TC Leahy

This was an interesting, engaging, humorous, and often heartbreaking first-person narrative. The only real villains are the trash press who live off of physically and frighteningly aggressive invasions of people’s lives and often fabricate stories aided and abetted by sleazy “palace insiders.” Candidly, there is a paradox in telling your story so publicly while decrying the constant invasion of your privacy, but you can sense Harry’s desperation to take control of a poisonous, frenzied, and dehumanizing narrative about his wife, whom he clearly adores, and that culminated in her receiving notes saying she needed “a bullet to the head.” The Royal family comes off as human, and more likeable in many ways than I expected, particularly Charles. The handlers and manipulators within the Institution do not, including in their willingness to hang Harry and Meghan out to dry because it benefited their own charges. That said, the person Harry spares the least, pun intended, is himself. He is honest about his missteps, frustrations, depressions and, ultimately, his choices. I thought it was a very good read. Although it’s imperfect, I gave it a 5 for its depth and Harry’s bravery in allowing himself to be so vulnerable when he could have easily defaulted to a much more superficial book if he was out to make a quick buck. I think people giving it a 1 haven’t read it.