Prince Harry's MemoirSpareReleased in Paperback: See His Emotional Dedication

Mar. 15, 2025

Prince Harry in 2021 (left); Spare.Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage; Penguin Random House

AsPrince Harry’s groundbreaking memoirSparehits shelves in paperback, here’s a look at the special dedication that shaped the book.

On October 22, the Duke of Sussex’s memoir was released in paperback in the U.S., with the U.K. edition set to follow on October 24. When Penguin Random Houseannounced the paperback editionover the summer, they confirmed that “the contents of the book are unchanged,” including Prince Harry’s heartfelt dedication to his family.

“For Meg and Archie and Lili…and of course, my mother,” Prince Harry wrote in the dedication ofSpare, which was originally published in January 2023.

The tribute honors his wife,Meghan Markle, their children,Prince Archie, 5, andPrincess Lilibet, 3, and his late mother,Princess Diana, who died following a car accident in Paris in 1997 at age 36.

Prince Harry and Princess Diana in the garden of Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, England in July 1986.Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty

Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty

The epigraph — the quote that opens a book — also carries significant meaning. It features a poignant line from William Faulkner’s novelRequiem for a Nun: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

While paperback editions of books commonly feature new chapters or information, the decision not to include anything new in the paperback version ofSparehas been widely interpreted as a step towards reconciliation with the royal family.  The Duke of Sussex’s relationships with his father,King Charles, and brother,Prince William,remain strained.

A photo of Prince Harry, Princess Lilibet, Meghan Markle and Prince Archie from the docuseries “Harry & Meghan” on Netflix.Netflix/Youtube

“The poem is a reminder that you have the power to take control of your life,” Prince Harrytold PEOPLEin 2022.

Sparebecame a bestsellerwhen it was published on Jan. 10, 2023, selling over six million copies worldwide and setting the Guinness World Record for the fastest-selling nonfiction book of all time, the publisher said. The book was full of royal revelations and the title itself seemed to stem from the adage “the heir and the spare,” reflectingPrince Harry’s position at birth as the “spare” to his elder brother Prince William, who is now heir to the British throne.

Random house

Speaking to PEOPLE in 2023, Prince Harry described his memoir asa “raw account"of “the good, the bad and everything in between.”

“I don’t want to tell anyone what to think of it and that includes my family,” the Duke of Sussex said at the time. “This book and its truths are in many ways a continuation of my own mental health journey. It’s a raw account of my life.”

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“My hope has been to turn my pain into purpose, so if sharing my experience makes a positive difference in someone’s life, well, I can’t think of anything more rewarding than that!” he said.

source: people.com