Prince Harry says ‘cold-blooded’ Princess Margaret bought him a Bureau for Christmas

Prince Harry revealed that Princess Margaret bought him a Biro with a rubber fish around it just for Christmas one year – which he thought was “cool” – and said he thought he and his “Aunt Margot” should have been more close ones.

In his long-awaited memoir Spare, which was published today following a series of interviews and last month’s Netflix documentary Harry and Meghan, Harry says his great-aunt was almost a “complete stranger” to him.

The Duke of Sussex described a Christmas when the family were together in Sandringham opening presents – and told the story of a strange gift from Princess Margaret.

Opening the smallest present in his pile first, Harry found that the Queen’s sister had bought him a biro pen with a small rubber fish wrapped around it, which he saw as ‘cold-blooded’.

Opening the smallest gift in his pile first, Harry discovered that the Queen’s sister (pictured left, in 1993) had bought him a pen with a small rubber fish wrapped around it

Harry adds that Margaret “doesn’t think much” of him.

And he writes that he too “felt nothing” for his great-aunt but pity – and says he usually tried to stay out of her way.

Princess Margaret died aged 71 in 2002, when Harry was 17. Her health had deteriorated over the last 20 years of her life – partly as a result of heavy smoking.

She had pneumonia in 1993 and suffered three strokes between 1998 and 2001. She died shortly after the fourth stroke.

But the prince also shared his wish he had been closer to Margaret, as they had a lot in common in that they were both ‘back-up’ to their older sibling with similar ‘rivalry’ and ‘intense competition’.

He says: “We had so much in common. Two spares. Her relationship with Grandma wasn’t exactly the same as mine was with Willie, but pretty close.

As Margaret grew sicker, Harry began to wish he had had more time to get to know her.

The Duke also draws comparisons between Margaret and his mother Diana, as both rebel against traditional expectations set by the Crown.

Spare’s “explosive” pages include allegations of a physical fight with his older brother Prince William at Nottingham Cottage in 2019, as well as a further disagreement shortly after the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in 2021.

Spare’s ‘explosive’ pages also include allegations of a physical fight with his older brother Prince William at Nottingham Cottage in 2019 (pictured together on September 10)

Princess Margaret died aged 71 in 2002 when Harry was 17. Her health had deteriorated over the last 20 years of her life

Caroline Lennon, the first customer to purchase a copy of Spare, the Duke of Sussex’s newly published autobiography, poses for photographers with her copy of the book as she leaves Waterstones Piccadilly, London

The official launch of Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, seems to have been something of a wet stick, with minimal fan enthusiasm

The Duke of Sussex described an altercation that ended with the Prince of Wales grabbing him by the collar and throwing him to the floor, smashing a dog bowl with his back.

Harry also includes personal stories, admitting to using drugs, having a frozen penis at William and Kate’s wedding and describing how he lost his virginity.

The long-awaited 416-page book awaits buyers today and is on sale at half price for £14 at Waterstones, WH Smith and on Amazon

It is dedicated to his wife Megan, children Archie and Lilibeth and his late mother Diana and is published in 16 languages.

Bookshops opened early this morning for the release of Prince Harry’s memoir – but instead of floods of customers, staff saw almost no one turn up.

Caroline Lennon, 59, was the only one waiting to buy a Spare after walking two miles from Bethnal Green in the East End to queue since 6am.

Most of the book’s most shocking revelations were documented before its official release via the Duke of Sussex’s PR blitz, with interviews with Tom Bradby and Anderson Cooper, and the leak of a Spanish version of the memoir.

World of Books says the title is almost out of stock – currently selling for £33.39 – while WH Smith and Amazon are selling Spare for £14 – half the original price.

The release comes after the Spanish edition of the book En La Sombra (“In the Shadow”) was leaked on February 5, despite ultra-secure agreements, and after a series of interviews with insiders.

It was pulled from the shelves within hours, but not before the world got access to its content detailing tensions between Harry and other members of the royal family and personal stories about the prince’s life.