Harry’s memoir is called Spare: Publisher confirms book will be released on January 10

Prince Harry’s controversial new memoir will be called Spare and goes on sale on January 10 for £28, it was sensationally revealed today – with the publisher vowing it will tell his story ‘with raw, unflinching honesty’. 

The eye-catching title is a nod to his nickname as a ‘spare’ prince – in contrast to his brother Prince William, the ‘heir’. The Spanish language version is even more pointed, having been given the subtitle En La Sombra, or ‘in the shade’. 

It is understood that Harry was paid a $20million (£18.4m) advance for the autobiography as part of a three-title deal worth £36.8m. Today, publisher Penguin Random House said the duke had donated $1.5m (£1.3m) to children’s charity Sentebale and £300,000 to WellChild, a charity for disabled children that he is a patron of. 

The Duke of Sussex will read the unabridged audio edition of the book himself, to be released on the same date. 

The 416-page book had initially been signed off ready for an expected autumn release as part of a multi-million pound, three-title deal with Penguin Random House. But its publication was delayed following the Queen’s death, and Harry is said to have requested a number of alterations to make it less critical of his relatives. 

But the suggestive title and the description of the book’s content as ‘raw and unflinching’ suggests the Royal Family should be ‘very concerned’, according to author Richard Fitzwilliams. 

‘It is a sensational title and implies as it’s a memoir, that the writer was not valued or certainly that he did not feel at the centre of events,’ he told MailOnline. ‘When the blurb speaks of ”raw, unflinching honesty” the Palace will be very concerned, especially since these are the early months of King Charles’s reign.

‘There will undoubtedly be interviews, serialisation and endless speculation about this memoir, which in my view should have waited many years. Even Edward VIII, by then the Duke of Windsor, waited until 1951 before A King’s Story was published. The consequences of this will be far reaching and may be highly destructive.’   

The news was released in a press release today. Referring to Harry as a ‘husband, father, humanitarian, military veteran, mental wellness advocate and environmentalist’, it suggested the book would begin in the immediate aftermath of his mother Princess Diana’s death.  

‘Spare takes readers immediately back to one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow — and horror,’ the release said. 

‘As Diana, Princess of Wales, was laid to rest, billions wondered what the princes must be thinking and feeling—and how their lives would play out from that point on. For Harry, this is his story at last. With its raw, unflinching honesty, Spare is a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.’

Spare will cost £28 hardcover, £13.99 as an eBook, £20 as an audio download and £25 as a CD. It will be released simultaneously in the US, UK and Canada, with 15 foreign language editions, including one in Spanish entitled Spare: En La Sombra (Spare: In The Shadow).      

Publisher Penguin Random House confirming the £28 book ‘full of insight, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom’ will be released on January 10

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams today warned the book’s release would be ‘unhelpful’ to King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort.  

‘It was never a good idea for Harry, fifth in line to the throne, a Counsellor of State and only 38, to write a memoir which by its nature would be highly controversial,’ he told MailOnline. ‘There have been reports that the memoir has been toned down given the sensitivities involved. When it is published, Harry may well do interviews. It is likely to be extensively serialised. 

‘All of this will almost certainly be unhelpful to King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla, in the early months of his reign. It may well widen the rift between the royal family’s and the Sussexes in the pivotal period leading to King Charles’s coronation.    

Mark Borkowski, an author and publicity expert, said there would have been plenty of time to significantly edit the book between the Queen’s death in early September and the January 10 publication date.      

Random House CEO Markus Dohle said: ‘Penguin Random House is honoured to be publishing Prince Harry’s candid and emotionally powerful story for readers everywhere. 

‘He shares a remarkably moving personal journey from trauma to healing, one that speaks to the power of love and will inspire and encourage millions of people around the world.’ 

‘An advance is paid on a certain premise – the publishers would have seen the manuscript and got excited by it,’ he told MailOnline. ‘So there’s always going to be a battle over the content. But could they have made substantial edits in time for January? Yes, in the modern world it’s very easy to get things changed and printed.

‘The key period for selling books is Christmas. So they’ll be missing a lot of sales. January doesn’t strike me as an optimum time for a release, so that is significant – it would suggest there’s been a bit of a dispute over the content and Harry may have got his way.’  

However, biographer Tom Bower suggested commercial imperatives would ensure the final manuscript still contains plenty of criticism of the Royal Family. 

‘Profits demanded that the book be published as soon as possible after the Queen’s death. And the publishers were helped by the reality that neither Harry nor Meghan are prepared to terminate their campaign against the Royal Family,’ he told MailOnline. 

‘To those who have speculated that Harry wanted to dilute his ghost-written text to remove the most offensive descriptions of Charles, William and Kate, one can only surmise that his book can only be a global commercial success if a healthy dollop of poison remains. 

‘The damage to the Royal family will be great. Charles’s retaliation could include not giving their children their prince and princess titles, and even withdrawing their own titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex. 

‘Certainly, Harry was warned that the Sussexes’ revenge would be answered in kind, so there is certain to be a nervous Christmas among the Royal family in Sandringham as they anticipate the worst. For the new King, still planning his coronation, this could not have come at a worse time.’

‘An advance is paid on a certain premise – the publishers would have seen the manuscript and got excited by it,’ he told MailOnline. ‘So there’s always going to be a battle over the content. But could they have made substantial edits in time for January? Yes, in the modern world it’s very easy to get things changed and printed.

‘The key period for selling books is Christmas. So they’ll be missing a lot of sales. January doesn’t strike me as an optimum time for a release, so that is significant – it would suggest there’s been a bit of a dispute over the content and Harry may have got his way.’  

