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Date Published: 09/01/2023

ARCHIVED - Sneak peek at Prince Harry memoirs as book goes on sale 5 days early in Spain

ARCHIVED ARTICLE -

Snippets from the controversial royal book have spread across the globe after a blunder in Spain

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Sneak peek at Prince Harry memoirs as book goes on sale 5 days early in Spain

Newspapers across the globe have been publishing leaked extracts from Prince Harry’s much-anticipated book ‘Spare’ after several retailers in Spain began selling the memoirs five days before the official launch.

Titled ‘En la sombra’ in Spanish (which translates as ‘In the shadow’), strict measures were supposed to be in place for the release of the controversial book on January 10 to keep the content secret and guarantee a boom in sales. However, countless copies are already circulating in Spain.

A spokesperson for the Barcelona-based publisher, which belongs to Penguin Random House, confirmed that “a very clear launch protocol had been established that was communicated to all clients so that the book would not be marketed before that date. Everything indicates that some customers have breached their commitment to the publisher and have put the book on sale before the agreed date.”

Thanks to the Spanish blunder, media outlets in the UK are causing a stir after printing explosive excerpts from the book. In one, published by The Guardian, Prince Harry claims that William physically assaulted him after a heated discussion about Meghan Markle.

According to Joel Naoum from Booktopia, retailers are usually expected to sign a contract preventing them from selling big-ticket books ahead of schedule.

“Usually when a retailer breaks an embargo, it is an accident,” he said. “It’s possible it was done in this case, maliciously, but I would generally question that.”

However, Spanish booksellers certainly have form. In 2004, the fifth instalment of the Harry Potter series, ‘The Order of the Phoenix’ was available in Madrid two days before its intended launch in Latin America and Spain.

While publishers do have the right to sue book stores who break the contract, they are usually loathe to create such a furore so close to the launch, and in the case of Prince Harry’s memoirs, the move is unlikely to impact sales anyway.

“It will be a pretty big seller,” Mr Naoum has predicted.

“It’s going to be a successful book on release. I don’t think they have that much to worry about in that regard.”

Image: Amazon

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