Prince Harry could make up to £33 million from book deal

The ghostwritten authobiography releases on 10 January

Friday 13 January 2023 11:19 EST

Spare: Revelations from Prince Harry's book

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Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir Spare sold more than 1.4 million copies on the day of its release (10 January).

In it, the duke continues his wave of allegations against the royal family.

The 416-page book sees Harry telling his story with “raw, unflinching honesty,” publisher Penguin Random House said in a statement, adding that the book is “a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief”.

Spare, which was leaked in Spain five days before the official release, covers a wide range of subjects, from his fractious relationship with brother William to the struggles after his mother Diana’s death in 1997.

The royal first announced the lucrative multi-book deal with Penguin Random House in July 2021. Now, following the book’s official release, there is speculation about how much money the duke is making from the deal.

While no figure has been officially confirmed, publisher Penguin Random House is rumoured to have paid Harry a $20m (£16.5m) advance for Spare, the BBC reports.

Meanwhile, ET Canada has reported that Prince Harry’s book deal consists of four editions, with a $35m-$40m (£28m-£33m) price tag.

The Independent has contacted Penguin Random House for comment. The publisher has not yet confirmed how much money Prince Harry has made from the book deal.

“We always knew this book would fly but it is exceeding even our most bullish expectations,” Larry Finlay, the managing director of the Transworld imprint at Penguin Random House (PRH), told The Telegraph. “As far as we know, the only books to have sold more in their first day are those starring the other Harry (Potter).”

Prince Harry is expected to donate proceeds from the book sales to charity, People reports.

The royal announced that a portion of the proceeds would be going to Sentebale, an organisation he founded in 2006 with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to help children affected by HIV in Africa.

“This is one of several donations I plan to make to charitable organizations, and I’m grateful to be able to give back in this way for the children and communities who gravely need it,” he said in a statement.

In the UK, the book will cost £28 for a hardback, and £20 for the audio.

The memoir accidentally went on sale in Spain on 5 January, almost a week ahead of its official release.

Spare covers a range of personal details about Harry’s life and upbringing, revealing the moment he found out his mother, Diana, died, and that William and Kate encouraged him to wear a Nazi uniform as fancy dress.

The royal also writes that he killed 25 people during military service in Afghanistan and admits to illegal drug use.