Prince Harry's book Spare has been talked about so much I thought I'd read it – Susan Morrison

There’s a pile of books beside my bed. One day I’ll read them all, but someone keeps adding new ones. When I find out who that person is, I’ll have words.

Completed books go on the shelf. I rarely throw them out. I once donated some to a charity shop, only to walk in a few weeks later, spot some interesting books and buy three before I realised they’d been mine in the first place.

Last week I found myself staring at my shelf to discover that book by that Harry Windsor fellow, Spare. Must throw that out. Didn't really enjoy it. It took me a good few minutes to realise it wasn't there because I don’t have it. I don’t own it. I never have. I’ve never read it. I just think I have.

I can’t be alone in this. We all seem to know more about credit-card bought Ikea sofas, King Charles’ teddy bear and the Queen Mother’s drinking habits than we ever needed to know. It’s like having an oversharing neighbour corner you to recount grim details of her son's apparent ill-treatment at the hands of the daughter-in-law she never liked.

Prince Harry's book Spare has attracted rather a lot of attention (Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Got to hand it to the lad. For someone who has been regarded mainly as the understudy for most of his life, he’s propelled himself into the limelight incredibly well. Suddenly all eyes are on him. Particularly the Taliban’s, I imagine.

It’s mildly annoying. I managed to reach this age without really having an opinion about either of the Windsor boys. Until recently I regularly got confused between the two. This panicked me slightly in case I got a head injury and they sprang a trick question on me in A&E and asked: “Who’s the oldest, William or Harry?”

Now, I do have an opinion, and largely foisted upon me. He comes across as quite the whiny little lad, but that’s based on second-hand information. In the interests of fairness, I might actually have to read the book.

Och, no. There are better books in the pile. But at least I know which Prince is which now.