Prince Harry’s Spare has become the fastest-selling non-fiction book since records began in the UK.
The Duke of Sussex’s autobiography grabbed headlines on its release for its candid tales of drug-taking, losing his virginity and claims he killed 25 Taliban during the invasion of Afghanistan.
According to Nielsen BookData, which collects and provides information on distribution and sales measurement of books, 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.
It came after it emerged the King is refusing to react to his son Prince Harry’s bestselling memoir by breaking his silence or taking part in so-called peace talks, sources said on Monday.
Relations between Harry, his father and Prince William are at an all-time low following the publication of Spare and a series of publicity interviews in which he attacked the royals.
Although it has been reported that talks are already being planned and that a meeting must be arranged by April, ahead of the King’s coronation on May 6, it is understood that there is currently no dialogue, spoken or written, with Harry “at this moment in time”.
The King, supported by William, is determined not to “jump to judgement” over the fall-out from Harry’s claims, informed sources say. An insider said: “He has never been one to make quick judgements. There is no appetite at this moment in time to engage.”
