"Pa didn't support Willy and me, and our families, out of any largesse. That was his job. That was the whole deal. We agreed to serve the monarch, go wherever we were sent, do whatever we were told, surrender our autonomy, keep our hands and feet inside the gilded cage at all times, and in exchange the keepers of the cage agreed to feed and clothe us."

"Jesus, I thought, are we really such a country of insufferable snobs?"

"Being royal, it turned out, wasn't all that far from being onstage. Acting was acting, no matter the context." ( )

Pessimo. Scritto male, contenuto nullo. Speravo che Moehringer potesse risollevare una vita persa come aveva fatto con Agassi ma qui non ci riesce. ( )

Se non hai tempo o voglia di sfogliare tutte le 520 pagine del libro (edizione italiana) ecco un pratico riepilogo su tutto ciò che devi sapere. In lingua inglese, così migliori la conoscenza della lingua. Se vuoi, puoi leggerlo anche sul giornale “The Telegraph” in originale al link alla fine del post.

Spare in three minutes: Your potted guide to Prince Harry’s book.
Don’t have time to plough through all 407 pages? Use our handy summary for all you need to know.

By Laura Powell 12 January 2023 • 11:03am

Prologue

Harry waits for Willy and Pa in Frogmore gardens — admires the Gothic architecture and thinks of his late Grandpa who once made fun of his beard. When Willy and Pa arrive, the atmosphere is tepid. Later it gets heated. Pa says, ‘Please, boys. Don’t make my final years a misery.’

Part One

Chapter 1

Reminisces about a summer in St Tropez with Mummy. Afterwards, Dodi gives Mummy a diamond bracelet. Harry thinks he’s a ‘nice enough bloke’.

Chapter 2

Harry adores Balmoral, even though the tap water runs brown, baths are Arctic cold or kettle hot. Crystal goblets are laid out for dinner with mathematical precision using measuring tapes. He and Willy shared a bedroom — Willy had the bigger half with a better window view.

Chapters 3–6

Pa breaks news of Diana’s car crash to Harry. He considers whether Mummy is actually dead — could she be in hiding? Before the funeral, Uncle Charles (Spencer) is aghast that Willy and Harry are being made to walk behind the coffin and ‘raises hell — it’s barbaric’.

Chapter 7–8

At Ludgrove School he is smitten with two matrons. Matrons assist the youngest boys with nightly wash. Harry graduates from matronly bathing assistance aged 13. ‘But I still depended on their nightly tuck-ins’

Chapter 14

Pooh-poohs rumours that James Hewitt fathered him.

Chapter 15

Formally meets ‘The Other Woman’. Camilla is calm (or bored); the experience is like ‘getting an injection’. Willy and Harry ask Pa not to marry her.

Chapter 18

His friends cut his hair — it never recovers.

Chapter 20

Laments not being an avid reader or a Shakespeare aficionado, like his father. Tries to read Hamlet but it’s too close to the bone.

Chapter 23

Close encounter with a leopard in Africa — suspects it is a messenger from Mummy to say ‘all is well’.

Chapter 24

Smokes what he thinks is strong marijuana — turns out it’s a joint of fresh basil. Later pinches two six-packs of Smirnoff Ice and drinks them with a friend until they pass out.

Chapter 29

Balmoral: Prince Philip cooks Cumberland sausages, the Queen whips up her specialty, salad dressing. Gan-Gan (Queen Mother) asks for a gin martini.

Chapter 32

Smokes spliffs at Eton. Has a Fleabag moment with a fox.

Chapter 33

Loses virginity to the older horsewoman.

Chapter 35

Princess Margaret gives him a biro for Christmas. She scowls a lot.

Chapter 37

Admires Grandma ‘rocking out’ to Brian May at the Golden Jubilee, then notices that she is wearing yellow ear plugs.

Chapter 38

Discusses with Pa what to do after finishing school: Safari guide? Ski instructor? Work in a fondue hut by the slopes? Settles on Army and gap year.

Chapter 43–44

Goes clubbing, meets a Page Three girl. Smokes an ‘entire shopping bag’ of weed.

Chapter 45–47

Meets Chelsy. Go to a snake wrangling show, then have their first kiss.

Chapter 48

Charles and Camilla’s wedding is delayed. ‘I couldn’t help but think that some force in the universe (Mummy?) was blocking rather than blessing their union.’

Chapter 50

Meets Willy’s new girlfriend — ‘carefree, sweet, kind’ Kate. The pair encourage him to wear Nazi Uniform to a fancy dress party.

Chapter 52

Given secret police files from Di’s crash. Still believes she is in hiding.

Chapter 58

Willy attends Sandhurst and salutes Harry. ‘For one brief moment, Spare outranked Heir.’

Part 2

Chapter 2

Harry is in a ‘bad, bad place.’ Lots of clubbing and travels home in the boot to avoid paps. ‘It felt like being in a coffin.’

