Prince Harry is ‘set to make millions’ with new tell-all memoir – here’s what people think about the book

Prince Harry looks poised to rake in some serious bucks as he prepares to publish a “wholly truthful” account of his life.

The Duke of Sussex said the memoir, to be published by Penguin Random House next year, will be written “not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become”.

It will cover his lifetime in the public eye, including his time in the military, marriage and fatherhood. In other words, some of the topics he has touched on in highly-publicised interviews, including his conversations with Tom Bradby and Oprah Winfrey.

Harry, 36, received around £14.5 million ($20 million) upfront for the project, The Sun reports, citing royal expert Robert Jobson. And whilst the duke has said he will be donating all proceeds from the book to charity, it is not clear whether he will keep the multi-million advance.

Announcing his literary ambitions, the father-of-two said: “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 first hand account of my life that’s accurate and wholly truthful.”

News of the plans has been met with excitement and, inevitably, exasperation from the usual suspects. Here’s how both sides of the Twitter divide have responded:

Naturally, it was one of the hot topics of the Tuesday morning breakfast round, with Royal Biographer Angela Levin questioning Harry’s motivations behind the endeavour:

“We will need to find out whether he’s talking his truth, the truth, a new truth,” she told Good Morning Britain.

“Because if you go back to 2017 when he was a guest editor on the Today Programme on Radio 4, he was so full of praise for his father [...], well I think his father is now at the top of the list to smash yet again.”

However, hosts Ben Shephard and Susanna Reid suggested that by writing down his thoughts Harry might be able to provide a more carefully considered, balanced review of his life and relationships.

But Levin continued to voice her concerns, saying: “If it’s going to be intimate, as he says, I feel he risks looking like a traitor to the Royal Family. I can’t believe it’s going to be all honey and sweetness, I think he’s going to smash again.

“I don’t know why, does he want to destroy his family? Does he feel so revengeful that he has to take on yet another knock after Oprah and after Finding Freedom?

“I don’t quite get it, why he doesn’t want to move on, enjoy his life – he’s making pots of money, he’s in love with his wife, he’s got two children – but why is he so negative about his past? He can’t leave it alone.”

However, TV presenter Trisha Goddard condemned Levin’s assessment, branding it “negative and somewhat simplistic.”

She said: “You can absolutely love and adore somebody and criticise something about their past [...] so life’s not just black and white.”

She continued by pointing out that there were aspects of his life, including his time in Afghanistan and experience of losing his mother at a young age, that she’d love to learn more about.

“We don’t know that it’s all going to be negative and everybody’s autobiography is their own truth.”

The book is expected to be released in late 2022 and will be published in print and digital formats in the US by Random House and in Canada by Random House Canada.

It will be published in the UK by Transworld, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Markus Dohle, CEO of Penguin Random House, said, “All of us at Penguin Random House are thrilled to publish Prince Harry’s literary memoir and have him join the world-renowned leaders, icons, and change-makers we have been privileged to publish over the years.

“Prince Harry has harnessed his extraordinary life experience as a prince, a soldier, and a knowledgeable advocate for social issues, establishing himself as a global leader recognized for his courage and openness.

“It is for that reason we’re excited to publish his honest and moving story.”