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The contents of Prince Harry’s forthcoming tell-all memoir still remain a mystery, including to the Royal family who will get to read the book at the same time as the public.
Sources allege neither Prince Charles nor Prince William, or their attorneys and advisers, have been given the opportunity to preview any parts of the manuscript.
The family also has received no specific information about when the expected publication date of the hotly anticipated book.
Publisher Penguin Random House has previously said it is aiming for the book to be out in time for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
The Prince of Wales reportedly hoped his team would have been sent a copy of the book ahead of its publication, sources close to the royal confirmed to The Telegraph. However, the insiders noted the tome is ‘unlikely to be on his reading list.’
Harry and ghostwriter JR Moehringer apparently finished the book earlier this summer and the final manuscript has been signed off by lawyers, it was revealed last month.
The book is widely anticipated to showcase Harry’s memories of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, and the breakdown of his parents’ marriage. How other senior royals will be depicted – such as his father, Prince Charles, his brother Prince William and stepmother Camilla – is the source of much speculation among commentators.
The contents of Prince Harry’s forthcoming tell-all memoir still remain a mystery, including to the Royal family who will get to read the book at the same time as the public. The Duke of Sussex is pictured in June at St Paul’s Cathedral in London with his wife, Meghan Markle
Neither Prince Charles nor Prince William, or their attorneys and advisers, have been given the opportunity to preview any parts of the manucript. The Royal family also has not been notified of the book’s release date. The Queen,. Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince William and Kate (left to right) are pictured in March 2020
Prince Harry and ghostwriter JR Moehringer apparently finished the book earlier this summer and the final manuscript has been signed off by lawyers. The Duke of Sussex is pictured at the United Nations General Assembly in NYC last month
Prince Harry secured the nearly £20 million book deal last year, despite issuing repeated calls for his family’s privacy to be respected.
Some industry experts predict Penguin is keeping the book’s contents under wraps as part of a ‘shock drop’ publication strategy in which short, sharp titbits are released ahead of the book.
Palace insiders say they are surprised the publisher is willing to risk its reputation by publishing a book ‘likely to contain highly subjective allegations.’ However, they note the family would ‘never sue one of its own.’
Although it is common practice to confirm allegations with the accused ahead of publication, it is not required. The publisher also has no legal obligation to offer the royals a right of reply.
Other royal aides suggest the lack of forewarning indicate the book will not have the ‘explosive’ revelations that have been predicted.
‘These publishers are too not the types to publish and be damned,’ one source told The Telegraph. ‘They have reputations to protect. The biggest potential issue is not defamation but truth – accuracy.’
Royal aides have also noted Harry’s memoir is in need of little publicity and think the publisher’s marketing efforts will largely be focused on the US market.
A television appearance or high-profile magazine interview is thought to be a possible promotional tactic.
The Queen is said to have been the only member of the Royal Family whom the Duke of Sussex informed about the upcoming memoir. The Queen leads the Palace balcony ensemble in July 2018, with Harry and Meghan behind
Some royal aides suggest the lack of forewarning indicates the book will not have the ‘explosive’ revelations that have been predicted. The Queen, Prince Charles, Kate, Camilla, Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan are pictured in March 2019
When Penguin announced it had secured the rights to Harry’s life story, it said the book would cover his childhood in the public eye, Army career and front line service in Afghanistan as well as marriage to Meghan Markle and becoming a father to Archie, three, and one-year-old Lilibet.
In a statement last year, the publishing house said the upcoming book is: ‘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.
‘Covering his lifetime in the public eye from childhood to the present day, including his 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, Prince Harry will offer an honest and captivating personal portrait, one that shows readers that behind everything they think they know lies an inspiring, courageous and uplifting human story.’
The Duke of Sussex said he was writing ‘not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become,’ revealing he wanted to include ‘the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned.’
Royal aides have also noted Harry’s memoir is in need of little publicity and think the publisher’s marketing efforts will largely be focused on the US market. A television appearance or high-profile magazine interview is thought to be a possible promotional tactic. Harry and Meghan are pictured during their box-office interview with Oprah in March last year
The Queen is said to have been the only member of the Royal Family whom the Duke of Sussex informed about the upcoming memoir.
It is also understood Harry is keen for the book to show his grandmother in a positive light.
Regardless of whether or not the book features bombshells revelations, it is expected to be serious and unflinching.
Moehringer, who also ghost wrote the autobiography of former tennis champion Andre Agassi, has spoken of the importance of candour when writing a memoir. ‘Of [those] I’ve read that have failed for me, often the reason they fail is that the writer has decided not to bare his or her soul,’ he once said.
‘You feel the writer is holding back. Part of the pleasure of reading a memoir is feeling that someone is confiding in you, that they are being honest.’ Moehringer, who read up on Freud and Jung in order to unlock Agassi’s psyche, spent around 250 hours talking to his subject.
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