Prince Harry in panic to make changes to memoir in wake of Queen’s death
Prince Harry is in a flap in the wake of the Queen’s death and is reportedly rushing to make changes to his AU$59 million book before it is published.
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In the wake of the Queen’s death it seems Prince Harry is panicking over his tell-all soon-to-be-published book which he has already received a sizeable advance for.
The prince is reportedly desperate to ensure last-minute changes are made before the memoir – worth AU$59 million dollars – goes to print.
The Duke of Sussex has already been paid half of the multimillion-dollar deal and his latest move comes amid fears some sections are now “insensitive”, The Sun reports.
With the Duke’s father King Charles III taking the throne and the official mourning period coming to an end after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, sources say the prince now fears parts of the “wholly truthful” memoir will be deemed insensitive so soon after his grandmother’s death.
But, while the 38-year-old who has had no trouble speaking out against his royal family, including a tell-all interview with his wife Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, for an Oprah Winfrey exclusive, he is now trying to rein in his next instalment.
Despite contacting publishers about changes, the book has already been signed off and is expected to be on sale by the end of the year.
Sources told The Sun that Penguin Random House paid half of the $58 million upfront knowing the book’s contents would result in massive sales and exposure all around the world.
While the panicked prince isn’t out to completely rewrite the memoir, sources say “he is desperate to get it refined in the light of the Queen’s death, her funeral and his father Charles taking the throne”.
With publishers disappointed in the first draft because it was “a bit too emotional and focused far more on mental health issues than they wanted”, the source says much has gone into the final draft including money to ensure it comes out this year.
“But Harry has thrown a spanner in the works as he is desperate to get it refined in the light of the Queen’s death, her funeral and his father Charles taking the throne,” the source said.
The Sussexes were in the UK for non-royal charity events when the Queen died earlier this month.
There were already fears across the Royal Family that anything they shared with Prince Harry over the past year may appear in his memoir.
But they offered a series of olive branches to the couple in the royal mourning period.
Prince William asked his brother and wife to join him and wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, to see the flowers and wellwishers at Windsor Castle.
King Charles III Charles allowed Prince Harry to wear his Blues and Royals uniform for a vigil at the lying-in-state in Westminster.
The prince also walked beside brother William, Prince of Wales, behind the coffin during family processions.
After returning to California, the Duke now wants parts changed in his book, which has already been delayed.
The memoir has been ghostwritten by American novelist JR Moehringer, whose 2009 autobiography on former tennis ace Andre Agassi featured attacks on his parents and upbringing.
In a promotional statement for his book, Prince Harry said he was “excited for people to read a first-hand account of my life that’s accurate and wholly truthful”.
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