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Prince Harry’s memoir Spare was released recently and it disclosed a lot of details that were previously unknown to the public.
Several incidents from Harry’s life have been featured in the book. However, the one that gained most attention was about a gift that he received from Princess Margaret during a Christmas Eve celebration at the Sandringham Estate, which he described as 'cold-blooded.'
The gift was a Biro that was surrounded by rubber fish. As per The National, Harry wrote:
“Standing before my pile I chose to open the smallest present first, from Aunt Margo. 'I do hope you like it, Harry.' I tore off the paper. It was …a biro? 'I said Oh. A biro. Wow.' She said: 'Yes. A biro.' I said: 'Thank you so much.' But it wasn’t just any biro, she pointed out. It had a tiny rubber fish wrapped around it. I said: 'Oh. A fish biro!' OK. I told myself: 'That is cold-blooded.'"
Prince Harry mentioned that he realized with time that he should have developed a close friendship with his late great-aunt as they had a lot of things in common.
In his memoir, he also recalled Princess Margaret’s health condition and her demise in 2002. He shared that she was in a wheelchair, which made it difficult for her to take care of herself.
Biro refers to a pen in the UK
In England, the word 'Biro' is used in place of a pen. And there are a few reasons behind this.
The first ballpoint pen was made by John Loud in the 19th century and it had a steel ball bearing held with the help of a socket. The pen was mostly used to mark leather instead of writing on paper, and there were frequent attempts to discover something similar in the next few years.
Budapest-based newspaper editor Laszlo Biro had trouble using a fountain pen and noticed that the ink used in newspaper printing dried at a rapid pace.
Biro used the ink in a fountain pen but it failed to flow down and after trying a few techniques, he along with his brother and chemist Georg found that the ball bearing system was the only method that could work.
Biro applied for a patent in France and the duo began working on a pen that wouldn't have any flaws.
They eventually launched a company called Eterpen, and production for the pen started in the 40s. The Royal Air Force was their first customer, and the price of the pens would have been around £27 if they were sold today.
But the product failed to receive the expected response, and although science writer Lynne Friedman purchased the rights for the pen, nothing much came out of it.
A businessman named Milton Reynolds then started making his version of the ballpoint pen, which people could use for around two years. With a price of $1 for each, the pens made record-breaking sales, and Biro sold his patent to Marcel Bich for $2 million.
Bich began producing Biro’s design called the Bic Cristal, which sold around 100 billion pieces in 50 years.
Excerpts of Prince Harry’s Spare were leaked before its release
Prince Harry’s memoir was trending as it geared up to reveal a lot of unknown details about his life. However, a few excerpts from the book were leaked when it accidentally went on sale in Spain on January 5.
According to the book, Harry’s father King Charles reportedly told Princess Diana that she gave him an “Heir” and a “Spare.”
The memoir speaks about Prince Harry's addiction to cocaine as a teenager and how he lost his virginity to an older woman in a field near a pub. The book also reveals that he fought with his brother William in 2019, and then in 2021 during the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh. The duo also had a dispute when William reportedly called Meghan Markle 'rude' and 'difficult.'
The brothers even requested their father not to marry Camilla Parker Bowles, and when his mother died, Harry reportedly went to an influential woman for help. Prince Harry also opened up about having panic attacks when he is about to give a speech or appear for an interview.
Prince Harry’s much-awaited memoir Spare is set to release on January 10, 2023.
