Prince Harry’s ghostwriter for ‘Spare’ said the media frenzy around memoir made him ‘fragile’

JR Moehringer reveals his family were harassed by the press after the release of Prince Harry’s memoir.
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Following the release of Prince Harry’s controversial novel ‘Spare’, the book’s ghostwriter, JR Moehringer has revealed his experience being at the centre of the media frenzy. He wrote in the New Yorker magazine that media outlets went as far as to stalk himself and his family.

When ‘Spare’ was released there were a number of revelations that came to light about what had been going on within the Royal Family. Harry and Meghan famously stepped back as senior royals citing the British media’s treatment of Meghan Markle.

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Spare went on to become the fastest-selling non-fiction book in the UK since records began in 1998. The memoir was controversial, praised by some and hated by others, but Moehringer wrote in his New Yorker article that the experience made him understand Prince Harry better.

The attention catapulted Moehringer straight into the spotlight. He said the experience made him realise he had "understood nothing" about how a life in the spotlight had affected Prince Harry but added that the Duke of Sussex was "all heart" and supported him throughout.

Following the release of ‘Spare’. Moehringer said he found himself "squinting into a gigantic searchlight" of media attention. He added: "Every hour, another piece would drop, each one wrong. My fee was wrong, my bio was wrong, even my name.”

Moehringer also wrote about how a paparazzi photographer tailed him while he drove his son to preschool. He wrote that the experience with the press left him, and his wife, feeling ‘fragile’. He added that later the same day a newspaper journalist appeared at his window while he was working.

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Moehringer said that he and Harry worked on the memoir together for over two years. The writer opened up about the long Zoom chats, messaging constantly as well as visiting Harry and his wife Meghan at their house in Montecito, California. He also said that he and Harry bonded over the loss of their mothers.

Moehringer is no stranger to being a celebrity ghostwriter and has written memoirs for retired tennis star Andre Agassi and Nike co-founder Phil Knight. The author says he always insists on a clause in his contract giving him the right to remain anonymous but his name was leaked to the press, ahead of Spare’s publication.

Better known as Prince Harry, he is the Duke of Sussex and the younger son of Diana, Princess of Wales, and King Charles III.Better known as Prince Harry, he is the Duke of Sussex and the younger son of Diana, Princess of Wales, and King Charles III.
Better known as Prince Harry, he is the Duke of Sussex and the younger son of Diana, Princess of Wales, and King Charles III.

Prince Harry returned to the UK to attend King Charles’ Coronation over the weekend. The move came after much speculation over whether he would attend, and it marked the first time he was seen publicly with his family since the memoir was released.

Prince Harry flew back to Los Angeles after the service ended to be with his son Archie on what was his fourth birthday.

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