Prince Harry Frostbite Revelation Sparks Avalanche of Jokes and Memes

Prince Harry’s account of having experienced an intimate case of frostbite following an expedition to the North Pole in 2011—which made for an uncomfortable day at Prince William’s Westminster Abbey wedding—has struck a chord with social media users, resulting in an avalanche of memes and jokes.

Broken by Page Six (which obtained a copy of Harry’s memoir Spare ahead of its official release on January 10), Harry’s revelation that he returned from his visit from the far north with a frostbitten penis formed one of many leaked stories from the highly anticipated memoir which were published on Thursday.

Prince Harry photographed at the royal wedding, April 29, 2011. And (inset) during his expedition to the North Pole, March 31, 2011. The prince revealed in his memoir that he experienced uncomfortable frostbite following his North Pole trip. David Cheskin/WPA Pool/Getty Images/CARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images

Referring to his penis using the colloquial slang term “todger,” Harry wrote, per Page Six, that his father was “very interested, and sympathetic about the discomfort of my frost nipped ears and cheeks,” on his return home, but added that he didn’t overshare about his intimate issue.

“While the ears and cheeks were already healing, the todger wasn’t. It was becoming more of an issue by the day,” he said, per Page Six.

The prince writes that he finally sought medical treatment for his affliction after the discomfort he experienced on Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding day.

After sharing their article on Twitter with the headline “Prince Harry had a frostbitten penis at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding” users flooded Page Six’s post with hilarious reactions.

“Most people serve cake or maybe some canapés!” responded writer Paul Dallison.

Digital director of Rolling Stone magazine, Liza Tozzi simply reacted with the statement: “I have died. RIP me.”

This sentiment was echoed by broadcaster Michael Gravesande who added: “Bang goes the old axiom – What happens in the Arctic stays in the Arctic.”

Writer, Meecham Whitson Meriweather, voiced a criticism that many other users have shared, saying that: “Everything I’ve learned about Prince Harry’s frostbitten penis I’ve learned against my will.”

The intimate nature of the revelations in Harry’s Spare has provoked shocked comment from even seasoned royal reporters. GB News’ Cameron Walker tweeted: “I never thought I’d be talking about Prince Harry’s ‘frostnipped’ penis for a living, but here we are.”

As well as posts of consternation, many users also posted their joking takes on the information provided by the prince, including writer Jamie Jones who said: “Prince Harry won’t see your jokey tweets but your friends who have attended their brother/heir to the British throne’s wedding with a frostbitten penis will.”

Harry’s frostbite story is just one of many taken from Spare which have been published ahead of its global release next week.

Among the more serious allegations are those that Prince William physically attacked Harry, pushing him to the ground causing “scrapes and bruises,” as well as the claim that his brother and Kate Middleton encouraged him to wear a Nazi uniform to a 2005 party.

So far, Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace have refused to comment on any of the claims that have been published, nor will they be drawn to comment on information supplied by Harry in promotional footage for a round of TV interviews about his memoir.

The prince will appear in interviews on 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper on Sunday, Good Morning America with Michael Strahan on Monday, and on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday.

Spare will be released to the public on January 10.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek’s royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek’s The Royals Facebook page.

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