The title is likely a nod to his role in the royal family.
Since leaving the royal family, Harry and Meghan have begun peeling back the curtain and letting fans into their lives. In August, Meghan opened up to The Cut about the royal family and the possibility of reconciliation, clearing up a few misconceptions about the couple’s time in the U.K. in the process. Now, it’s Harry’s turn to tell his truth, which he’ll be doing with his memoir. While the book was announced in the summer of 2021, details were kept mum. On Thursday, the title and release date of Harry’s memoir was finally announced, and for Royal enthusiasts, it’s going to be a must-read.
In January 2020, Harry and Meghan announced on Instagram that they’d decided to “step back” as senior members of the royal family and intended to split their time between the U.S. and the U.K. Two months later, they moved to California. In February 2021, the couple confirmed that they would not return to their royal roles, opting to relinquish their patronages (and, in Harry’s case, his military appointments) and become financially independent. Since then, they have signed deals with Netflix and Spotify, worth a reported $100 million and $25 million, respectively. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have a Netflix docuseries in the works directed by Liz Garbus, and Meghan’s Archetypes podcast hit number one on the Spotify charts in August 2022.
Here’s what we know about Prince Harry’s memoir, including its title and release date.
What’s the title of Prince Harry’s memoir?
Prince Harry’s memoir will be titled Spare, apparently a nod to his role in the royal family as the sibling of the heir to the throne. The 416-page book, published by Penguin Random House, will be released on January 10, 2023. According to the publisher, Harry’s memoir will recount the now-famous moment of him and William walking behind their mother’s coffin.
What will the memoir talk about?
We don’t know much about the content of the memoir itself, but some royal watchers are worried it may be explosive, giving insight into Harry’s alleged strained relationship with his brother and father. Recently, Harry has opened up about the unglamorous aspects of his life in the royal family, telling Dax Shepard on his podcast that growing up under such a microscope was like “a mix between The Truman Show and living in a zoo” that came with “genetic pain and suffering.”
That said, Penguin Random House is painting a less inflammatory picture of the memoir. “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,” the publisher said in a press release, adding, “[Harry] 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.”
In July 2021, reports surfaced that the Duke of Sussex signed a $20 million book deal, but that’s not just for Harry’s memoir — it’s reportedly a multi-book deal for himself and for the Duchess of Sussex, including a book the two are working on together about “leadership and philanthropy.”
Harry does plan to use some of the proceeds from the book to give back. According to Penguin Random House, he donated $1.5 million to Sentebale, an organization he founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, which supports people in Lesotho and Botswana impacted by HIV/AIDS. The publisher also notes that Harry plans to donate £300,000 to WellChild, a U.K.-based charity that helps children with certain health issues to receive care at home instead of the hospital.
“I’ve worn many hats over the years, both literally and figuratively, and 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,” Harry said in a statement in 2021, when the memoir was initially announced.
