Prince Harry's upcoming memoir is one of the most highly anticipated literary releases of all time, with rumors and speculation regarding it's content consuming media cycles since it's announcement in 2021.
Following the formal announcement of it's title and publication date this week, the memoir began trending on social media, with users not only discussing the content of the book but also uploading memes and satirical posts.
One Twitter user posted a text extract which suggested it was from a leaked passage of the memoir in which the prince claims, "bowling saved my life," but is the extract genuine?
The Claim
On October 27, Twitter user Carlos Greaves posted two images; one illustrating promotional material for Prince Harry's upcoming memoir; the second, a screenshot of text written in the voice of the royal.
The author, who it is implied is Harry, recounts an evening where he was saved from contemplating ending his own life when he stumbled into a bowing alley, claiming eventually that "bowling saved my life."
The implied extract reads:
Megan and I had just decided to leave the royal family and it was a really dark time for us. One day, I was wandering down the streets of LA, a 40oz in one hand and a revolver in the other, ready to end it all, when I saw a building with a bright neon sign that said Hollywood Star Lanes. So I decided "f*** it" and went in.
Inside, they were playing this game I'd never heard of called "Bowling." I guess it's pretty popular in America. You grab a big heavy ball and roll it towards a group of pins that you're trying to knock over. When you're in the bowling alley, everything else fades away and there's just the sound of balls rolling down lanes and pins falling over. It's like yoga but for cool tough guys. Needless to say I was hooked.
Bowling saved my life that day.
The tweet includes the caption: "Y'all, this book is nuts."
Y’all, this book is nuts. pic.twitter.com/1HFXXp1eug
— Carlos Greaves (@shadesofgreaves) October 27, 2022
As of Friday, October 28, it has gathered more than a quarter of a million likes and was shared at least 25,000 times.
The Facts
Prince Harry announced that he would publish a memoir in July 2021 through a collaboration with publishers Penguin Random House.
In a statement released at the time, Harry said he was writing the book "not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become," and that he was "excited for people to read a first-hand account of my life that's accurate and wholly truthful."
An update on the book was provided over a year later, with the publication date of January 10, 2023 and the title Spare being announced on October 27, 2022.
Penguin Random House described the book as a "landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief."
With this announcement, a short summarizing paragraph was released alongside one promotional image of the book jacket. It read:
It was one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother's coffin as the world watched in sorrow—and horror. As Diana, Princess of Wales, was laid to rest, billions wondered what the princes must be thinking and feeling—and how their lives would play out from that point on.
For Harry, this is that story at last.
Aside from this information no other details as to the content of the book have been released, including official extracts.
That also applies to the passage "quoted" in the Twitter post: it was not taken from Harry's upcoming book, but made up as a joke.
Carlos Greaves, the Twitter user who posted the viral extract, is a satirical writer, based in the U.S. who is a contributor to The Onion and author of the upcoming book Spoilers: Essays That Might Ruin Your Favorite Hollywood Movies.
In a Tweet linked below the viral Prince Harry extract, Greaves appeared to highlight the satirical nature of the post, writing: "Follow me for more silly stuff like this, and if you like books, check out the one I'm writing!"
The extract's joking claim that bowling saved Harry's life comes after the prince gave his memoir the title of Spare. In the sport of bowling, a spare is a technical term for when a player knocks down all pins after two balls.
Greaves told Newsweek:
"The tweet was written purely as satire. The story about Prince Harry bowling is a play on words based on the title of the memoir, Spare since a "spare" is also a type of score in 10-pin bowling.
"I included details like spelling Meghan Markle's name wrong and using the name of the bowling alley from The Big Lebowski to make it clear it was a joke, and I did not intend for the tweet to be misleading or to be interpreted as an actual leak from the book."
The Ruling
Satire.
This post was created by satirical writer Carlos Greaves who is known for producing humorous content based on pop culture moments.
Greaves confirmed to Newsweek that the Tweet appearing to show a leaked extract from Prince Harry's upcoming memoir was written by himself, with the bowling reference a take-down of the book's title, Spare.
The royal does not claim "bowling saved my life" in any officially released material associated with his memoir.
Newsweek approached representatives of Penguin Random House for comment.
FACT CHECK BY NEWSWEEK
If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours every day. Or dial 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
