PRINCE HARRY TO RELEASE MEMOIR AS PART OF FOUR-BOOK DEAL

Prince Harry has reportedly signed a four-book deal but only one of them will be a memoir, it has emerged.

The Duke of Sussex is due to release the biography late next year after he brokered a deal with Penguin Random House.

However, the deal is reported to include options to write three other books, including a “wellness guide” by his wife, Meghan Markle, as part of a contract thought to exceed US$35 million.

The subjects of the two other books and exactly who is writing or even whether they will be jointly written remains a mystery.

It was reported Saturday that Prince Harry oversaw a bidding process from a home in California after representatives from two London publishing houses flew out to take part in the auction, which included other companies attending by video call. A source told the Daily Mail: “He conducted negotiations — he had a very `take it or leave it' attitude. His starting price was US$25 million and the final figure was way north of that, possibly as much as $35 million — $40 million.”

While it remains to be seen whether the Queen will bring herself to pick up a copy of her grandson's tell-all memoir, her lawyers are certain to take a keen interest in revelations when it is published. While the Royal family is unlikely to be given advance sight of the book, which was announced by publisher Random House last week, they will expect to be shown any extracts that could be considered defamatory.

As such, lawyers believe Prince Harry, 36, will be grilled to ensure there is a factual basis for any opinions expressed about his relatives in a bid to avoid a clash with Buckingham Palace.