Prince Harry ghostwriter’s five bombshells — from 2am row to Duke in tears
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Prince Harry's ghostwriter has lifted the lid on what it was like working with the Duke of Sussex on his memoir.
J. R. Moehringer, the man behind bestseller Spare, started with Harry in 2020. The culmination of their efforts came in January this year when Spare hit store shelves.
Throughout that time it is understandable there were disagreements between the two.
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Writing for The New Yorker, the ghostwriter has detailed some of those 2am phone calls and heated debates, as well as some of the more heart-warming moments.
Here, the Daily Star takes a look through the revelations.
Shouting match
Moehringer revealed how a row with the prince left him feeling "exasperated".
He said the pair got into a fierce debate in the summer of 2022, two years into his role as ghostwriter.
They were reviewing Prince Harry's latest edits in a 2am Zoom session when they came to a tricky section of the book.
"My head was pounding, my jaw was clenched, and I was starting to raise my voice," he wrote.
"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, a more pressing thought occurred: Whoa, it could all end right here."
'Discredit' attempt
Moehringer was stunned when one chapter of the book came up for discussion – Harry's revelation that he used to look forward to the yearly sales at TK Maxx.
The author believed this to be a perfectly accurate anecdote until the store hit back at the claims, and said it "never has sales, just great savings all the time!"
The author hinted the clothing chain was trying to discredit the book – due to it's long-standing links with King Charles and The Prince's Trust.
"Surely TK Maxx’s effort to discredit Harry’s memoir was unrelated to the company’s long-standing partnership with Prince Charles and his charitable trust," he said.
Spare tears
Moehringer admitted it was like "telling Taylor Swift about a bad breakup" after Harry's book hit the shelves.
After what had been a long and emotional time together, the pair celebrated by raising a glass together before a teary-eyed Harry thanked his team.
"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."
Meghan Markle's kindness
Moehringer visited their home once with his wife and once with their children, and also stayed at the guesthouse twice.
Meghan Markle knew the author was missing his family and tried to make him feel better by looking after him, he wrote.
"Harry put me up in his guesthouse, where Meghan and Archie would visit me on their afternoon walks," he said.
"Meghan, knowing I was missing my family, was forever bringing trays of food and sweets."
She also gifted his children some toys.
Harry 'belittled'
Moehringer and Harry were going back and forth over a line, a witty quip from Harry, which the prince wanted to include but the ghostwriter didn't.
He said: "Harry calmly explained that, all his life, people had belittled his intellectual capabilities."
The ghostwriter's response was to tell Harry the book wasn't just about him.
He wrote: "I told him… strange as it may seem, memoir isn’t about you.
"It’s a story carved from your life, a particular series of events chosen because they have the greatest resonance for the widest range of people."
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