The ghostwriter behind 'Spare', Prince Harry's memoir, has revealed the royal's tearful reaction to his publication.
J. R. Moehringer, writer of the best-selling book, said it was like "telling Taylor Swift about a bad breakup" after Harry's hardback hit the shelves in January this year. Several hours of Zoom meetings and late night calls were spent collaborating on the book, with the ghost writer meeting the royal inner circle and gaining insight into the world behind the tabloids.
Speaking about the duke's reaction, Mr Moehringer told the New Yorker: "It was like telling Taylor Swift about a bad breakup. It was like singing “Hallelujah” to Leonard Cohen. Harry was all heart."
Mr Moehringer revealed that Prince Harry had asked him if his family was okay, and had also asked for physical descriptions of the people harassing his family, with a promise of making some calls to see if anything could be done. Although the pair knew nothing could be done, the author said he felt "gratitude" towards Harry for his gesture.
It also gave Mr Moehringer a small window into what life was like for Harry after experiencing abuse and scrutiny for just one morning. Meanwhile, the author was also worried at how Prince Harry would react to the publication of the book and whether he revealed too much personal information.
But when Mr Moehringer attended a party to help celebrate the launch of the memoir, there was no going back. The party was underway and everyone was enjoying themselves but he was unsure what mood Harry would be in.
The ghost-writer was worried Harry might be feeling anxious and questioned whether he would be in any mood to celebrate the book.
The author wrote: "He appeared, marching toward us, looking flushed. Uh-oh, I thought, before registering that it was a good flush. His smile was wide as he embraced us both."
However, his fears were quickly squashed as Harry was said to be relieved people were reading the book and especially pleased when it smashed the Guinness World Records. A number of people, who had spent months working on the book, were called to toast the book when it was suddenly Harry's turn to speak.
Mr Moehringer was unsure how he would react to the speeches as the guests were summoned into the living room. He said there were 'several lovely toasts to Harry' before he thanked his publishing team, editor and Mr Mr Moehringer.
"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, to feel—his voice caught—“free.”
"There were tears in his eyes. Mine, too."
Harry was liberated from telling his story as he had been actively discouraged from talking, according to the ghost-writer.
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