Chapter 8

Asks his driver to drive through the Paris tunnel where Mummy died. Afterwards gets drunk and picks fights.

Chapter 9

Writes his will. Goes to Afghanistan. Considers who would walk behind his coffin if he died.

Chapter 21

Pa and Willy collect him upon his return to England — there’s a ‘hushed’ atmosphere in the car, stiff pleasantries.

Chapter 22–23

Feels distant and out of place. Goes to Botswana to see Chelsy. Worries what the Queen will think of her — all high boots, short skirts, drinking tequila. ‘The last thing I wanted was for Chels to change.’ They break up.

Chapter 24

Meets Caroline Flack — ‘She was funny. And sweet. And cool…Didn’t have a big ego.’ But relationship ‘tainted, irredeemably’ by press attention and they part ways.

Chapter 28

Calls a cadet ‘our little Paki friend’ — didn’t realise it was a racist slur until fallout.

Chapter 31

Moves in with Willy in Shropshire — Pa’s chef sends them vacuum-packed bags of food — creamy chicken and beef curry. Gets angry when Willy tells reporters he’s a slob and snores.

Chapter 40

Finds out that Wills is getting married from Buckingham Palace announcement. ‘News to me… He’d never mentioned it.’

Chapter 42

Goes to North Pole, gets a frostbitten penis. Rushes home for Willy’s wedding. He’s the fake best man — Willy didn’t ‘think it would be safe to hand me a live mic’ for best man speech. Willy does a walkabout while tipsy on rum. Next morning, still reeks of it

Chapter 49

Goes to Vegas, considers getting a tattoo, ends up playing strip pool. Some ‘dodgy girls’ take photos and share them.

Chapter 50

Offers an ‘abashed explanation’ to current girlfriend Cressida of what happened in Vegas.

Chapter 57

Considers the ramifications of his Afghanistan kill count: 25. ‘It wasn’t a number that gave me any satisfaction… but neither was I ashamed.’ He ‘otherized’ them as ‘bads’.

Chapter 60

Comes up with idea for Invictus Games — Willy is ‘sorely irritated’ that ‘Harold’ hadn’t run it past him.

Chapter 61–62

Harry has ‘terrifying’ panic attacks. Becomes obsessed with Friends — thinks he’s Chandler. Recalls happy days with Diana, having burping contests in front of the TV.

Chapter 65

Struggles with panic attacks and anxiety. Tries homoeopathic remedies, like magnesium, but they give him loose bowels. Goes to the South Pole. Gets a bespoke penis cushion, lined with fleece, to prevent further frostbite.

Chapter 69

Christmas at ‘Hotel Granny’ (Sandringham). Harry gets a small room in a narrow corridor and feels ‘a bit unappreciated. A bit unloved’.

Chapter 71

Cressida gets him to open up about Diana — he cries about his mother for the first time since her burial. Later breaks up with Cress. She cries. ‘I realised we weren’t a match.’

Chapter 78

Willy tells Harry that ‘both he and Kate felt trapped and unfairly persecuted by the press. And by Pa and Camilla.’ Was expected to ‘trot Kate out like a prized racehorse.’

Chapter 80

Harry wears various disguises to the supermarket to buy his salmon fillets. Does his own laundry and dries it on radiators. Folds his underwear. And has a clothing allowance from Pa — goes to TK Maxx on six-monthly shopping sprees.

Chapter 83–85

A therapist tells him he has post-traumatic stress. He’s tried psychedelics — mushrooms and ayahuasca. Considers going to Africa but Willy is annoyed. ‘Africa was his thing, he said.’ Harry goes to Africa anyway. Has a profound moment with a female lion. ‘I felt I knew her.’

Chapter 86–87

Goes to America, stays in Courtney Cox’s house when she is away, drinks tequila. Goes to a party sees the Batman actor. Gobbles some ‘black diamond mushroom chocolates’ then hallucinates that the toilet is a head. Goes to another party. Talks to the moon.

Part Three

Chapter 1

Scrolling Instagram and sees a video of the most ‘beautiful’ woman — Meghan. Asks mutual friend Violet to introduce them.

Chapter 3–7

Late for first date at Soho House. They hit it off but Meghan leaves abruptly. ‘Compared to her, Cinderella was the queen of long goodbyes.’ Later that night, Meghan FaceTimes him.

Have second date 24 hours later, back at Soho House. At the end, Meg says: ‘What’re we gonna dooo?’ Harry says: ‘We have to give this a proper go.’

Chapter 6

Third date in Botswana. Meg packs her yoga mat. She cries when they say goodbye.

Chapter 8–9

Harry goes on a lads trip but messages Meg constantly. Phone breaks so he writes her a letter: ‘Hey beautiful, Ok you got me — can’t stop thinking about you, missing you LOTS. Wish u were here.’ Harry realises she’s The One

Chapter 12

Megs visits Nott Cott and says it’s like a frat house, what with Union Jack flags, Xbox. Eugenie and James come for dinner but Megs has food poisoning — bad calamari. Harry holds her hair while she vomits.

