Prince Harry’s tell-all autobiography is said to be a source of great concern for the royal family — but it’s already being flogged for free on Amazon.
While the explosive release is set to hit bookstores in January, a Black Friday deal for a free trial of Audible has Harry’s book, Spare, read by the Prince himself, listed as part of the offer.
The audiobook will not be available to listen to until its official release on January 10, but according to The Daily Mail, shoppers can take advantage of the deal to select the book and then cancel their Audible account to avoid having to pay when it comes out.
The book is said to have senior royals concerned amid reports Harry has named and shamed family members he believes have wronged him and wife Meghan Markle.
It’s been a long time coming for fans of royal tea.
Penguin Random House had initially shared that the “intimate and heartfelt memoir” was tentatively scheduled for late 2022, with reports Harry had originally hoped to publish the book before Christmas.
However, the Queen’s death in September meant more work was required – with royal experts speculating he may have needed to rewrite some parts.
In October, it was further reported he had “gotten cold feet” and that “the project has been shrouded in rumours, delays and secrecy”.
Another source told The Sun publishers wanted to “sex up” the book.
“They wanted more than was in the first draft, and then Harry wanted to refine things after the Queen passed away,” they said.
“But there has been extra toing and froing 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.”
The contents of the book are still unknown, but they could put further strain on the relationship between Harry and his family.
Earlier this month, The Daily Mirror’s royal editor Russell Myers claimed many members of the firm are “furious” about the bombshell tell-all, speculating it could be seen as a “score-setting” move.
During an episode of Paul Murray Live, available to stream on Flash, Myers said, “The King would not be the only person to be absolutely furious, looking at the situation that has played out over the last few years.”
The journalist pointed out that Harry and Meghan have “pretty much got what they wanted” and yet have “just been trashing the Royal Family”.
“Is it sort of score-settling, is it a purposeful act that he just wants to get back at his family? I suppose we’ll just have to see,” he said.
“The world will be watching, that’s for sure.”
Harry has reportedly been paid a $31 million advance for the memoir as part of a three-book deal worth $62 million.
He has already donated $2.3 million of that to the charity Sentebale, which supports vulnerable children and young people in Lesotho and Botswana affected by HIV and AIDS.
He has also given $530,000 to WellChild, a charity for disabled children which he serves as
The 416-page book will cost $50 for a hardback in Australia.
In the UK, some retailers have already slashed pre-order copies to half-price.
WHSmith started advertising Spare at £14 ($25) in October, while outside of the current Audible deal on Amazon, it is available at $25.
The Sussexes announced they were stepping down as “senior members of the royal family” in 2020.
Since quitting the monarchy, the couple have gone on to become a thorn in the palace’s side, particularly after giving a tell-all interview to talk US show queen Oprah Winfrey where they spoke of alleged racism within the royal family as well as being “cut off financially” after their move to the states.
Harry announced that he was writing the tell-all book about his life last year.
In a statement, the prince said he was excited to share an account of his life that’s “accurate and wholly truthful”.