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Any lingering hopes for the royal family that Prince Harry’s forthcoming memoir would pull its punches or be abandoned were shattered today as publisher Penguin Random House confirmed its devastating title: Spare.
The title is a reference to the old aphorism about the brutal nature of the system of primogeniture, which will one day see his brother William made king, that it is best to have two sons, “an heir and a spare.”
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The Spanish language edition is subtitled, “In the Shade,” the Daily Mail reported.
Harry has often accused his family of emotionally neglecting him, and the title seems likely to prompt speculation the book will be damning about his perceived treatment at their hands.
In a podcast with Dax Shepard, Harry spoke about the “genetic pain and suffering” of his upbringing, saying it was “a mix between The Truman Show and living in a zoo.”
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey as part of a documentary on Apple TV+ called The Me You Can’t See, Harry said: “My father used to say to me when I was younger, he used to say to both William and I, ‘Well, it was like that for me so it’s going to be like that for you.’ That doesn’t make sense. Just because you suffered it doesn’t mean your kids have to suffer. In fact, quite the opposite. If you’ve suffered, do everything you can to make sure whatever experiences, negative experiences that you had, that you can make it right for your kids.”
The book will be released on Jan. 10 and, the publishers said, will be “full of insight, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom” and told with “raw, unflinching honesty.”
The palace said it would not be commenting.
In a press release, the publishers confirmed the worst nightmares of the royals, saying: “Spare takes readers immediately back to one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow—and horror. As Diana, Princess of Wales, was laid to rest, billions wondered what the princes must be thinking and feeling—and how their lives would play out from that point on.
“For Harry, this is his story at last. 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.”
Harry is reputed to have been paid an advance of $20 million for the book.
Markus Dohle, Global CEO of Penguin Random House worldwide added: “Penguin Random House is honored to be publishing Prince Harry’s candid and emotionally powerful story for readers everywhere. He 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.”
Harry previously said that the proceeds of the book would be donated to charity and today announced a massive donation of $1,500,000 to Sentebale, which supports vulnerable children and young people in Lesotho and Botswana affected by HIV/AIDS, and $300,000 to British kids charity WellChild.
Sources have previously told The Royalist that the palace is extremely concerned by one chapter in particular in the book which it fears could damage the new king, Charles III.
The Daily Beast also understands that Charles is waiting to see what is in the book before deciding whether or not to invite Harry and Meghan to his coronation.
Duncan Larcombe, former royal editor at the Sun and a biographer of Harry told The Daily Beast: “Spare is not a nice word in the royal sphere where it’s a derogatory, very loaded term, suggesting you are a substitute and not important. While you can’t always judge a book by it’s cover, or its title, this gives a certain insight into where we are going. It certainly suggests that Harry, the multimillionaire prince, is going to be portraying himself as a victim. I’m not sure how well that is going to go down. He may not have had the easiest of lives – but who has?”
