Prince Harry will acknowledge his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II’s death in his upcoming memoir, according to PEOPLE.
The Duke of Sussex’s book, titled Spare, was largely penned before the death of Her Majesty on September 8.
However, the magazine confirms that the prince, 38, will touch on her passing in his book, which will be released on January 10, 2023, after it was delayed following the Queen’s death.
In his statement paying tribute to his grandmother shortly after her death, Harry praised her ‘sound advice’ and ‘infectious smile’ and called her a ‘guiding compass’ through her commitment to service and duty.
Prince Harry will acknowledge his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II’s death in his upcoming memoir, according to PEOPLE. Pictured, Harry and the Queen in 2018
The Duke of Sussex’s book, titled Spare (pictured), was largely penned before the death of Her Majesty on September 8
Released on September 12, 2022, his remarks also referred to his ‘darling wife’ Meghan Markle; said he was grateful that the Queen had hugged her ‘beloved great-grandchildren’; and spoke of how he ‘cherished’ the times spent with the 96-year-old.
He said: ‘In celebrating the life of my grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen – and in mourning her loss – we are all reminded of the guiding compass she was to so many in her commitment to service and duty.
‘She was globally admired and respected. Her unwavering grace and dignity remained true throughout her life and now her everlasting legacy.
‘Let us echo the words she spoke after the passing of her husband, Prince Philip, words which can bring comfort to all of us now: ‘Life, of course, consists of final partings as well as first meetings.’
‘Granny, while this final parting brings us great sadness, I am forever grateful for all of our first meetings – from my earliest childhood memories with you, to meeting you for the first time as my Commander-in-Chief, to the first moment you met my darling wife and hugged your beloved great-grandchildren.
‘I cherish these times shared with you, and the many other special moments in between. You are already sorely missed, not just by us, but by the world over. And as it comes to first meetings, we now honour my father in his new role as King Charles III.
Royal commentators said the release of Prince Harry’s book would be ‘unhelpful’ to King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort
‘Thank you for your commitment to service. Thank you for your sound advice. Thank you for your infectious smile.
‘We, too, smile knowing that you and grandpa are reunited now, and both together in peace.’
Harry and Meghan, 41, were in the UK for charity events when Queen Elizabeth died. The couple stayed in Britain to attend ceremonies honouring Her Majesty, including her state funeral and committal service on September 19.
Publishers Penguin Random House say Harry’s book is written with ‘raw unflinching honesty’ and is expected to contain explosive new material addressing Harry’s childhood and his rift with ‘The Firm’ after meeting Meghan.
Royal experts have since claimed US-based Harry may travel to the UK to promote his controversial memoir, which could see retaliation from the palace including stripping him and Meghan of their Sussex titles.
Prince Harry pictured with Prince William, King Charles and the Princess Royal during the Queen’s funeral in September
Reports claimed Harry may fly to Britain in the New Year to explain his ‘intent’ in writing the book – which is set to cast a shadow over the Royal Family’s Christmas – the first since the Queen died.
Senior royals are said to be bracing themselves’ for the publication of the 416-page title on January 10. Biographer Tom Bower has warned the memoir’s reception will be a make or break moment for the Sussexes.
‘Put it this way, it’s not going to make for a relaxing family Christmas,’ a source told the Mail on Sunday.
It has now been claimed that Prince Harry had to submit his book more than once before it was accepted by publishers, sparking fears that it was ‘sexed up’ with revelations about the Royal Family.
A source told The Sun: ‘The book has been back and forth between Harry and [ghost writer] JR Moehringer and the publishers a few times. They wanted more than was in the first draft, and then Harry wanted to refine things after the Queen passed away.
‘But there has been extra toing and froing that people don’t know about. This is because the publishers wanted more areas covered and more detail on some things that were already included.
‘There is a real concern that that means Harry has had to sex up the book and include revelations that even he might not even be that comfortable with.’
It is now reportedly feared that Harry will expand upon a claim made to Oprah Winfrey that a family member questioned what the skin colour of his and Meghan’s son Archie would be.
Bower told The Sun: ‘This book is really make or break. I imagine that King Charles has been warned that any retaliation won’t be pretty.
‘All that King Charles can really do is to withhold the titles for his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet. Ultimately, I suppose, he could take away Harry and Meghan’s titles as well, but that’s pretty drastic.
‘I don’t know what else he can do. If it is as bad as I think it is, then Harry and Meghan have gone fully rogue.’
He added that the best thing the royal family could do in this scenario would be to ‘break ties’ with the pair.
The title is presumed to refer to Harry being the ‘spare’ to Prince William’s ‘heir’ but has been translated to sound more ominous in other languages.
In Spain it will be called In The Shadow, in Sweden The Other, and in Denmark, The Reservist.
Harry will narrate the audio version himself, but voice artist Emily Woo Zeller warned: ‘To take words off a page and make them sound like dialogue is a skill. I don’t know if Harry has that skill.’
Another source close to Prince Harry told the Telegraph last night that the Duke of Sussex wrote his controversial memoir for himself, rather than being a ‘takedown of his family’.
It was described by those familiar with the manuscript as a ‘beautiful read’, that readers from all walks of life will identify with.
The experience of addressing his past struggles is said to have been cathartic for Prince Harry.
The source said: ‘You can’t always live your life trying to make your family or your siblings happy. You have to choose your own happiness.’
It comes after it was reported on Friday night that Prince Harry will not return to the UK to spend the first Christmas since Queen Elizabeth II died with his family amid the controversy.
Sources close to the couple told The Mirror relations between Harry and wife Meghan and the rest of the royal family are ‘near rock bottom’ and they could decline an invitation to spend the festive period with Harry’s family.
It had been hoped that relations would thaw somewhat after the Queen’s death, but sources told The Mirror that the couple have ‘no plans’ to travel to the UK for Christmas.
The rest of the royal family were reportedly surprised at the memoir’s title.
Another source told The Mirror the book could spell ‘the end’ for any reconciliation efforts between the Sussexes and the royals: ‘This book could spell the end for any relationship Harry wants to have with his family, it’s desperately sad.’
An initial release date had been pencilled in for ‘late 2022’ to capitalise on the lucrative Christmas market, but the book will not be on the shelves until January 10 – said to be as a mark of respect following the death of the Queen, and, it is rumoured, due to last-minute alterations requested by the duke.
A spokesman for the King declined to comment on the book. But it is understood that the Royal Household has already been warned that the 416-page, £28 book is ‘critical of everyone and everything’ and they are ‘dreading’ it.
The memoir has already topped Amazon charts in the UK and US, as well as reaching the second spot in Canada, despite publication still being several months away.
