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Prince Harry opened up about his past drug use as a teenager in Spare, his memoir that was recently leaked ahead of its official release date. Here’s what the Duke of Sussex said about his experiences with drugs, including cocaine and cannabis, in the controversial book.

A photo of a smiling young Prince Harry, who opened up about his drug use as a teenager in his new memoir.
Prince Harry | Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Prince Harry was rumored to have used drugs, including cocaine, after photos of him partying in Las Vegas surfaced 

Rumors of Prince Harry’s drug use circulated after his Las Vegas party at the Wynn Hotel in 2012. The Duke of Sussex was photographed partying naked, and witnesses saw guests using cocaine and other drugs. 

“Things got pretty crazy in Prince Harry’s suite that night,” said a witness (per Page Six). “Everyone was drinking and drugs were also being used by some people. Some people were snorting cocaine.”

The insider added that several guests had consumed drugs before arriving at Harry’s party. “Some were already rolling on shrooms (hallucinogenic mushrooms) when they arrived at the party, and some were just high on weed.”

Prince Harry was reportedly not seen using any illegal substances. “And that’s exactly why no one there has come forward on the record… they don’t want to be implicated for any illegal activities,” added the source.

In 2012, Harry was 28 years old. The Duke of Sussex has now admitted to using hard drugs at the much earlier age of 17.

Prince Harry opened up about his teenage drug use, including cocaine and cannabis, in his leaked memoir

The Duke of Sussex’s new memoir, Spare, is scheduled for release on Jan. 10, but excerpts have already been published online after the book was accidentally shelved in Spain.

According to the Daily Beast, Prince Harry admitted to using hard drugs as a teenager in his memoir, and even said he previously lied to palace aides who questioned him about it. 

“I had been taking cocaine at that time,” he wrote. “At someone’s house, during a hunting weekend, I was offered a line, and since then I had consumed some more.”

Prince Harry added that he didn’t enjoy the experience. “It wasn’t very fun, and it didn’t make me feel especially happy as seemed to happen to others, but it did make me feel different, and that was my main objective. To feel. To be different,” he wrote.

The Duke of Sussex also admitted to smoking cannabis in the book.

Related

Prince Harry Details the Moment King Charles Told Him About Princess Diana’s Death in Leaked Memoir

The Duke of Sussex explained that he was trying to cope with the death of his mother, Princess Diana

Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, died in a car crash on Aug. 31, 1997, in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris. The Princess of Wales was 36 years old, and Harry was 12.

When writing of his teenage drug use in the memoir Spare, Prince Harry explained that he was trying to cope with the loss of his mother. “I was a seventeen-year-old willing to try almost anything that would alter the pre-established order,” he wrote. “At least, that’s what I was trying to convince myself of.”

How to get help: In the U.S., contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 1-800-662-4357.