Prince Harry Will Likely Return to the U.K. to Promote His New Book
Those who are familiar with the manuscript call it a “beautiful read,” but it still has the royal family on edge.
The Duke of Sussex may be a prince, a multimillionaire, and fifth in line to the British throne, but, come winter, he’s just another author promoting a book (albeit one that’s already topping bestseller charts, despite its release being over two months away). With book promotion typically comes a slew of media appearances, a book tour, and other commitments to sell copies of the work, and, according to The Daily Mail, Prince Harry “will return to Britain to promote his bombshell memoir Spare” as senior royals are “said to be bracing themselves for [the] book’s publication on January 10,” the outlet reports.
Reports say Harry could be in his home country early in 2023 to explain his intent in writing the book, “which could see retaliation from the Palace, including stripping him and Meghan of their [Duke and Duchess of] Sussex titles, royal experts say,” The Daily Mail reports. The visit in the new year will “cast a shadow” over the royal family’s Christmas celebrations at Sandringham—the first since Queen Elizabeth died in September. Marie Claire reported yesterday that Harry and wife Meghan Markle have no plans to be in attendance at the festivities, just two weeks before Spare is set to hit shelves.
“Put it this way—it’s not going to make for a relaxing family Christmas,” a source told The Mail on Sunday.
Reports are also emerging that Harry had to submit copy for his book more than once before it was accepted by publishers, “sparking fears that it was ‘sexed up’ with revelations about the royal family,” The Daily Mail reports.
“The book has been back and forth between Harry and [ghostwriter] J.R. Moehringer and the publishers a few times,” a source told The Sun. “They wanted more than was in the first draft, and then Harry wanted to refine things after the Queen passed away. But there has been extra toing and froing that people don’t know about. This is because the publishers wanted more areas covered and more detail on some things that were already included. There is a real concern that that means Harry has had to sex up the book and include revelations that even he might not even be that comfortable with.”
Another source added “the book is much worse than people think.”
Another source close to Harry told The Telegraph that he wrote the book for himself, rather than using it as a “takedown of his family.” Those familiar with the manuscript call it a “beautiful read,” and that the experience of addressing his past struggles in the writing process has been cathartic for him.
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“You can’t always live your life trying to make your family or your siblings happy,” the source says. “You have to choose your own happiness.”
In addition to the written word, Harry will narrate the audiobook himself.
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.