The UK royal family and “Spare” [Note: Content Warning - bigotry, family & other abuse]

There has been considerable commentary - much of it biased by blind emotions and loyalty one way or another - in response to Prince Harry’s book Spare.

At this stage, I just wish to make a few general observations: 

• the UK royal family is neither specifically a family nor a governing organisation, and it suffers in its attempts to fulfil those two separate roles as a result; 
• notwithstanding that, there are situations where family expectations and behaviours are appropriate and best - particularly in the raising of children, and situations where governing rules apply - which, no matter that I like progressive royals, means they need to be and to be seen to be apolitical, or perhaps a better term is politically neutral; 
• historically, this sexist quasi-institution has sent its male members into the military and other situations (e.g., schooling in Australia, as happened to King Charles III) to help bond with commoners; 
• in military situations, the reality that these members of the royal quasi-institution are also human beings means they are also subject to the same problems as other human beings - including injury, risk of death, seeing and dishing out death, and PTSD. Prince Harry’s writing about these is invaluable for a number of reasons: 
• it shows the damage done by military conditioning - particularly the othering - and by the experience of being in combat, which many of has been pointing out for - well, for decades, in my case. This is a useful reminder that we, as societies, need to STOP ignoring that; 
• the response by the misogynistic violent extremists that the “others”were human beings is also valid, and something else we, as societies, need STOP ignoring (and it was very apparent in mainstream media coverage during the first and second Gulf Wars, and the invasion of US-led Afghanistan);
  
• we, as societies, also need to consider whether we expect too much of some roles - particularly emergency services, medical care, and the military, and if this book leads to some genuine debate with subsequent movement for the better on those or other aspects, I for one will be pleased; 
• I will also be pleased if the leads to some genuine debate with subsequent movement for the better on: 
• the personal problems (conscious and unconscious bias, including classism, sense of entitlement, and economic impact) of social elites, which is - arguably - brought to a peak in the UK royal family (the US elites, which came out of economic power, have the same sort of problems, with a possible infestation of neoliberalism);
• the nasty, spiteful, vindictive posturing and positioning for “power” of some in and many around the UK royal family. Gossips have been in a special class of evil for me ever since I came across them on school playgrounds - and have been visible amongst the detractors of Monica Lewinsky and Princess, later Lady, Diana.
  

And to be clear, I have not read the book, and may not - although I have seen some of the interviews, such as this one, the streaming series well, the first half), and this, this, and this.

PS - see also this excellent review by leena norms, which includes setting a broader context