Chapter 14

Harry discovers that Willy and Kate watch Suits religiously.

Chapter 15

Megs bumps into the Queen at Fergie’s house. Prince Andrew is there, holding the Queen’s handbag. Meg asks Haz if Andrew is the Queen’s assistant.

Chapter 16

Will meets Meghan — she hugs him which ‘freaked him out — Willy didn’t hug many strangers.’

Chapter 17

Meghan and Harry have tea with Charles and Camilla. When Meghan and Pa fall into chat, Camilla ‘seemed keener on eavesdropping than talking to her stepson.’

Chapter 18

Harry watches Meghan’s love scenes from Suits.

Chapter 23

Meg teaches him to cook a roast chicken, then they argue. Megs suggests he tries therapy again.

Chapter 25–26

Harry goes to therapy. He vents about Pa, Willy and Camilla and at the end of the session, hugs the therapist.

Chapter 33

Harry wants to marry Meghan. Willy says it’s ‘too fast, too soon’ to propose. Pa says he can’t financially support Meghan if they marry. Asks the Queen and she says, ‘Well I suppose I have to say yes.’

Chapter 35

Harry proposes in the garden.

Chapter 36

Decides that Thomas Markle is a ‘complicated man’.

Chapter 38

Kate is taken aback that Meghan asks to borrow her lip gloss.

Chapter 41

Wills gets cross when he learns Harry can keep his beard on his wedding day. Orders him to shave it off ‘as the heir speaking to the spare.’

Chapter 42

Stag party in Hampshire at a friend’s house — giant boxing gloves, mechanical bull, Lord of the Rings bows and arrows. Willy threatens to hold him down and shave off his beard.

Chapter 43

Tiaragate — Harry says Angela Kelly is the ‘troublemaker’. ‘She was being obstructive.’

Chapter 46

Meghan and Kate exchange terse text messages over ill-fitting bridesmaids’ dresses. Meghan ends up sobbing on the floor. Kate brings her flowers.

Chapter 50

To Willy and Kate’s for tea. They air many disagreements — Kate thought Meg wanted her fashion contacts; Kate and Willy upset that they hadn’t given Easter presents; Harry and Meg accused them of changing seats at their wedding; Kate says she deserves apology for ‘hormone-gate’. Will points at Meg ‘It’s rude, Meghan.’

Chapter 51

Rivalry among staff: Team Cambridge versus Team Sussex. Meg buys pizza and biscuits and hosts tea parties for staff, also gets lamps and heaters for the office which she pay for on her personal credit card.

Chapter 52

Meg is told by an ayurvedic doctor to gain 5lbs to get pregnant.

Chapter 53

Meghan and Harry sing to a seal at Castle of Mey in Scotland. The seals sing back.

Chapter 54

Meg is pregnant.

Chapter 60

Harry finds Meg sitting on the stairs sobbing uncontrollably. She doesn’t want to be alive.

Chapter 62–63

Harry has a big fight with Willy — dog-bowl gate. The households split

Chapter 65

Meg gives birth — Harry eats Nando’s chicken and gets high on the ‘laughing gas’.

Chapter 75

The ill-fated Sandringham Summit. Harry says it was a foregone conclusion before he arrived. He ran into Lady Susan Hussey who was sympathetic.

Chapter 77

Harry’s security is withdrawn. Pa won’t take his calls. Bemoans that Prince Andrew gets to keep security even though he was ‘embroiled in a shameful scandal’.

Chapter 79

Tyler Perry offers up his LA house. His mother was a big Diana fan.

Chapter 81

Harry rolls joints when his family are in bed and ruminates about the ‘absurdity of a man in his mid-30s being cut off financially by his father. But he wasn’t merely my father, he was my boss, my banker, keeper of the purse strings…’

Chapter 83

Meghan gives Harry a Christmas tree ornament that looks like the Queen. It smashes.

Chapter 86

Back to the Frogmore Gardens walk with Willy and Pa. He calls them both ‘delusional’. When he says goodbye, Willy grabs him, says he loves him, wants him to be happy. ‘I swear on Mummy’s life.’ Harry doesn’t believe him.

Chapter 87

Lili is born. Meghan says she has never loved Harry more.

Epilogue

The Queen is in a critical condition. Pa says Meghan can’t come to Balmoral with Harry. ‘His reason was nonsensical, and disrespectful and I wasn’t having it.’ Harry finds out the Queen has died from the BBC while en route. Princess Anne greets him — Willy, Pa and Camilla are nowhere to be seen.

Afterwards, back in LA, Harry has another profound animal moment — a hummingbird is trapped in his house. Harry helps it. ‘You’re free. Fly away.’

By Laura Powell 12 January 2023 • 11:03am

THE TELEGRAPH