Prince Harry's memoir 'Spare': His relationship with Prince William, more to know ahead of release

Prince Harry is putting it all out there.

The Duke of Sussex's memoir "Spare" hits shelves next week in what the royal promises to be an unfiltered personal account of his life.

In a statement released in October, Penguin Random House summoned memories of the stunning death in 1997 of Harry's mother, Diana, and the moment he and his brother, William, were put in the public eye.

"As Diana, Princess of Wales, was laid to rest, billions wondered what the princes must be thinking and feeling — and how their lives would play out from that point on," the statement read.

"For Harry, this is his story at last."

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What to know about Prince Harry's 'Spare'

• "Spare" released Jan. 10 through Penguin Random House.

• The book is billed as 416 pages of unfiltered accounts of Prince Harry's life.

• Explosive details from the book have leaked ahead of publication.

• Harry has several interviews airing ahead of the release, including television appearances on CBS' "60 Minutes," Britain's ITV and ABC's "Good Morning America."

When is the release date for Prince Harry's book?

"Spare" debuts on Jan. 10. The 416-page book, which was ghostwritten, will come out in 16 languages, from Dutch to Portuguese, and also will be released in an audio edition read by Harry.

Prince Harry's explosive tell-all book drops tomorrow — here's where to buy 'Spare'

What is 'Spare' about?

"Spare" is being billed by Penguin Random House as an account told with "raw, unflinching honesty" and filled with "insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief."

The book will detail his life before and after he and his wife, Duchess Meghan, stepped back from their roles as a senior members in the royal family.

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What explosive details from 'Spare' have leaked ahead of publication?

The Associated Press purchased a copy of the Spanish-language edition of the book ahead of its publication around the world on Tuesday and the outlet reports Harry's deeply personal accounts of cocaine use, losing his virginity and raw family rifts.

The opening chapter recounts how his father Prince Charles — now King Charles III — broke the news of Princess Diana's accident, but didn’t give his son a hug.

Harry adds that he and William both “begged” their father not to marry his long-term paramour Camilla Parker-Bowles, worried she would become a “wicked stepmother.”

Harry recounts a longstanding sibling rivalry with brother William that worsened after Harry began a relationship with American actress Meghan Markle, whom he married in 2018.

He says that during an argument in 2019, William called Meghan “difficult” and “rude,” then grabbed him by the collar and knocked him down. Harry suffered cuts and bruises from landing on a dog bowl.

Harry says Charles implored the brothers to make up, saying after the funeral of Prince Philip in 2021: “Please, boys. Don’t make my final years a misery.”

Neither Buckingham Palace, which represents King Charles III, nor William’s Kensington Palace office has commented on any of the allegations.

What is the meaning of 'Spare'?

Harry's memoir title is an apparent reference to him being a royal "spare," not the first in line to succession. William, Prince of Wales, is next in line behind King Charles III.

"There has always been this competition between us weirdly," Harry said on "Good Morning America" Monday. "Again, I think it really plays into, or is played, by the heir/spare."

When are his upcoming interviews and when do they air?

Harry lined up several televised interviews ahead of his memoir release, including "60 Minutes" on CBS with Anderson Cooper and an ITV interview in the U.K. Both aired Sunday. The ITV interview will now be available to watch in the U.S. on CBS Saturday at 8.pm. ET and streaming later on Paramount+.

In clips from ITV released on Jan. 2, Harry was shown saying “they feel as though it is better to keep us somehow as the villains” and “they have shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile” — though it was not clear who he was referring to.

On "60 Minutes," Harry told Cooper, "Every single time I've tried to do it privately, there have been briefings and leakings and planting of stories against me and my wife."

"You know, the family motto is ‘Never complain, never explain.’ It’s just a motto," he added. The Duke of Sussex said that despite the motto, there was both complaining and explaining via leaks to press. "When we're being told for the last six years, 'We can't put a statement out to protect you.' But you do it for other members of the family … There becomes a point when silence is betrayal."

Harry also appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" Monday with co-anchor Michael Strahan. "Ultimately, I don't think I can ever have peace with my family unless the truth is out there," he told Strahan.

The Duke of Sussex added during the interview that he believes William has jealousy over his position as the "spare" because he has more freedom. "His life is planned out for him. I have more flexibility to be able to choose the life that I wanted."

ABC also aired an additional half-hour special "Prince Harry: In His Own Words" Monday night, now streaming on Hulu.

On Tuesday, Harry was a guest on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," available to stream on Paramount+.

Prince Harry says he never 'intended to hurt my family' with 'Spare' memoir in '60 Minutes' interview

What's going on with Prince Harry and his brother William?

Harry gave insight into the rumored fallout between him and William in his Netflix docuseries with his wife, "Harry & Meghan." Harry says he and his older brother agreed their press offices would never give stories about the other to avoid bad press about themselves.

"To see my brother’s office copy the very same thing that we promised the two of us would never ever do, that was heartbreaking," Harry said.

"The saddest part of it was this wedge created between myself and my brother so that he’s now on the institution’s side," he added. And protection of William in the press was the final straw in deciding to step down as a royal, Harry said. He claimed a statement was issued on behalf of himself and Prince William, without his knowledge or permission, that refuted a story saying William bullied Harry and Meghan out of the royal family.

"I rang M, and I told her and she burst into floods of tears because within four hours they were happy to lie to protect my brother, and yet for three years they were never willing to tell the truth to protect us," Harry said.

What is Prince Harry’s current involvement with the royal family?

Harry and Meghan stepped back from their senior royal duties in 2020 and moved to the U.S. Harry told Oprah Winfrey in an interview that aired in March 2021 on CBS that his family cut him off financially and that he helped pay for his security with money left to him by his mother.

In a clip from Harry's upcoming "60 Minutes" interview shared Monday, Cooper asked the Duke of Sussex, "Can you see a day when you would return as a full-time member of the Royal Family?"

His answer was simple: "No."

While he may not have plans to return full-time, ITV's Tom Bradby questioned whether Harry would attend his father's coronation if invited.

"There's a lot that can happen between now and then," Harry said in a new trailer released on Jan. 5. "But, the door is always open. The ball is in their court. There's a lot to be discussed and I really hope that they're willing to sit down and talk about it."

More on Prince Harry's life after royal departure:

• Prince Harry wants his family back but says they've shown 'no willingness to reconcile'

• 'Harry & Meghan' bombshells from Part 2: Prince Harry recalls seeing Prince William 'scream' over exit

• All the revelations in Part 1 of Netflix's 'Harry & Meghan,' including royal proposal, Harry's Nazi costume

• 'Disgusting, very real': Duchess Meghan faced online threats in UK, says senior police official

• Prince Harry gives queen tribute: 'Forever grateful' to his 'Granny'

Contributing: Erin Jensen and Maria Puente, USA TODAY; Hillel Italie and, Jill Lawless, The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Prince Harry's 'Spare': What we know about the Duke of Sussex's memoir