Prince Harry’s ghostwriter has opened up about living with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex while he was working on Spare.
J. R. Moehringer, 58, from San Francisco, moved into the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s guesthouse in the grounds of their Montecito mansion for a time during the pandemic.
Earlier this week, the father-of-two opened up about Meghan’s thoughtful gestures and how Prince Harry charmed his young daughter with his movie knowledge in a personal essay in the New Yorker.
The author explained how he first got to know the Duke of Sussex, 38, over Zoom calls during various lockdowns in 2020.
However as restrictions eased, the author and his wife and children travelled out to California to meet with the royal couple in person.
J. R. Moehringer (pictured in December 2021), 58, from San Francisco, moved into the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s guesthouse for a time while working on Spare
Recalling his first visit, the author said his daughter was charmed by Prince Harry’s knowledge of the 2016 Disney movie Moana.
He explained: ‘Harry won the heart of my daughter, Gracie, with his vast “Moana” scholarship.
‘His favorite scene, he told her, is when Heihei, the silly chicken, finds himself lost at sea.’
Following this trip, J.R. then flew out to California again – which is when he stayed in the couple’s guest house.
During his visit, the author noted how the Duchess of Sussex enjoys exploring the 13,600sq ft estate with the couple’s eldest child Archie, four.
He added: ‘Harry put me up in his guesthouse, where Meghan and Archie would visit me on their afternoon walks.’
The author says his attentive hostess could tell that he was struggling being away from home for long periods of time.
‘Meghan, knowing I was missing my family, was forever bringing 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 in the guesthouse every afternoon
The author said his daughter was charmed by Prince Harry’s knowledge of the 2016 Disney movie Moana. Pictured, the Duke of Sussex and his son Archie
What’s more, J.R. also revealed that Meghan had sent his two children some toys after the book was finished.
When he wasn’t staying with Prince Harry, the author claims the two were ‘texting around the clock’ as they worked on the book.
Elsewhere in the essay, J.R. reveals that he became ‘exasperated’ with Prince Harry and even shouted at him during the writing process.
He explains that the dispute came as they discussed an incident in which the Duke of Sussex was captured by pretend terrorists during military exercises.
After recounting how his faux-captors hurled insults at him, Prince Harry was adamant that they include his comeback – even though J.R. felt it was ‘somewhat inane’.
In January, the publishers revealed a record 400,000 hardback, e-book and audio format copies were sold on the first day of Spare’s release.
The book includes claims that the Prince of Wales physically attacked him and teased him about his panic attacks, and that the King put his own interests above 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 is exceeding even our most bullish expectations.
‘As far as we know, the only books to have sold more in their first day are those starring the other Harry (Potter).’
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