NEW YORK (AP) — Prince Harry’s memoir has been an object of obsessive anticipation around the world since it was first announced last year, comes out on January 10.
The book will be called “Spare” and will be presented by Penguin Random House as a tale told with “raw, unwavering honesty” and filled with “insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love”. on grief.
In a statement on Thursday, Penguin Random House recalled memories of the stunning 1997 death of Prince Harry’s mother, Diana, and the following image of Harry and his brother “walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sadness – and horror”.
“As Diana, Princess of Wales, was laid to rest, billions wondered what the princes must be thinking and feeling – and how their lives would unfold from then on,” the statement read in part.
“For Harry, this is finally his story.”
The title of the memoirs is an apparent reference to “heir and successor”, 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 back. Their father, King Charles III, ascended the throne on the death of Queen Elizabeth II last month.
Royal family watchers and the general public have speculated endlessly since the book was first announced in July 2021.
The Duke of Sussex had previously revealed a media willingness to discuss his private life when he and his American-born wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey for an explosive March 2021 show. The couple talked about Meghan’s deep dissatisfaction with her new life in England, alleged racism within the royal family and Harry’s fear that his wife’s life would be in danger if they had stayed in his homeland.
Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and moved to the United States. Harry told Winfrey that his family had cut him off financially and that he had helped pay for her security with money left to her by her mother. They have launched many initiatives, including a Netflix production deal and the non-profit Archewell Foundation.
The 416-page book will be published in 16 languages, from Dutch to Portuguese. Harry himself – identified by Penguin Random House as “husband, father, humanitarian, military veteran, mental wellness advocate and environmentalist” – will narrate the audiobook. The cover features a close-up of an unsmiling Harry’s face in a t-shirt.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but Harry, Duke of Sussex will donate proceeds from ‘Spare’ to UK charities. He has already donated $1.5 million to Sentebale, an organization he co-founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to help children and young people in Lesotho and Botswana affected by HIV/AIDS.
The book was originally slated for release this year. The delay led to rumors that Harry was reluctant to say too much about his family, or perhaps revising the narrative after his grandmother’s death in September. He spoke of being estranged from his brother, although the siblings and their wives appeared in public together during the period of mourning following the Queen’s death.
In 1992, Diana worked with author Andrew Morton on his explosive memoir “Diana: Her True Story”. in which she describes at length her unhappy marriage to the future King Charles III.
“Penguin Random House is honored to publish the candid and emotionally powerful story of Prince Harry for readers around the world,” Penguin Random House Global CEO Markus Dohle said in a statement. “He shares a remarkably moving personal journey, from trauma to healing, that speaks to the power of love and will inspire and encourage millions around the world.”
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