Palace on red alert over Harry’s new book announcement

Palace officials fear the fallout of the book, entitled Spare, will damage the monarchy in the run-up to the Coronation and overshadow the work of the King and working members of the family.The tell-all book, whose title is a reference to Harry’s role as the spare to his brother William the heir, is expected to explore the fifth in line to the throne’s troubled relationship with his father and brother. It is also expected to examine his struggles after the death of his late mother, Princess Diana. and is likely to shed more light on his and Meghan’s hotly-contested claims of racism inside the Royal Family.In a statement, the publishers Penguin Random House said: ‘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 416-page autobiography, whose title is a reference to Harry’s role as the spare to his brother William the heir, is understood to be part of a £17.26 million deal that will involve further tomes from the exiled Duke of York and his wife, Meghan. Prince Harry’s memoir will be published in January (Image: GETTY)It will be published worldwide in 16 languages on January 10.  The Spanish language version of the book has an even more cutting subtitle – En La Sombra,  meaning in the shadow. Harry, 38, will also narrate an unabridged audio edition of the book. Buckingham Palace declined to comment yesterday but, privately, royal aides were seething. They have been on tenterhooks for months, waiting to learn if and when the book will be published and if it will overshadow events they are planning. ‘Everyone’s dreading it,’ one source said.Harry’s decision to press ahead with the book and risk damaging his father’s reign provoked an angry reaction from royal watchers yesterday.Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams warned it could be devastating for the monarchy. He said: ‘This is a book that should never have been published. Essentially one has to conclude that this is about money.’Harry’s biographer, Angela Levin, said: ‘Spare, the title of Harry’s book, is desperately sad. Is that what he thinks of himself? After all the therapy, a wife he worships and the freedom he longed for, he is still full of resentment and out to get his own back.’The book, which will sell in hardback officially for £28 but is already on offer at half price on pre-order from some booksellers, was due to be published in the autumn and will now miss the lucrative Christmas market. Some in Harry and Meghan’s team were already worried about the content of the book before the Queen’s death, fearing he would come over as a whiner, the Daily Express understands. Since his grandmother’s death, it has been reported that he has asked for the work to be revised. But the publishers have so far refused to discuss the reasons behind the delay. In a statement, Penguin Random House said: ‘Spare takes readers immediately back to one of the most searing images of the 20th 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.’Markus Doyle, global chief executive of the publishers, said: ‘Penguin Random House is honoured 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’s relationship with his father and brother have been strained for a long time.In March 2021 he condemned the institution of monarchy and told Oprah Winfrey in a controversial television interview: ‘My father and my brother, they are trapped. They don’t get to leave. And I have huge compassion for that.’ His book may revisit his and Meghan’s controversial claim that an unnamed member of the Royal Family was worried about how dark their son Archie’s skin might be and he is likely to write about the break-up of his parents’ marriage and his father’s relationship with the former Camilla Parker Bowles, now Queen Consort.It is not clear if he will discuss his involvement in underage drinking and cannabis smoking as a 17-year-old, his racism towards a fellow soldier he labelled a ‘Paki’, or his decision to go to a fancy dress party in the guise of an Afrika Korps Nazi soldier with a swastika emblazoned on his arm when he was younger.