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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Adam May

Royal family 'kept in the dark' over contents of Prince Harry's tell-all memoir

The Royal family have been "kept in the dark" over the contents of Prince Harry's tell-all memoir and will read about it at the same time as the public, is is understood.

It is likely that the relatives of the Duke of Sussex will only get to set eyes on his "heartfelt" book once it is released to the public and will not have the ability to read it beforehand.

The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge, as well as their lawyers and advisors, have not seen any part of the manuscript and do not know when the book will be published, the Telegraph reports.

Last summer, Penguin Random House announced that the "intimate and heartfelt" memoir was “tentatively scheduled” for late 2022, meaning it could hit the shelves this autumn.

The book is understood to have already gone through all the relevant and appropriate legal processes, and some have speculated that Penguin could opt for a "shock drop" with a number of quick bombshell allegations revealed ahead of publishing.

The Sussexes, pictured here in 2018, quit the UK over two years ago, and since then William and Harry have only been pictured together in public twice - at the funeral of Prince Philip and at an unveiling of a statue of Diana (Getty Images)

Prince Harry has previously said that he was "intensely focused" on getting more information surrounding the death of his mother Princess Diana for his book, according to a source.

He has vowed that the book will be a "truthful and wholly accurate" account of his life - with the announcement of the novel sending a "tsunami of fear" through royal circles.

A judicial source in Paris claimed that Harry and his researchers have been seeking more information surrounding the car crash in the French capital that killed his mum.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's visit to the UK next month has left many asking if the pair will meet up with Prince William and his wife Kate (Getty Images)

The source told The Sun : "There have been approaches which suggest Prince Harry is intensely focused on getting more information about his mother's death.

"There are plenty of people in France who recall the night of the accident. It's only normal that Diana’s son should want to learn more about it for his book."

And Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's visit to the UK next month has left many asking if the pair will meet up with Prince William and his wife Kate.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leaving the service of thanksgiving for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee earlier this year (Getty Images)

The Sussexes quit the UK in early 2020 and since then William and Harry have only been pictured together in public twice - at the funeral of Prince Philip and at an unveiling of a statue of Diana.

The pair were not seen together during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations this summer.

In regards to the memoir, many have expressed a degree of surprise that Penguin, who spent a reputed £16.9 million to secure the deal, appear to be willing to risk its reputation by publishing a book that is likely to contain a number of highly subjective allegations.

Queen Elizabeth II sits and laughs with Meghan back in June 2018 (Getty Images)

But royal aides are reportedly well aware that the Royal family would never sue one of its own, and the risks of publication from the eyes of Penguin remain somewhat small and there is no legal obligation to offer a right of reply.

However, there are some theories that the book will be so bland, and not share bombshell allegations, that here was no reason to give the Royal family a heads-up before publication.

Prince Harry has vowed that the book will be a "truthful and wholly accurate" account of his life (Getty Images)

It is also expected that publicity will be mainly focused on the US market, with either TV appearances on so-called friendly networks, or photo shoots in the glossy magazines such as Vanity Fair, could be possible.

The book has been ghost written by JR Moehringer who is a Pulitzer-winning author and journalist.

He also ghost wrote Andre Agassi’s best-selling memoir, Open, published in 2009.

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