It has been revealed that Prince Harry’s bombshell memoir Spare is set to be re-released later this year throwing all the claims in it back into the spotlight – but one expert believes the detail of this update may hint at how Harry views the book now

Prince Harry’s update to his controversial memoir hints that he may regret writing the book, but is “way too proud to admit it”, according to an expert.

It has been announced that Spare, which first hit shelves in January 2023, will be re-released in two month’s time in a paperback version. When it was first released the sensational book sent shockwaves around the world with its claims about various members of the Royal Family.

Harry used the tell-all book to claim that Prince William called his wife Meghan Markle ‘difficult’, ‘rude’ and ‘abrasive’ and pushed him into a dog bowl, that King Charles was jealous of the Prince and Princess of Wales and that Charles refused to allow Meghan to join her husband in Scotland as the late Queen was dying.

Prince Harry’s memoir is set to be re-released in paperback ( 
Image:
Getty Images)

Usually, when a paperback version of a non-fiction book is released, additional chapters or updated information is included in the new format. However, the upcoming paperback version of Spare will not contain any new information. It will have the same cover image in a newly designed package, however, the “contents of the book are unchanged”.

And royal expert and historian Dr Tessa Dunlop believes the fact that there will be no new information suggests Harry is now playing the long game. She told the Mirror : “Aged thirty-eight, a man in early middle age entered the Guinness Book of Records: Prince Harry ‘s autobiography, Spare, became the fastest-selling non-fiction book of all time.

“No mean feat, but not one that the Duke of Sussex looks likely to repeat with the release of the paperback edition in October this year. Spare’s jacket image will remain unchanged, ditto the written contents.

“To repeat his sales success, Harry needed to give us something new. His decision not to is indicative of a less impetuous Prince, but one no nearer royal reconciliation. The paperback’s unchanged text is in line with the Duke’s pledge to move on from looking back.

Spare sent shockwaves around the world when it was released ( 
Image:
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Widely criticised for indiscretions about his family, from brother William’s fiery temper (who can forget the dog bowl antics) and ‘alarming baldness’, to broadsides against his stepmother, Camilla, the ‘Other Woman’, Spare was deemed by many to have gone too far. But as tell-all books go, Harry could have divulged much more, and traditionally paperbacks are the ideal space to reboot the narrative and double down on the money.

“From the Sussexes’ Frogmore Cottage ‘eviction’ to a cold shoulder from the King during the Invictus 10th anniversary celebrations, Harry had the chance to press home his commercial advantage. But the Duke is playing a longer game. Too much whinging does his brand no favours, and with cancer impacting both his father and sister-in-law Kate, now is not the time to have another pop.”

And Tessa believes that the lack of new revelations says a lot about Harry’s relationship with the royals – and even hints at his regret for his previous actions. She added: “Those who suggest that this paperback release, with no additional material, is an olive branch, are sadly mistaken.

“New material can be conciliatory, Harry might have taken the lead and opened with a different prologue, fore-fronting his regret about how things turned out, and reiterating his good wishes for Kate and the King.

“That he has decided to stay shtum is indicative of the cold war which persists within the Royal Family. On the eve of his 40th birthday, there is little sign of a reconciliation. The uncomfortable stalemate persists. My hunch is that deep down Harry regrets some of what he has written, but like so many men, he is way too proud to admit it.”