Prince Harry's tell-all (and to some, controversial) memoir Spare will be released in paperback this fall, and the Duke of Sussex made an editorial decision that some say signals a desire to reconcile with his royal family members.
On Tuesday, Aug. 27, publisher Penguin Random House announced that the memoir will be available in paperback in the U.S. starting Oct. 22, 2024.
"The paperback edition of Spare will be released in North America by Random House US and Random House Canada, and in the United Kingdom by Transworld," the publisher announced in a written statement shared to their website. "In all, the book will be issued in 16 languages worldwide."
The publisher went on to announce that the new edition will "have the same cover image as the hardcover edition, a newly designed package and the contents of the book are unchanged."
That Prince Harry assumedly did not decide to add any additional information in his book—especially in the wake of his sister-in-law Princess Kate's cancer diagnosis and the continued strife between senior members of the royal family—is a sign, some say, that the Duke is prioritizing reconciliation above all else.
In a previous 2023 interview with People, the Duke of Sussex opened up about his memoir prior to the book's original release, telling the publication that his goal was not to "tell anyone what to think," including members of his family.
"This book and its truths are in many ways a continuation of my own mental health journey. It's a raw account of my life—the good, the bad and everything in between," the royal said at the time. "My hope has been to turn my pain into purpose, so if sharing my experience makes a positive difference in someone's life, well, I can't think of anything more rewarding than that!"
Prior to the memoir's release, royal expert Katie Nicholl told OK that senior members of the royal family was worried but not "terrified" about the book's contents or how Prince Harry's accounts and allegations would make them look.
“A lot has been left on a cliffhanger and there is a £35 million book deal here, so don’t underestimate the couple or their capacity to surprise and throw in a few more bombs just when you thought there were no more,” she told the publication at the time. “I don’t think the royal family are terrified by anything, least of all of what is going to come next in Harry’s autobiography. But concerned, apprehensive? Yes. Ready to respond? Quite possibly. Wearied by all of this? Absolutely.”
In 2021, Prince Harry said in a statement that he wrote the book "not as the prince I was born, but as the man I have become."
"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," he said.
“I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to share what I’ve learned over the course of my life so far," he continued, "and excited for people to read a firsthand account of my life that’s accurate and wholly truthful.”
