
The Times reported in January 2023 that Harry had second thoughts about publishing the book after visiting his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in the summer of 2022, but eventually went ahead with it. 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 learned – I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think." Harry said the book was "accurate and wholly truthful." The publisher stated that the book takes readers "immediately back to one of the most searing images of the 20th century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother's coffin as the world watched in sorrow – and horror." The publisher maintained the book is "full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom." Harry stated "I'm writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become. In the following month, he confirmed that $1.5 million of the proceeds from the memoir would go to the charity Sentebale, while £300,000 would be given to WellChild. In July 2021, it was announced that Harry was set to publish a memoir via Penguin Random House, with proceeds from its sales going to charity and Harry reportedly earning an advance of at least $20 million. According to Guinness World Records, Spare became "the fastest selling non-fiction book of all time" on the date of its release. Spare received generally mixed reviews from critics, some who praised Harry's openness but were critical of the inclusion of too many personal details. He writes about his relationship with his brother, Prince William, and his father, King Charles III, and his father's marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles, as well as his courtship and marriage to the American actress Meghan Markle and the couple's subsequent stepping back from their royal roles.

In the book, Harry details his childhood and the profound effect of the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, as well as his troubled teenage years, and subsequent deployment to Afghanistan with the British Army. The title refers to the aristocratic adage that an " heir and a spare" was needed to ensure that an inheritance remained in the family, a role, which as second son, Harry resented. The book was highly anticipated and was accompanied by several major broadcast interviews. There is also a 15-hour audiobook edition, which Harry narrates himself. It is 416 pages long and available in digital, paperback, and hardcover formats and has been translated into fifteen languages.

Moehringer and published by Penguin Random House. Spare is a memoir by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, which was released on 10 January 2023.
