Explosive chats with 'betrayed' Prince Harry before release of memoir

Ahead of the release of Prince Harry's memoir, the Duke of Sussex conducted two interviews which journalist Anderson Cooper described as "explosive".

Photo: CBS

The duke claimed he was "betrayed" along with "briefings and leakings and planting of stories against me and my wife". Buckingham Palace still refuse to comment on Harry and Meghan's interviews, docuseries and book releases.

Photo: ITV

Prince Harry also said "I would like to get my father back, I would like to have my brother back... they've shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile." It seems the family divide is wider than many had thought and the public now await the details in Harry's new memoir, 'Spare'.

Photo: ITV

At the end of 2022, Penguin Random House Publishing announced a release date and title for Prince Harry's much-anticipated memoir. The book will be released on January 10th, 2023 and titled 'Spare'.

The publisher described the book as “full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom,” as quoted by The New York Times. Many are expecting another bombshell 'tell-all' moment, such as that following Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview.

Photo: Getty Images / Penguin Random House Publishing

Despite the hype, it seems many book stores can't wait to get this memoir off their shelves, with a half price discount being offered before sales had even begun. Could it be that the memoir is being released at a difficult time?

The book release comes at a difficult time for the monarchy. The release follows the death of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, when any candid comments can still be interpreted as unseemly. The book will also be launched ahead of King Charles’ coronation.

The New York Times quoted literary agent Matt Latimer (who represents public figures such as the former director of the F.B.I.), who questioned the true goal of the memoir. “Is his goal to enhance his celebrity with a certain sector of the public, or is it to repair the rift with his family?... Those are competing goals to some extent, and it’s hard to do both.”

Photo: Twitter / @RandomHouse

A press release by Penguin Random House went public - and viral - in July 2021. The statement said: "Penguin Random House is honored to announce that it will publish a forthcoming memoir by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex."

On their website, Penguin Random House says that the book will be an "intimate and heartfelt memoir from one of the most fascinating and influential global figures of our time."

A memoir is a narrative, written from the author’s own personal memories - normally regarding a specific moment in that person’s life. It’s not exactly an autobiography because it doesn’t cover all moments throughout the person’s life.

He will cover his life from childhood to his life in service, including his stint in Afghanistan, to his adult life, stepping down from the Royal Family duties and his new life in the States. The press statement declared: "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."

Technically, that’s the nature of a memoir! However, Harry has had help from ghostwriter JR Moehringer - a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. He is described as a "powerful and psychologically exploratory" writer by historian and royal biographer Robert Lacey. Moehringer also helped write Andre Agassi’s autobiography.

Robert Lacey says the Agassi book is "profound and serious... There is no point in even speculating what skeletons he’s going to uncover [In Harry’s memoir] because he is a skeleton exhumer. He is going to do the business."

According to the statement made by Penguin Random House, the publication’s proceeds will be going directly to charity. The New York Times, however, suggests there is a hefty $20 million price tag attached to the book.

"I’m writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become," the Duke of Sussex declared on the Penguin Random House website. "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."

An insider told Page Six that there will be new stories "about the past that Harry has not spoken about before." The source goes on to reveal that these will involve his childhood and that there is "some content in there that should make his family nervous."

Angela Levin, a well-known royal expert and author of ‘Harry: Biography of a Prince,' told The Sun that Harry might finally speak out about who he thinks are responsible for his mother’s tragic death. She said on Twitter: "I've been told by a well-informed source that Harry's memoir will focus heavily on the death of his mother Princess Diana, and who he blames."

The King of England could possibly be revealed in a damaging light. Royal expert and author Andrew Morton said to US Weekly: "If I was [King] Charles, I'd be looking for a pile of coats to hide under… I think we're going to see Charles once more in the firing line."

When Harry spoke about his new Apple TV+ series, ‘The Me You Can’t See’ to Dax Shepard in his Armchair podcast, the Duke talked about the "suffering" he may have experienced when it came to ‘parenting’. Yet he claimed not to ‘blame’ anybody and simply said: "I’m going to make sure I break that cycle so that I don’t pass it on, basically."

Also talking to Dax Shepard in his Armchair podcast, Harry revealed how he never ‘wanted the job’ in the Royal Family. He said: "I’ve seen behind the curtain, I’ve seen the business model, I know how this operation runs and how it works. I don’t want to be part of this." Then, he described the lifestyle as a combination of being in a zoo and The Truman Show.

Daily Mail insiders told the publication that perhaps the Royal Family is already in preparation for the blow this memoir could have. "Conversations have already started about what steps they might be able to take to protect their own reputation and that of the monarchy post-publication."

Royal Protocol dictates the Royal Family should not respond to rumor or reports. However, Royal commentator Jonathan Sacerdoti says they "will react publicly if they feel they must." Most likely, a reaction will be kept to short, dignified responses, such as when Harry’s brother William spoke out about the racism claims by stating simply: "We are very much not a racist family."

Penguin Random House had previously stated that the United Kingdom would have first dibs on the new book. The publishers said the memoir would be released at a ‘later date’ in other countries. The world was waiting for Harry’s book "in late 2022." Now, however, it will be released simultaneously in 16 languages on the 10th January.

Many doubted the release of the book in 2022 as the memoir was nowhere to be seen on the list that publishers usually provide for the coming year. Royal writer Robert Jobson told the Express that Penguin Random House and Harry might have been "going for a bit more publicity" by creating more hype around the release.

The title has already created some controversy. Does this refer to the prince's years of being the 'spare' royal in relation to his older brother, the future King, William? It was heavily used the past in monarchies to ensure there was a 'spare' should something happen to the next in line to the throne in order to secure succession.

Photo: Twitter / @RandomHouse - edited by ShowbizzDaily

The purpose of this memoir could be interpreted as being a way to make a difference. In an interview with The Sunday Times in 2016, the Prince said, "There's nothing worse than going through a period in your life where you're making a massive difference and then suddenly, for whatever reason it is — whether it's media or the public perception of you — you drop off. You want to make a difference, but no one's listening to you." Is this is chance to speak and be heard?