Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Prince Harry’s memoir Spare becomes fastest-selling non-fiction book in UK since records began

The Duke of Sussex’s autobiography Spare sold 467,183 copies in its first week of sales

Connie Evans
Tuesday 17 January 2023 20:01 GMT
Prince William ignores reporter's question about Prince Harry's book

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Duke of Sussex’s controversial memoir has become the fastest-selling non-fiction book in the UK since records began in 1998.

According to Nielsen BookData, which collects and provides information on distribution and sales measurement of books, Harry’s headline-grabbing autobiography Spare sold 467,183 copies in its first week.

The memoir, which hit the shelves on January 10, includes claims that the Prince of Wales physically attacked him and teased him about his panic attacks, and that the King put his own interests above Harry’s and was jealous of the Duchess of Sussex and the Princess of Wales.

The data released by Nielsen shows that the book has broken the previous record of 210,506 set by the first Pinch Of Nom cookbook – written by Kay Allinson – in 2019.

The Nielsen BookData does not include e-books or audiobooks and refers only to the sale of physical copies. 

Spare, which was ghostwritten by JR Moehringer, is the only non-fiction book to make it into the top 10 fastest-selling books in the UK since records began.

Since January 1998 JK Rowling has dominated the chart, with four of her Harry Potter novels sitting at the top, while Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol claims the fifth spot ahead of Spare at number six.

To claim number one on the chart, which looks at the first week of sales only, Rowling’s Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows sold 2.63 million copies in its first week in 2007.

Despite the memoir hitting shelves in Spain ahead of the official publication date, and a number of extracts leaking in the lead-up to the book’s UK release, Nielsen’s data suggest sales were not negatively affected.

In a US broadcast promoting the work, Harry branded the Duchess of Cornwall the “villain” and “dangerous”, accusing her of rehabilitating her image at the expense of his.

As the duke continued a run of high-profile promotional interviews, he said he “would like nothing more” than for his children to have relationships with the royal family.

His remarks about his son and daughter came despite the criticism he has levelled at his brother William, father Charles and stepmother Camilla.

He also described his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, as his “guardian angel” and said she is with him “all the time”.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in