Don’t Expect Prince Harry’s Memoir to Be a Hit Job on the Royal Family, Royal Expert Says

By the end of the year, we’ll finally know what’s in Prince Harry’s forthcoming memoir, due out by the holidays. The highly anticipated book might not be the juicy, salacious tell-all some are predicting, and, says one royal expert, it’ll likely be more about elevating himself rather than tearing down the institution of the monarchy.

If the book were to be a hit job, likely targets would be Harry’s stepmother, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, who infamously had an affair with Harry’s father, Prince Charles, for the majority of Charles’ marriage to the late Princess Diana. Other casualties could be Harry’s older brother, Prince William, with whom Harry has been feuding with in recent years, or even Charles himself. But Kinsey Schofield, founder of ToDiforDaily.com and author of the upcoming book R is for Revenge Dress, told The Daily Express that it will be less about the royal family and more about, well, himself.

“I think Harry is going to try to tell a story about a young man who overcomes adversity—that’s truly what I think this is going to be,” she says. “He is going to discuss the death of his mother, I believe, and he’s going to talk about how that affected him as a young adult, and how he turned that emotion into the leader he is today.”

Schofield says his publisher probably loves the speculation surrounding the book—which still has no firm release date or a title. The mystery of the book—including what’s in it—will likely drive sales, she says.

“Now, will his publisher allow people like us to discuss what horrible things he might mention in his book? Absolutely, because they want it to sell,” Schofield says. “They want those pre-orders to go out the roof. But I don’t think that it is in Prince Harry’s DNA to write something salacious that could destroy his family because, at the end of the day, his children could benefit from that relationship, from anything good that is happening to the royal family.”

Since the so-called “Sussex step back” in 2020, Harry and wife Meghan Markle have signed lucrative deals with Netflix and Spotify, in addition to this book (it’s important to note all of Harry’s salary from the book will go to charity). They’ve also launched nonprofit Archewell, and, according to a different source speaking to The Daily Express, both Harry and Meghan are looking to get into the speaking circuit.

Schofield believes Harry’s forthcoming book will brand him “as a leader in the United States,” not unlike Mark Zuckerberg or former President Barack Obama—“some guy that can get $100,000 for a speech in Miami to a bunch of rich dudes,” she says. Of the memoir, she says “he wanted to try to rewrite his story and to be this phoenix rising from the ashes. That is the route I think he is going to go.”

In short? Less attacking the royal family, more raising the profile of Harry himself.

“I don’t think Prince Harry is going to burn the whole place down with this book,” Schofield says. “I think he is going to use this book to elevate himself.”

Is it the holiday season yet?