Prince Harry’s memoir Spare was published earlier this week sharing the Duke of Sussex’s story from Princess Diana’s funeral up to his decision to leave the Firm three years ago. Despite the book being highly anticipated since it was first announced eighteen months ago, a recent poll of Express.co.uk readers has found an overwhelming opposition to reading it.
Spare is available as a 416-page hardback and e-book. It has been translated into 15 additional languages internationally and an audio edition of the book has also been released with the Duke narrating his story.
Since its publication on Tuesday, January 10, Spare has become the fastest-selling non-fiction book with over 400,000 sales on its first day, according to Harry’s publisher Transworld, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Transworld managing director Larry Finlay said: “We always knew this book would fly but it is exceeding even our most bullish expectations. As far as we know, the only books to have sold more in their first day are those starring the other Harry [Potter].”
Retailing at £28, it is being sold below the retail asking price in many stores. Waterstones said Spare has been one of its “biggest pre-order titles for a decade”, while US bookseller Barnes and Noble claimed the excerpts from leaked copies in Spain “only heightened the frenzy”.
Director Shannon DeVito said: “It is thrilling as a bookseller to have a massive release like this to start our new year. The leaking of extracts has only heightened the frenzy and is drawing customers into our bookstores in amazing numbers.”
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In a poll that ran from 9am on Thursday, January 5, to 3pm on Thursday, January 12, Express.co.uk asked readers: “Will you be reading Prince Harry’s memoir?”
A total of 12,195 readers responded with the overwhelming majority, 96 percent (11,748 people) answered “no” they would not read Spare.
Meanwhile, three percent (375 people) said “yes” they would read it and a further one percent (72 people) said they did not know either way.
Hundreds of comments were left below the accompanying article as readers shared their thoughts on Harry’s tell-all.
Harry’s memoir was first announced in July 2021 as part of a multi-book deal with Penguin Random House. The Duke was reportedly paid a $20m (£17million) advance for Spare.
His publisher has described Spare as “a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.”
Proceeds from the book will be donated to charities close to Harry, with $1.5million (£1.2million) going to Sentebale and a further $300,000 (£246,000) being given to Wellchild. Harry co-founded Sentebale to help children and adolescents in Lesotho and Botswana struggling with HIV. He is also a patron of Wellchild which provides grants to enable young people to be cared for at home.
The book includes a series of allegations against the Royal Family and the Firm, but Buckingham and Kensington Palace have remained silent over the claims.
