Prince Harry’s ‘Spare’ under review as Queen Mother death claim debunked

Prince Harry’s memoir Spare is already under question after several claims, including one about the Queen Mother’s death, were found to be inconsistent with reports from the time the claims are from.

As pointed out by OK! Magazine, Prince Harry in his memoir claimed that he was at Eton when he learned of the death of his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother, in March 2002.

In his book, the Duke of Sussex wrote: “At Eton, while studying, I took a call… I recall that it was just before Easter, the weather was bright and warm, light slanting through my window, filled with vivid colours. Your Royal Highness, the Queen Mother has died.”

However, as per reports from the time, Prince Harry, then 17, was not in the UK when the Queen Mother passed away, and was instead with his father, King Charles, and brother, Prince William, in Switzerland on a skiing holiday.

A BBC News report from the time in 2002 reads: “William and Harry [were] away skiing in Klosters when the 101-year-old died in her sleep.”

Commenting on this, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliam told GB News: “This is a serious error in a hugely controversial book. That Harry is clearly wrong in his recollection of the facts as to where he was when the Queen Mother died leaves doubt as to how closely this book has been fact-checked.

“One wonders how many other factual errors are to be found within its pages,” Fitzwilliam also said.