… as uncle THE DUKE OF SUSSEX promises to tell the true story of his life in a new memoir
REVEALS HE IS WRITING A MEMOIR ON THE ‘HIGHS AND LOWS’ OF HIS LIFE
He’s
created a new life for himself and his family in California over the past year, but the Duke of Sussex has also been looking back – putting pen to paper to write his memoir.
Prince Harry announced last week that he plans to publish an “accurate and wholly truthful” account of his life, saying: “I’m writing this not as the Prince I was born but as the man I have become.”
He added: “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 learnt – 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 learnt 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.”
Harry, 36, is expected to open up about his lifetime in the public eye, his military career – which saw him carry out two tours of duty in Afghanistan – his marriage to Meghan Markle and becoming a father to Archie, two, and daughter Lili, who was born at the beginning of June.
He has reportedly almost completed his first draft and is working with the Pulitzer Prize- winning writer JR Moehringer, who has ghostwritten memoirs for tennis star Andre Agassi and Nike’s Phil Knight.
JR’s own memoir, The Tender Bar, is being made into a film by George Clooney, a friend of Harry and Meghan’s.
Publisher Penguin Random House, which will release the book in the UK through its Transworld imprint, said Harry’s book is expected to hit the shelves late next year.
It added the Duke will donate the proceeds to charity. He is thought to have received a multimillion- dollar advance for the manuscript.
Announcing the book, the publisher said the memoir was “an intimate and heartfelt memoir from one of the most fascinating
‘I’m excited for people to read a fifirst- hand account of my life that’s accurate and wholly truthful’ Prince Harry
and influential global figures of our time,” adding it will be a “definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses and life lessons that have helped shape him”.
Markus Dohle, chief executive of Penguin Random House, said: “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 recognised for his courage and openness.
“It is for that reason we’re excited to publish his honest and moving story.”
Random House was also the publisher behind Meghan’s first children’s book, The Bench, which was published in June.
SPEAKING OUT
Harry’s memoir follows a series of high-profile interviews in which he has spoken at length about his life and the mental health struggles he experienced after the death of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales.
In a bombshell interview with
Oprah Winfrey in March, he and the Duchess also accused an unnamed royal of racism and claimed they had not been supported by the institution when Meghan became suicidal because of the pressure of royal life.
In another interview, the Duke accused his family of “total neglect” over the situation, but later said: “I like to think that we were able to speak truth in the most compassionate way possible, therefore leaving an opening for reconciliation and healing.”
‘I’m writing this not as the Prince I was born but as the man I have become’
ROYAL STORIES
Harry is the most high-profile member of the Queen’s family to write a memoir since her uncle, the Duke of Windsor. The former Edward VIII published
A King’s Story: The Memoir of HRH the Duke of Windsor, KG in 1951, sparking a media storm.
His wife followed in 1956 with The Heart Has Its Reasons: The Memoir of the Duchess of Windsor.
Harry’s aunt Sarah, Duchess of York has written two autobiographies: My Story was published in 1996, following the breakdown of her marriage, and
Finding Sarah: A Duchess’s Journey to Find Herself followed in 2011.
In addition, while they did not author autobiographies, both of Harry’s parents collaborated with biographers.
The Prince of Wales entrusted Jonathan Dimbleby to tell his story in
The Prince of Wales: A Biography in 1994, while Diana contributed recorded interviews for Andrew Morton’s 1992 book Diana: Her True Story.
The Queen’s aunt Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, published her memoir in 1981, while her great-aunt, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, published her story, For My Grandchildren, in 1967.