Prince Harry book: Royals tried to call Duke 32 times to tell him Philip was dead | Royal | News

Prince Harry’s bombshell new memoir, Spare, finally hit UK shelves on Tuesday, January 10, after days of controversy after allegations against Prince William and Queen Camilla made headlines. With “raw, unflinching honesty”, the Duke of Sussex gives an insight into his life, including the most painful moments, such as when he was told of the death of his grandfather, the person he said played a vital role in his very existence.

At the start of the memoir, written with the help of ghostwriter JR Moehringer, Harry recalls returning to Frogmore Gardens, half a mile from Windsor Castle, after Prince Philip’s funeral on April 17, 2021.

On April 9 of that year, the longest-lived wife died at the age of 99, just two months before she turned centenarian.

Prince Harry has told how he traveled back to what was once his “forever home” 15 months after he and Meghan Markle announced they were stepping back from their roles as senior royals.

In the days leading up to the funeral, the 38-year-old described waking up to 32 missed calls before having a “short, heartfelt” conversation with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Reference to Philip’s humor also appeared in Harry’s tribute to his late grandfather, released shortly after his death.

Part of his statement published on the Archewell Foundation website read: “He was authentically himself, with a seriously sharp wit and could hold the attention of any room because of his charm – and also because you never knew what could say afterwards.

“He will be remembered as the Monarch’s longest serving royal consort, a decorated military man, a prince and a duke. But for me, like many of you who have lost a loved one or a grandparent to the heartache of this past year, he was my grandpa: master of the grill, legend of jokes and cheeky to the end.”

Harry also thanked her for his devotion to the Queen – to whom he was married for 73 years – and for “always being yourself”.

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In his memoir, the Duke of Sussex also draws parallels between his grandfather and his mother, Princess Diana.

The two, he said, “embraced life” with Philip having many passions, from carriage driving to shooting.

Philip and Diana’s happiness may explain why his grandfather was “such a fan” of his mother, who married King Charles in 1981 and later died in a car crash in 1997.

Harry wrote: “My grandfather was her most vocal advocate. Some said he actually brokered my parents’ marriage. If so, an argument could be made that Grandpa was the root cause in my world. But for him, I wouldn’t be here.”