Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir ‘may never see the light of day’, claims a royal expert and close friend of Diana (Picture: Reuters/Getty/AP)
Prince Harry’s hotly anticipated memoirs may never be published as doing so could forever ruin his chances of reconnecting with his estranged relatives, it has been claimed.
Harry’s autobiography was set to be released before the end of 2022, but has been postponed until next year following the death of the Queen.
Publishers had hoped the £40 million memoir would be out in time for Thanksgiving, but the book has entered limbo following rumours of significant alterations to the initial draft.
These include an additional chapter on the events surrounding the Queen’s death and her state funeral, along with a reduced focus on mental health.
With the initial release date now in tatters, royal commentator Tina Brown believes either Harry or the Palace may now seek to shelve the project indefinitely to avoid further controversies ahead of its release.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Tina said: ‘They are now in this bind, where they’ve taken all this money and Harry has made this book deal where he’s supposed to spill everything about his horrible life as a royal, but now he’s actually tortured about it because he understands there is no way back if he does it.
‘If the book continues, I don’t think there is any way for Harry to return. So my view has always been that the book won’t see the light of day.
Harry’s controversial memoirs may be shelved or halted by the crown, it has been claimed (Picture: Reuters)
The Duke of Sussex’s memoirs have reportedly had significant alterations behind the scenes (Picture: Reuters)
‘The window is beginning to close but I always thought at some point a deal would be made and Charles would have to pay back the advance to stop Harry writing this book.’
Elsewhere, a source told the Daily Mail the Duke of Sussex had ‘thrown a spanner in the works’ by attempting to alter important parts of the text during such a crucial time for the Royal Family, and said: ‘There may be things in the book which might not look so good if they come out so soon after these events.
‘He wants sections changed now. It’s not a total rewrite by any means. He desperately wants to make changes. But it might be too late.’
Another royal insider told the publication: ‘The question inside the Palace is: “Can the book be stopped?”’
Similar changes are also said to be affecting the production of Harry and Meghan’s £80 million Netflix documentary – initially set to air in December – with rumours the couple want edits made to the project which could see it pushed back to 2023.
Adding to her earlier comments, Tina said: ‘Diana was very pragmatic. I think she would have said to Harry, “This isn’t going anywhere. You need to make a deal and find a way to come back.”’
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‘He’s actually tortured about it because he understands there is no way back if he does it.’