The intensive security measures surrounding the release of the Duke of Sussex’s memoir have been compared to the release of the Harry Potter series.
Publishers of JK Rowling’s books, the bestselling fantasy series of all time, spent millions of pounds in their efforts to prevent their plots from being leaked before publication. An enormous logistical operation is likewise under way around Spare.
Publishing sources said that the arrangements were being closely guarded, with deliveries to bookshops scheduled to arrive at the last minute.
Spare is published on January 10 by Penguin Random House. It is expected to contain explosive allegations against members of the royal family.
A source with knowledge of the book told The Sunday Times that they did not see how the relationship between Harry and his brother, the Prince of Wales, could recover. “I think the book [will be] worse for them than the royal family is expecting.
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“Everything is laid bare. Charles comes out of it better than I had expected, but it’s tough on William, in particular, and even Kate gets a bit of a broadside. There are these minute details and a description of the fight between the brothers. I personally can’t see how Harry and William will be able to reconcile after this.”
A hint of what is to come emerged on Monday in the trailer for an interview Harry has given. Speaking to ITV’s Tom Bradby, he said he would like to rebuild his relationships with his father and brother. However, Harry, 38, claimed that no attempt at reconciliation had been made by the royal family, who he said preferred to keep him and his wife, Meghan, as “the villains”.
The ITV interview, to be broadcast on Sunday, is one of two he has given in advance of the publication of Spare, which was ghost-written by JR Moehringer. An interview with Anderson Cooper, a US news presenter, is to be broadcast on CBS News’s 60 Minutes the same day.
British readers can buy the hardback in bookshops when they open on Tuesday, or download the Kindle version from midnight. Readers in other countries will not have access to the book earlier.
