Grief
When Prince Harry was a very small boy, his mother, Princess Diana of Wales was killed in a tragic incident involving the paparazzi. Harry has been consumed with grief over the death of his mother for much of his life. His mother, whom he loved dearly, died in such a tragic and public way that Harry says he was never able to grieve her death properly. In fact, even after her death, Harry was told to put on a positive face for a country that was mourning the death of its beloved Princess.
Family
Family is one of Spare's most scandalous but essential themes. Throughout the book, Prince Harry discusses his family, some of whom he likes and others who he doesn't like. Prince Harry takes particular issue with his father, King Charles III, and his brother, the heir to the throne Prince William. For Harry, the relationship with his father and brother was always strained. Things reached a boiling point for Harry with William when the two got into a physical altercation after William had said something mean about Harry's wife, Meghan Markle. Harry sensed that his father never particularly cared for him and that he would always play second fiddle to his brother. And though the family was (and is) important to Harry, he feels more connected to Markle, his deceased mother Diana, and his children than the rest of his family.
Royalty
Much of Spare is dedicated to Harry being uncomfortable with being born into and having to work in the Royal Family of the United Kingdom. Although the Royal Family has little control over the way their country is run, they are important figureheads who prop up the country and its government, which is led by a parliament and Prime Minster. Many in Harry's family embraced their royalty, but Harry never did. He appreciated some aspects of it, such as the opportunities it afforded him, but he felt strange with other aspects of it.
