The ghostwriter behind Prince Harry’s explosive memoir, Spare, has shared details of the writing process, as well as his occasionally complicated relationship with the controversial royal.
In an essay published by the New Yorker, J. R. Moehringer, the writer behind the work, recalls one of many “middle of the night” zoom sessions the pair had while producing the book.
On the call, they had a disagreement over a passage detailing an incident from Harry’s military past, Moehringer wrote.
During a training exercise, Harry was kidnapped by “pretend terrorists,” who had “beaten, frozen, starved [and] stripped” him, among other torture tactics.
At the conclusion of the exercise, the kidnappers verbally insulted Harry, culminating in a “vile dig” at his late mother, Princess Diana.
Moehringer described becoming “exasperated” with Harry, who had insisted on including his comeback to the insult, something he had advised against.
“My head was pounding, my jaw was clenched, and I was starting to raise my voice,” he wrote, even admitting that the argument could end in his firing.
Eventually, however, he wrote that the royal came to see his perspective, even joking afterwards, “I really enjoy getting you worked up like that.”
But as well as occasional arguments, the essay also includes fond memories of the writing process.
Moehringer was offered the ghostwriting role via text in 2020, and after meeting with Harry, said they had immediate chemistry.
“I just liked the dude. I called him dude right away; it made him chuckle,” he wrote.
Over the course of their working relationship, Harry “grew to trust” Moehringer, even introducing him to his inner circle of friends.
Moehringer also took two trips to Harry and Meghan Markle’s home in Montecito, California, where “Meghan, knowing [he] was missing [his] family, was forever bringing trays of food and sweets.”
Moehringer also detailed his experience with the public scrutiny the royal couple are often subject to, after his identity was leaked to the press.
“Along with pretty much anyone who has had anything to do with Harry, I woke one morning to find myself squinting into a gigantic searchlight. Every hour, another piece would drop, each one wrong.”
He added, “One day, though, I did share my frustration with Harry. I bemoaned that these fictions about me were spreading and hardening into orthodoxy. He tilted his head: Welcome to my world, dude. By now, Harry was calling me dude.”
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