When you’re an ex-royal with relatives who are already annoyed at you, there can’t be many prospects scarier than writing a book all about your life and putting it out into the world. And it seems that fear has been getting the best of Prince Harry as his forthcoming autobiography – once scheduled for release this autumn – has been delayed yet again. And heat’s insider says it’s down to the duke making more last-minute edits as he feels torn between his family and wife Meghan, who’s urging him to be open about the palace’s behaviour towards them.
“Harry is struggling with the pressure and keeps changing his mind on what to include in the book,” says an insider close to the 37 year old, who married former Suits actress Meghan, 40, in 2018, only for the pair to quit royal life two years later.
“Every passage is being revised again and again. Harry keeps remembering new things he wants to include, and then suddenly panics about toning down certain anecdotes. It’s been going on like this for months, and with the print date looming, he has to make a decision to officially put it on hold or pull the trigger and hope for the best.”
News of the delay broke last week, as the Duke of Sussex’s publisher, Penguin Random House, released their upcoming books list with no sign of the memoir. The biography, which is being ghost-written by Pulitzer Prize winner
JR Moehringer, has been in the works since 2020, with release scheduled for this autumn.
Last summer, Harry – who’s getting paid a rumoured $20million for it – announced, “I’m writing this not as the prince I was born, but as the man I have become.” The problem, friends tell heat, is who will be upset by publication. “Harry knows there will be a huge fallout once this memoir finally hits the shelves,” says our source.
“Meghan is urging him to tell his truth and not hide what really happened, but he’s worried sick it will lead to a new war with the royals – one he’ll never be able to come back from. He feels caught between a rock and a hard place, which is why he keeps stalling on edits.”
Until recently, the couple – parents to three-year-old Archie and Lilibet, one – have had no problem speaking publicly about the palace. After moving to California in 2020, they gave a tell-all interview to Oprah Winfrey, as well as speaking on news shows and podcasts about their miserable experience back in the UK. The pair also signed a $100million deal with Netflix, with rumours of a fly-in-the-wall series in the works. They also admitted last year to contributing to Finding Freedom, the “unofficial” biography about the couple and Megxit.
But since returning from the Platinum Jubilee in June, Harry’s been anxious about offending his family, fearing if he pushes them too far, he could be cut off forever. We’re told, “He’s still shocked at the very mixed reception he and Meghan received at the Jubilee. The Queen and Prince Charles were cordial, but there was a portion of the monarchy whose reception was decidedly lukewarm. Harry knows these are the people who’ll be reading his book and looking for any reason to criticise.”
Luckily, his publishers are – for now – being patient. The insider explains, “Everyone’s being so understanding, but his editors do need Harry to sign off on the book soon. They didn’t fork out a fortune for a boring, vanilla read that doesn’t cover any tension or address the feuds with his family. Ultimately, Harry’s put too much work into this book to pull it. It’s something he’s wanted to do for a long time and there’s so much about his life he needs to clarify. He knows he’ll upset certain members of the monarchy, but it’s too important to throw in the bin.”