After the Success of ‘Spare,’ Prince Andrew Is Apparently Considering Writing His Own Memoir

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published 26 March 2023

After the huge success of Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare—released in January and now the fastest-selling nonfiction book of all time—it seems Prince Andrew wants his turn to tell all.

According to The Mirror, Andrew—who is himself a “spare,” he to King Charles—is planning to write an autobiography to set the record straight, presumably about his links to Jeffrey Epstein and sexual assault allegations. Andrew also seems keen, like Harry, to employ a ghostwriter, with the outlet writing “The Duke [of York] is reportedly in talks with a U.S. author who has previously worked with high-profile celebrities and politicians.” (For Spare, Harry hired J.R. Moehringer, who Marie Claire covered here.)

There are two publishers already interested in Andrew’s book, which is being dubbed by those close to him as “Spare 2.0.” And, while also a chance for Andrew to “fully explain his association with Jeffrey Epstein and the resulting fallout,” a source tells The Daily Mail, the book could also stand to be a moneymaker for the embattled prince. Harry netted $20 million from publisher Penguin Random House, which turned out to be a worthy investment in the Duke of Sussex: Spare sold almost 1.5 million copies in North America and Britain in just 24 hours, the largest first-day sales for any nonfiction book ever published by the company.

“Andrew was the original spare, and there’s plenty of material,” the source says. “Compared to Harry, he has a far greater depth of history to draw from. It would also be a fascinating insight into the inner workings of the royals and their relationships.”

Despite obviously being a compelling book proposal—albeit cringy—Andrew’s friends are apparently warning him against doing it, with The Sun reporting “Everyone close to him is telling him it’s a stupid idea and he should just forget it.” But, an insider says, he may do it anyway, because “mainly he wants to set the record straight. If he doesn’t change the narrative, no one else will.”

Amidst his sexual assault scandal, Andrew stepped back as a working member of the royal family in May 2020, and his patronages and honorary military affiliations were removed about two years afterwards.

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.