By Katherine Tinsley
3:31pm PST, Jan 7, 2026
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In
Spare,
Prince Harry complained about the royal family's use of The Court Circular, which records all their official engagements.
"At the end of the year, when all the numbers got tallied, comparisons would be made in the press. Ah, this one's busier than that one," Harry wrote. "Ah, this one's a lazy s***."
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"The Court Circular was an ancient document, but it had lately morphed into a circular firing squad,"
Prince Harry continued. "It didn't create the feelings of competitiveness that ran in my family, but it amplified them, weaponized them."
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Prince Harry shared how the sheet created tension amongst his relatives.
"Certain family members had become obsessed, feverishly striving to have the highest number of official engagements recorded in the Circular each year, no matter what, and they'd succeeded largely by including things that weren't, strictly speaking, engagements, recording public interactions that were mere blips, the kinds of things Willy and I wouldn't dream of including," Harry noted.
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"It was all self-reported, all subjective,"
Prince Harry continued. "Nine private visits with veterans, helping with their mental health? Zero points. Flying via helicopter to cut a ribbon at a horse farm? Winner!"
