Prince Harry’s memoirs to be published on January 10, 2023

Prince Harry of England, the youngest son of King Charles III, announced a year and a half ago that was working on autobiography. In a brief press release, the book’s publisher, Penguin Random House, announced the forthcoming work would be “an intimate and heartfelt memoir from one of the most fascinating and influential global figures of our time. Prince Harry will share, for the very first time, the definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons that have helped shape him.” Now, the book has a publication date - one that will have been nervously circled by other members of the royal family: January 10, 2023.

The New York Times reported the release date and noted that the book is the first of a multi-book deal worth $20 million with Penguin Random House. Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have also signed deals with Netflix and Spotify as they seek to increase exposure for their brand after the prince made the decision to step away from his royal duties and move to the US. The book, which is set to be titled SPARE, is the work of Harry and writer and journalist J. R. Moehringer, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Journalism in 2000 and also co-wrote Andre Agassi’s best-selling 2014 autobiography, Open.

The Duke of Sussex is expected to lay it all on the line in SPARE. As stated by the publisher, the prince’s memoirs “finds the Prince writing about some moments from his life publicly for the first time. SPARE also covers Prince Harry’s dedication to service, the military duty that twice took him to the frontlines of Afghanistan, and the joy he has found in being a husband and father.” What is not known is whether the book will cover any aspect of the death of his grandmother, Elizabeth II, in September, and the accession to the throne of his father, Charles III.

According to the anonymous sources quoted by The New York Times, the conditions of the agreement have been kept under the utmost confidentiality. The tabloid media in the UK has speculated exactly how close to the bone Harry’s memoir might be after a controversial interview the duke and his wife held with Oprah Winfrey - in which there was talk of racism in the British royal family - in March 2021. Although Penguin Random House has not disclosed the terms of the contract, they have stated that Harry will donate all profits from the book to charitable causes.

The tone of the autobiography is also a talking point. Beyond the intimate anecdotes that will swiftly be reproduced in the worldwide media, many are wondering how Harry will play it: will SPARE pull in favor of his family’s work, will he seek to build bridges and reconciliation in a literary mea culpa? Or will he continue to build a wall against his family, as he has been doing for two and a half years?

The tone of the book and the portrayal of his family are the key to it being a success, but it could also condition the future of the prince and his family. The couple’s children Archie and Lilibet have not been recognized as a prince and princess of the United Kingdom even though it is customary - albeit not mandatory - for a monarch to consider their grandchildren as princes, if the children so wish. For example, Princess Anne, the only daughter of Elizabeth II, did not want her children to hold royal titles whereas Prince Andrew requested that his children do so.

Ahead of the release of his memoirs, Harry stated: “I’m writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become. 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.” How much Harry has in common with any standard feuding family is what will pique interest in his book on January 10 next year.