The release date for Prince Harry 's new memoir has finally been revealed and fears are growing that the book was "sexed up" after the publisher rejected the first draft.
The memoir - called Spare - was set to come out this autumn but the date was pushed back to January 10 as a mark of respect following the death of the Queen.
Harry has vowed it will be a "truthful and wholly accurate" account of his life - with the announcement of the novel reportedly sending a "tsunami of fear" through royal circles.
The 416-page text - ghost written by JR Moehringer - is part of a £35 million book deal, which will see the Duke of Sussex earn £17.5 million in advance of the release date.
It is alleged that Harry had to make amendments after the first entry was turned down by publisher Penguin Random House, sparking concerns at Buckingham Palace.
Harry and Meghan Markle's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 exacerbated the already strained relationship between the Duke of Sussex and his family amid claims of one of the royals asking what skin colour son Archie would be.
A source told The Sun : "The book has been back and forth between Harry and JR Moehringer and the publishers a few times.
"They wanted more than was in the first draft, and then Harry wanted to refine things after the Queen passed away.
"But there has been extra toing and froing that people don’t know about. This is because the publishers wanted more areas covered and more detail on some things that were already included.
"There is a real concern that that means Harry has had to sex up the book and include revelations that even he might not even be that comfortable with."
It is thought that Harry did "reach out" to close friends and ex-partners, including Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas, to open up about their opinions and intimate stories about their relationship to the royal, despite never previously speaking about him in public.
Several are believed to have rejected the opportunity to contribute as he continues to live his life in California with Meghan and children Archie, three, and daughter Lilibet, one, after stepping back as senior members of the Royal Family in January 2020.
Penguin Random House said that Harry had donated £1.3m of his £18.4m advance to his children’s charity Sentebale, as well as giving £300,000 to WellChild, a charity for disabled children of which he is patron.
Spare will cost £28 for a hardback copy, with the audio book - voiced by Harry himself - priced at £20, but is already being offered at half the cost by Waterstones.
