The 4 'factual errors' from Prince Harry's Spare, explained.

Prince Harry's memoir Spare is the fastest-selling non-fiction book of all time, according to its publisher Penguin Random House. The amount of personal detail Harry has openly shared has ensured commentary and overanalysis of his every single word.

Whether you believe he is sharing too much information, or that he is taking ownership of his story so that no one else can; you cannot miss the hype related to this history-making book.

And while many readers are relating to the heartfelt content about losing his mother as a child, or his fractured familial relationships, other sceptical readers are highlighting a handful of minor 'factual errors'.

Watch: The trailer for Harry's UK interview on ITV. Post continues below.

The first of the four reported inaccuracies spotted by eagle-eyed fact-checkers relates to where he was when his great-grandmother, The Queen Mother, died in 2002. 

In the book, he writes he remembers being at school.

“At Eton, while studying, I took a call. I wish I could remember whose voice was at the other end; a courtier’s, I believe,” Harry wrote.

“I recall that it was just before Easter, the weather was bright and warm, light slanting through my window, filled with vivid colours. Your Royal Highness, the Queen Mother has died.”

Photos being widely shared by the media appear to suggest he was instead returning from a skiing holiday to Switzerland with William and his father King Charles III. Harry has not yet commented on the timing of the call or that these holiday photos are being used as solid 'evidence' he was not at Eton when he received the call in 2002.

Another 'inaccuracy' being pointed out by the media relates to a memory Harry shares about his 13th birthday in 1997. Harry writes how he remembers receiving an Xbox from his aunt, Lady Sarah McCorquodale.

"I tore at the wrapping paper, the ribbon. I peered inside... It was an Xbox. I was pleased. I loved video games," he wrote.

While critics have been quick to use this passage as another example of an 'error' because the Xbox didn't come out in the US until 2001, Harry explains in the very next line of the book that the details of the gift in '97 (the year his mother died) are hazy.

"That's the story, anyway. It's appeared in many accounts of my life, as gospel, and I have no idea if it's true. Pa said Mummy hurt her head, but perhaps I was the one with brain damage?"

A third 'inaccuracy' relates to the time Meghan reportedly purchased her father a ticket out of Mexico with carrier Air New Zealand.

"We told him, leave Mexico right now: A whole new level of harassment is about to rain down on you, so come to Britain. Now," Harry writes.

"Air New Zealand, first class, booked and paid for by Meg."

An Air New Zealand spokesperson confirmed they had never flown this exact international route or offered first-class seats, only 'premier business'. The carrier even tweeted a joke at Harry and Meghan's expense from their official Twitter and Facebook accounts that read: 'Introducing #sussexclass -apparently coming soon.' with a crown and shifty eyes emoji.

Writer Brook Sabin for Stuff in New Zealand, has explained however how this particular 'inaccuracy' could have easily occurred.

"Air NZ used to fly between Los Angeles and London, until the pandemic hit. Celebrities loved the Air NZ service; it was a welcome break from US and British carriers," Sabin writes.

"The paparazzi would have also been all over the main carriers, so putting her dad on Air NZ would have made sense. Meghan may have booked the tickets through Air NZ from Mexico to London. In this case, United Airlines (Air NZ’s Star Alliance partner) would have flown the Mexico to LA leg, while Air NZ would have done the trans-Atlantic service. This trip could have all been booked and ticketed through Air NZ, giving the impression it was an Air NZ service all the way.

"In the middle of an international scandal, I imagine Meghan isn't sitting there looking up codeshare flight numbers and wondering if it's going to be an Air NZ plane or not."

Listen: Mamamia Outloud on the Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan. Post continues below.

A fourth minor error, this time not to do with memory, but historical facts. Harry tells a story that refers to King Henry VI who ruled England in the 15th century as his "great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather".

Henry VI was the founder of Harry's school exclusive boys' school, Eton, and Harry describes how the boys had to wear a formal uniform as a perpetual sign of being in mourning for either Henry VI or George III.

Critics pointed out that this is inaccurate as King Henry VI's only son died in battle without having any children of his own. Coming from a line of British monarchs however, it is easy to see why Harry made this mistake about his exact ancestral line dating back to 1421. 

Other 'errors' eagerly pointed out relate to Harry referring to the TK Maxx store's annual sale when representatives for the store say they don't have sales, mistakenly naming the world's largest diamond as the Koh-i-Noor and referencing 'The Governor General' of Bermuda, when Bermuda actually has a Premier and not a Governor.  

Harry has yet to comment on any of these supposed 'errors' but ghostwriter J.R. Moehringer has been sharing multiple tweets to defend the claims.

Last night he used the Duke's own words by tweeting: "Whatever the cause, my memory is my memory... there's just as much truth in what I remember and how I remember it as there is in so-called objective facts."

He also tweeted a quote from Mary Karr, author of The Art of Memoir that says: "The line between memory and fact is blurry, between interpretation and fact."

https://t.co/u6ztJtu7tL pic.twitter.com/c8TEy5DRza

— J.R. Moehringer (@JRMoehringer) January 11, 2023

Whatever your interpretation of the unfolding drama around these minor details, it is interesting how much time has been dedicated to finding holes or 'serious errors' in Harry's story to deflect from the story itself. 

Errors or mistaken memories, we wonder how many other personal memoirs would stand up to this level of scrutiny? 

Feature Image: Penguin Random House/ Twitter/ Canva.