Prince Harry's memoir stands as a "huge problem," according to a prominent royal author.
Harry's first literary project was announced by publishers Penguin Random House last year, with the prince promising an "accurate and wholly truthful" account of his life so far.
Since this initial announcement, with the book's publication date slated for "late 2022," the publishers have released no further details about the project. Speculation in the British press has been mounting that the prince has sought to make revisions to the text following the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, last month.
During an appearance at the Cheltenham Literary Festival in England on Tuesday, Tina Brown, the former editor of Vanity Fair and author of The Palace Papers, said that despite Harry "always" having "iconic status," she wouldn't be shocked if the prince was regretting his agreement to publish the memoir.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he feels [that it's a mistake], but the truck has rolled along," she said, per the Daily Mail.
"It's not just the advance. The publisher has a lot staked on it. I think it's a huge problem for them. I feel really bad for him at the moment.
Since the project's announcement last year, reports have grown over the potential content of the book and how personal the revelations within it will be.
According to a previous interview for The Daily Beast, Brown stated that the memoir would bring a particular "agony" for King Charles III, and that his wife, Queen Camilla "lives in dread" of its publication as Harry is expected to discuss the life and untimely death of his mother, Princess Diana.
In a press release given at the time of the book's announcement, Harry said: "I'm writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become. I've worn many hats over the years, both literally and figuratively, and my hope is that in telling my story—the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned—I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think.
"I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to share what I've learned over the course of my life so far and excited for people to read a firsthand account of my life that's accurate and wholly truthful."
On potential pressure from his publisher, Penguin Random House is looking to quickly get the memoir onto shelves, Newsweek has heard.
"The publisher will be keen to have the book out as soon as possible," Rutger Bruining, CEO and founder of leading memoir-writing service StoryTerrace, told Newsweek.
"The royal family has been dominating our news feeds since the passing of the queen, and with the upcoming coronation of King Charles. The longer they wait, the more likely current events will encourage Harry to change his mind about what has already been written—thus, delaying the process further.
"The rights to Harry's biography are a publisher's dream and the former prince will have had strong leverage in the negotiations," he added.
"His legal team should therefore have been able to negotiate lots of flexibility. In any event, the book will have revelatory stories and details that will result in debate. And even if these aren't sensationalist to the public, the book will be a persistent topic of conversation, being placed in an incredibly prominent spotlight."
When it comes to any potential issues this could cause with the royals, Brown told audiences at the Cheltenham Literary Festival that Harry is between a rock and a hard place.
"If he doesn't do the book I think it's a real mess, business-wise and if he does do the book it will really alienate him from his family," she said, per the Daily Mail.
"No matter how bad things are, no one wants to be alienated from their family."
Bruining's view is not dissimilar, telling Newsweek: "Whether the book brings him closer to his family or alienates him will depend on whether it increases his popularity with the British public, and whether that is at the expense of the Royal Family as a whole."
Harry, together with his wife Meghan Markle, spent an extended stay in Britain last month when Elizabeth died as the couple were on a pre-arranged visit to the country to attend charity events.
It was the longest time the Sussexes had been in Britain together since they moved to the U.S. in 2020 and since the broadcast of their landmark interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 in which they said an unnamed member of the royal family made racially insensitive comments about the skin color of their future children.
The couple stayed in the U.K. for the period of national mourning for the late queen and to attend the state funeral on September 19.
A tentative truce appeared to be reached by Harry and Prince William as they appeared for the first time together with their spouses in public in over two years.
Whether the Sussexes will travel to Britain for Charles' coronation, which was announced on Tuesday that it will take place on May 6, 2023, has not yet been confirmed.
Newsweek approached representatives of Penguin Random House and Prince Harry for comment.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
