Why the Royal Family Doesn’t Have to Worry About Prince Harry’s New Edition of ‘Spare’
There’s reportedly a new release of Spare on the way, but the British royal family doesn’t have to worry. Why? Because Prince Harry’s bombshell 2023 memoir is reportedly hitting shelves in a new format—with reportedly no new content. Cue a major sigh of relief behind palace walls. Ahead, details on the new edition of Spare and what recently triggered renewed speculation about a Meghan Markle memoir.
A paperback edition of ‘Spare’ is coming
Following the release of the Duke of Sussex’s memoir in January 2023, it instantly became a bestseller. Ghostwritten by J.R. Moehringer, it reportedly set a Guinness World Record for the fastest-selling nonfiction book.
Now, it’s getting a refresh. Spare is coming back in paperback. According to Bookseller, the book is reportedly being released in paperback after originally hitting shelves in hardcover. And, although it will feature a “newly designed package,” there won’t be any new content, images, text, or otherwise, from Harry.
That means no foreword about the book’s success and no epilogue on everything that’s happened since returning home to California following Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022, where Spare ended.
The paperback edition of Spare will be released in the U.S. on Oct. 22, 2024, and in the U.K. on Oct. 24, 2024.
Harry previously said ‘Spare’ could be two books
Shortly after Spare’s release, Harry told the U.K.’s Telegraph he had “enough material” for his memoir to be two books. He revealed that the original draft of Spare was so long—double the pages—and that it included material he ultimately chose to leave out for fear Prince William and King Charles III wouldn’t forgive him.
“The first draft was different. It was 800 pages, and now it’s down to 400 pages,” he said. “It could have been two books, put it that way. And the hard bit was taking things out.”
“There are some things that have happened, especially between me and my brother, and to some extent between me and my father, that I just don’t want the world to know,” Harry added. “Because I don’t think they would ever forgive me.”
There’s renewed speculation about a Meghan Markle memoir
Following Meghan’s comment about not having “scraped the surface” in discussing her royal experience, a Closer report claims it’s stirred up fresh memoir speculation.
“Eventually Meghan is going to want to write her memoir, Harry is going to want to update Spare, and they are going to want to sit down and promote themselves on TV,” a source told the outlet. “They will not shy away from answering questions about the royals. For now, they’re biding their time.”
The idea of Meghan writing he own memoir is a longtime source of speculation. According to The Daily Beast, it’s “closely tied” to her and Harry’s Penguin Random House reportedly four-book deal. Two have already hit shelves; Spare and The Bench, a 2021 children’s book by Meghan.
Despite the speculation that pops up from time to time, the outlet argued that “it would be foolish to discount the possibility of another blockbuster book.” The reason: Harry’s reported $20 million payday for Spare.
