Prince Harry’s ghostwriter has said he lived with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex while working on Spare.
JR Moehringer, 58, of San Francisco, moved into the guest house of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in the grounds of their Montecito mansion during the pandemic.
Earlier this week, the father-of-two talked about Meghan’s thoughtful gestures and how Prince Harry enchanted his young daughter with his film knowledge in a personal essay in the New Yorker.
The author explained how he first met the Duke of Sussex, 38, via Zoom calls during several lockdowns in 2020.
However, as restrictions eased, the author and his wife and children traveled to California to meet the royal couple in person.
JR Moehringer (pictured December 2021), 58, of San Francisco, moved into the guest house of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for a while while working on Spare
Recalling his first visit, the author said his daughter was charmed by Prince Harry’s knowledge of the 2016 Disney film Moana.
He explained, “Harry won the heart of my daughter, Gracie, with his huge “Moana” scholarship.
“His favorite scene, he told her, is when Heihei, the stupid chicken, gets lost at sea.”
After this trip, JR flew back to California – where he stayed at the couple’s guest house.
During his visit, the author noted how the Duchess of Sussex enjoys exploring the 13,600-square-foot estate with the couple’s eldest child Archie, four.
He added, “Harry put me up in his guest house, where Meghan and Archie would visit me on their afternoon walks.”
The author says his attentive hostess could see that he was struggling to be away from home for long periods of time.
“Meghan, knowing I missed my family, always brought trays of food and sweets,” the writer said.
The author described how Meghan (pictured in October 2019) and her four-year-old son Archie would visit him at the guest house every afternoon
The author said his daughter was charmed by Prince Harry’s knowledge of the 2016 Disney film Moana. Pictured is the Duke of Sussex and his son Archie
Moreover, JR also revealed that Meghan sent his two kids some toys after the book was finished.
When he wasn’t staying with Prince Harry, the author claims the two “texted around the clock” while they worked on the book.
Elsewhere in the essay, JR reveals that he became “exasperated” with Prince Harry, even yelling at him during the writing process.
He explains that the dispute arose when they discussed an incident where the Duke of Sussex was captured by alleged terrorists during military exercises.
After telling how his fake captors insulted him, Prince Harry was adamant they would record his comeback – though JR thought it was “somewhat nonsensical.”
In January, the publishers revealed that the first day of Spare’s release had sold a record 400,000 copies in hardback, e-book and audio format.
The book contains claims that the Prince of Wales physically attacked him and plagued him with his panic attacks, and that the King put his own interests before Harry’s and was jealous of the Duchess of Sussex and the Princess of Wales.
Larry Finlay, managing director of Transworld Penguin Random House, said: ‘We always knew this book would fly, but it exceeds even our most optimistic expectations.
“As far as we know, the only books that sold more on day one are those starring the other Harry (Potter).”