numbers, naturally. Guinness World Records had just certified his memoir as the fastest-selling nonfiction book in the history of the world…
“He mentioned my advice, to ‘trust the book’, and said he was glad that he did, because it felt incredible to have the truth out there…”
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