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Prince Harry’s memoir, which is set to be published on Tuesday, has been described as an “accurate and wholly truthful” account of his life. “With its raw, unflinching honesty, Spare is a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief,” said publisher Penguin Random House. The book begins by taking readers back to “one of the most searing images of the 20th century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow – and horror”.
Diana, Princess of Wales, died tragically in a car crash in Paris in August 1997. Harry was just 12 years old at the time, while his brother Prince William was 15.
In his book, of which Express.co.uk has acquired an advanced copy, Harry reveals he cried once following his mother’s death — at the burial on September 6 — but confessed that a moment with his ex-girlfriend Cressida Davy prompted an emotional breakthrough.
The Duke of Sussex describes walking onstage at Wembley Arena for WE Day, an annual stadium-sized youth empowerment event hosted by We Charity, in March 2014.
Harry writes he “spat out” his speech before taking his seat next to Cressida. He noted the personal significance of the event, revealing the last time he had spoken at the arena was for the tenth anniversary of his mother’s death.
READ MORE: Queen’s ‘cryptic’ reply to Harry’s request to marry Meghan—’I suppose I have to say yes’
The tell-all memoir, which was ghostwritten by Pulitzer Prize winner J R Moehringer, promises to be packed full of explosive revelations and insight into the Royal Family – and there’s even an audiobook read by the Duke of Sussex himself.
You can buy your copy of Spare on Amazon.
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By that point, Harry had been dating Cressida Bonas — an English actress and singer — for two years in secret; the charity event marked the first time they were revealed to the public as a couple.
Soon after, the pair left on a skiing holiday with friends to Kazakhstan. Harry describes the sport as “sacred” for him and his girlfriend — “so symbolic” — particularly because their previous ski trip saw the moment Cressida “miraculously opened me up”.
The Prince goes on to recall a late night during their holiday in Switzerland. Mid-conversation, Cressida asked Harry about his mother in a tone the royal described as “just the right blend of curiosity and compassion”.
“The way she reacted to my answer was just right too,” he writes. “Surprised, concerned, with no judgement. Maybe other factors were at play as well. The alchemy of physical fatigue and Swiss hospitality. The fresh air and alcohol. Maybe it was the softly falling snow outside the windows, or the culmination of seventeen years of up-pressed grief. Maybe it was maturity. Whatever the reason or combination of reasons, I answered her, straight-out, and then started to cry.”
“It was cathartic, it accelerated our bond, and added an element rare in past relationships: immense gratitude,” he explains. “I was indebted to Cress, and that was the reason why, when we got home from Kazakhstan, I felt so miserable, because at some point during that ski trip, I’d realised that we weren’t a match.”
While Harry admits that there was massive affection and loyalty within his relationship with Cressida, he explained that their love was not “everlasting”.
The actress had been clear about not wanting to take on the stresses of life as a working royal, and according to Harry, he did not want to ask her to do so. He explained that this “unalterable fact” had been “lurking in the background for some time” and became undeniable during their trip.
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After calling a mutual friend for advice, the Prince decided that time was up on the relationship and he had to end it quickly, without hesitation.
He recalls driving to see Cressida, sitting on the edge of her bed and telling her his thoughts. She did not seem surprised by the breakup, according to the Prince who claims she had been thinking about the same thing.
Despite their mutual agreement, tears were running down Cressida’s cheeks.
“Damn,” Harry recalls thinking. “She helped me cry. And now I’m leaving her in tears.”
Cressida married property investor Harry Wentworth-Stanley in 2020. The couple have one son.
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