Prince Harry hasn’t made any changes to his highly anticipated memoir since the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Britain’s longest-reigning monarch passed away on Sept. 8 at age 96. On Oct. 27, Penguin Random House announced that the Duke of Sussex’s book, titled “Spare,” will be released Jan. 10.
“For all the tabloid reports about Harry supposedly ‘trashing’ his family (spoiler alert: he doesn’t), the book actually offers a more sympathetic look at the realities of their near-impossible existence,” bestselling author and royals editor Omid Scobie wrote in his column for Yahoo! News UK on Friday.
“There were also no last-minute rewrites or edits after the queen’s death,” Scobie shared. “‘[The] manuscript was completed almost five months before the monarch’s passing, a detail that will be acknowledged in a note at the start of the book.”
PRINCE HARRY’S MEMOIR ‘SPARE’ CAN ‘BE A DANGER’ TO THE ROYAL FAMILY, EXPERT SAYS
Prince Harry’s memoir, titled “Spare,” will focus on his royal upbringing and the many lessons he learned along the way.
(Getty Images/Penguin Random House)
According to Scobie, the 38-year-old will address “being the spare,” or the younger sibling of the future king, as well as his decision to start a new life in America with his family. The book will also detail his time in the military, as well as what it was like being on the frontlines of Afghanistan.
A spokesperson for the book revealed that it “will be released one month after the Sussexes’ forthcoming Netflix docuseries drops.”
Scobie acknowledged that the royals are concerned over what Harry may reveal.
“No matter how carefully Harry shares the parts of his story involving others, there is still the very real risk of serious blowback from the institution and family,” wrote Scobie. “Palace aides recently told me about the ‘genuine fear’ amongst senior members that this book will cause irrevocable damage to reputations and relations. But, for Harry, [the book’s] larger intention appears to make that risk worth taking.”
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Prince Harry; Queen Consort Camilla
(Getty Images)
“Hundreds of journalists, including myself, have written versions and fragments of the duke’s story over the years,” Scobie shared. “It’s a story that, as a working member of the royal family, he has long been unable to tell himself. Now, having created an independent life away from the confines of the royal institution, Harry finally has the chance to set often-inaccurately reported records straight. The freedom of speech. And no matter how you may feel about the man, it’s hard not to agree he should have the right to that.”
The publisher shared that Harry’s story will be told with “raw, unflinching honesty” and filled with “insight, revelation, self-examination and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.”
“For Harry, this is his story at last,” the publisher added.
The memoir’s title is an apparent reference to “the heir and the spare,” a phrase often used to describe royal siblings. Harry’s brother, William, is now Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne. When Harry was born, he was right behind William in the line of succession but has since been pushed down. Their father, King Charles III, assumed the throne upon the queen’s death.
PRINCE HARRY’S MEMOIR, ‘SPARE,’ SET TO BE RELEASED IN JANUARY
Prince Harry’s older brother, Prince William (front), is heir to the British throne.
(Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Royals watchers and the public at large have speculated endlessly since the book was first announced in July 2021. Within hours of its announcement, “Spare” was in the top 10 on Amazon.com’s bestseller list.
The Duke of Sussex had already revealed a newsmaking willingness to discuss his private life when he and his wife Meghan Markle were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey for a bombshell March 2021 broadcast. The couple spoke of the former American actress’s deep unhappiness with her new life in England, the alleged racism within the royal family and Harry’s fear that his wife’s life might be endangered had they remained in his native country.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and moved to the U.S. Harry told Winfrey that his family cut him off financially and that he helped pay for his security with money left to him by his mother. They have launched numerous initiatives, including a Netflix production deal and the nonprofit Archewell Foundation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