Royal commentators the release of Prince Harry’s book would be ‘unhelpful’ to King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort

William and Kate pictured during a visit to Sandringham to look at tributes and flowers laid for the late Queen last month

However, biographer Tom Bower suggested commercial imperatives would ensure the final manuscript still contains plenty of criticism of the Royal Family. 

‘Profits demanded that the book be published as soon as possible after the Queen’s death. And the publishers were helped by the reality that neither Harry nor Meghan are prepared to terminate their campaign against the Royal Family,’ he told MailOnline. 

‘To those who have speculated that Harry wanted to dilute his ghost-written text to remove the most offensive descriptions of Charles, William and Kate, one can only surmise that his book can only be a global commercial success if a healthy dollop of poison remains. 

‘The damage to the Royal family will be great. Charles’s retaliation could include not giving their children their prince and princess titles, and even withdrawing their own titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex. 

‘Certainly, Harry was warned that the Sussexes’ revenge would be answered in kind, so there is certain to be a nervous Christmas among the Royal family in Sandringham as they anticipate the worst. For the new King, still planning his coronation, this could not have come at a worse time.’

Bower suggested the Sussexes’ Netflix series, which is expected to be released, would be helpful publicity for Harry’s book. ‘Viewers and readers can expect scathing comments about their treatment by Harry’s family. Wallowing in self-pity, the Sussexes will portray themselves as victims of uncaring charlatans,’ he said. 

In a previous statement announcing the deal, Penguin said the book it would cover Harry’s ‘lifetime in the public eye from childhood to the present day, including his dedication to service, the military duty that twice took him to the front lines of Afghanistan, and the joy he has found in being a husband and father’. 

The contents of Harry’s book are likely to be kept top secret and palace aides have revealed that no members of the Royal Family have been offered the chance to see any of it before it becomes public. When the publishing deal was announced in July 2021, only the Queen was given advance warning. 

Last month, The Mail on Sunday reported that Harry had launched a last-minute bid to tone down the autobiography amid fears his final draft ‘might not go down too well’ in the wake of the monarch’s death.

Announcing the global publishing deal this year, Penguin Random House described the memoir as ‘intimate and heartfelt’

His request was seen as a sign that he was ready to take a more conciliatory approach to the rest of the Royal Family, with any attacks or veiled swipes being seen as inappropriate just weeks into his father’s reign. 

‘Harry has thrown a spanner in the works,’ a source said. ‘He is keen for refinements in the light of the Queen’s death, her funeral and his father Charles taking the throne.

‘There may be things in the book which might not look so good if they come out so soon after these events. He wants sections changed now. It’s not a total rewrite by any means. He desperately wants to make changes. But it might be too late.’

Penguin Random House had already reportedly demanded a rewrite after the first draft was deemed ‘too touchy-feely’ and placed too much focus on mental health issues. 

Harry faces a battle between further damaging an already strained relationship with his family and potentially hurting book sales by holding back on any claims.

He and Meghan sensationally quit life as working royals and moved to California nearly three years ago, before launching the Archewell Foundation and signing lucrative deals with Spotify and Netflix. 

Commenting on Harry’s book, literary agent Matt Latimer told the New York Times: ‘Is his goal to enhance his celebrity with a certain sector of the public, or is it to repair the rift with his family?’ 

‘Those are competing goals to some extent, and it’s hard to do both.’

The King, then the Prince of Wales, was only told of the memoir minutes before the press release announcing the release of the book last year. 

In that statement, Harry said: ‘I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to share what I’ve learned over the course of my life so far and excited for people to read a first-hand account of my life that’s accurate and wholly truthful.’

One palace insider said: ‘The first announcement was something of a shock. We have now spent a long time waiting to see what is in it and, frankly, we just want to get it out of the way so everyone can move on.’

However aides are braced for the worst, particularly after Harry’s outspoken criticisms of his family and the monarchy.

Prince Harry makes his early morning pre-flight checks at the British controlled flight-line at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province in January 2013. The contents of his book are likely to be kept top secret

During the Sussexes’ notorious interview with Oprah Winfrey last year, they accused the Royal Family of racism and Harry claimed Charles had ‘literally cut me off financially’.

Harry is said to have been further upset at some of the events surrounding the Queen’s death.

He was dismayed after being told that Meghan, 41, was not invited to join him in flying up to Balmoral to be by his dying grandmother’s bedside. Later, he reportedly failed to accept an invitation to join his father for supper at Birkhall, his private home nearby.

The Royal Family’s lawyers are expected to be on standby to read the book when it comes out. 

Meanwhile, the controversial fly-on-the-wall documentary series featuring the couple for Netflix has also been postponed until next year, following the widespread backlash over The Crown.

Harry and Meghan had been working on the series as part of their rumoured $100 million (£88million) deal with the streaming giant.

But with The Crown accused of fabricating a ‘hurtful’ smear against King Charles by depicting him secretly plotting to oust the Queen, Netflix has now pushed it back.

The documentary had been expected in December, following the fifth season of The Crown. A source told Hollywood news website Deadline: ‘They’re rattled at Netflix, and they blinked first and decided to postpone the documentary.’

Amid their strained relationship with the Royal Family, though, Harry and Meghan spent an extended period of time in the UK following the Queen’s death last month. They were in the UK for non-Royal charity events when Her Majesty died on the day before they were due to fly back home to Montecito, California. 

And in the aftermath of his grandmother’s death, Harry struck a fragile truce with his brother William – appearing together for a walkabout among well-wishers in Windsor following the funeral. 

Harry and Meghan sensationally quit life as working royals and moved to California nearly three years ago, before launching the Archewell Foundation and signing lucrative deals with Spotify and Netflix