On Thursday, publishers Penguin Random House announced that the highly anticipated memoir written by Prince Harry will be released globally on January 10, 2023 under the title Spare.
The January release would bypass the Christmas rush that is a staple in the publishing business. A publishing expert told Newsweek that the delayed release “makes sense” as the post-holiday competition would be “less severe.” Why are they looking to slim down the competition? Traditionally, books are released before Christmas in anticipation of brisk business as people search for Christmas presents. After Christmas business dies down considerably.
In the memoir Harry tells his story with “raw, unflinching honesty,” Penguin Random House said, adding that the book is “a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.” To say that Harry is not known for any of these traits is an understatement. To market him as insightful or wise may turn out to be a hard sell.
It might be better to cater to those looking for more scurrilous accusations against the Royal House. The interview that Harry and Meghan gave Oprah initially garnered 1.7 million viewers. But once the controversy about the royal family’s alleged racism became news, that number rose to 50 million and rising steadily.
The cover of “Spare” features a close-up picture of Harry’s face, staring straight forward, softly lit from behind. The blurb promises, “For Harry, this is his story at last.”
The publisher went on to note that 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.”
Clearly, this is Harry’s opportunity to vent some of the anger and frustration that he has felt since the tragic day of Princess Diana’s death and which repeatedly surfaces in conversations and interviews. It is also an opportunity for the publisher to cash in on an event that continues to be sensationalized. “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,” Penguin Random House said.
The title of the book is a transparent allusion to Harry’s former position in the royal family. As the second-born son of then-Prince of Wales, he was often referred to as the spare to the heir Prince William. It’s a bitter title when we consider the sense of redundancy that it implies.
The memoir “finds him writing about some moments from his life publicly for the first time,” such as the funeral walk, the British publishers said. The memoir also covers his dedicated service in Afghanistan “and the joy he found in being a husband and father. It offers an honest and captivating personal portrait, one that shows readers that behind everything they think they know about the Prince lies a story that is variably inspiring, courageous, and eye-opening.”
Characteristic of what has been seen as publicity-seeking since he married Meghan Markle, Harry has publicly announced that he is making donations to two charities from his proceeds, $1.5 million to his African HIV and AIDS charity Sentebale, and around $320,000 to WellChild.
The book’s release is thought to have been delayed in the wake of the Sept. 8 death of Queen Elizabeth. However, as far back as July 2021, news sources reported that “the thought of the book has sparked a tsunami of fear in royal circles.”
“Ever since leaving royal life, Harry and Meghan have made claim after claim of how they allege they have been treated…Since their interview with Oprah Winfrey tensions have been running very high as much of what they said has since been proven to be unreliable at best…Many hope he may correct a few things but do not hold much hope.”
There have also been recent rumors that if Harry and Meghan stain the royal family again, their children would be denied the titles of prince and princess. It is well known that there has been great tension between the Sussexes and the Royal family since they chose to step away from their royal duties.
In an advance statement, Harry has said, “I’m writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become… my hope is that in telling my story — the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned — I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think.”
It remains to be seen if the memoir will turn out to be just another opportunity to air the combined grievances of both Harry and Meghan, who is suspected of being the driving force in their relationship and behind this memoir–if not the actual author.
