The Spare
The most important use of imagery throughout the book is situated in the title and continues to be referenced throughout. "I was the shadow, the support, the Plan B...I was summoned to provide backup, distraction, diversion and, if necessary, a spare part. Kidney, perhaps. Blood transfusion. Speck of bone marrow." This litany of images describes the purpose of the job. And the job is Harry's entire life. So, essentially, this imagery describes Harry's purpose in life.
Eau Sauvage
Harry describes the cologne preferred by his father, Prince Charles." Flowery, with a hint of something harsh, like pepper or gunpowder, it was made in Paris." The flowery part perhaps comes as a surprise to many considering the public image of Charles. The addition of the harsh olfactory imagery may be an attempt to add a level of simple masculinity to overall portrait. It may not succeed in that intention for many readers.
Queen Love
An entire paragraph is devoted to expressions of affection by Queen Elizabeth II, known simply as Granny to Harry. It begins with the recounting of the time Diana tried to give her mother-in-law a hug and the imagery just gets increasingly more depressing from there. "It was actually more a lunge than a hug...Granny swerved to avoid contact, and the whole thing ended...with averted eyes and murmured apologies...When [Pa] was five or six, Granny...went off on a royal tour lasting several months, and when she returned, she offered him a firm handshake." These images of thwarted attempts at normal shows of affection seem intended to show that Harry wishes things were otherwise. He does not outright confirm this suspicion, however.
Basic Training
Though a Prince in his own right, Harry is not exempt from serving in the military. Nor is he exempt from problems faced by commoners. "Sopping wet, in driving rain, marching now became something altogether different. We were grunting, panting, groaning, slipping...I felt a burning in my feet. I sat on the ground, pulled off my right boot and sock, and the bottom of my foot peeled away." He is describing a condition known as trench foot. It should put an end to the marching and almost does. But the words of Color Sergeant Spence convince him to continue for the next seven miles.
