Prince Harry’s new memoir Spare is reportedly being shared on WhatsApp for free.
The Duke of Sussex’s book, released on Tuesday, has already become the fastest-selling non-fiction book ever, according to its publishers Transworld Penguin Random House.
But a number of Twitter users have said they have been sent a PDF of the memoir on the social messaging app, potentially costing the prince lost sales, and it is not uncommon for books to be shared on illegal torrenting sites after publication.
Despite this though, Spare has sold 1.4 million in just two days of release.
Larry Finlay, managing director of Transworld Penguin Random House said the only books to ever have sold more copies on the first release day are those “starring another Harry”.
Mr Finlay said: “We always knew this book would fly but it is exceeding even our most bullish expectations.
“As far as we know, the only books to have sold more in their first day are those starring the other Harry (Potter).”
Spare is full of detail about Harry’s private life alongside criticisms of the royal family and the press.
Ghostwritten by JR Moehringer, the book charts Harry’s younger years, including his memories of his late mother, Diana, along with his struggles dealing with press intrusion, dating while in the public eye and his years serving in Afghanistan.
Later, he details his first dates with Meghan Markle and the growing tensions between him and his older brother William, now Prince of Wales.
The Duke of Sussex opens up about how various labels such as “cheat” and “thicko” affected him, as well as the tag “spare to the heir”.
The royal first announced the lucrative multi-book deal with Penguin Random House in July 2021.
While no figure has been officially confirmed, publisher Penguin Random House is rumoured to have paid Harry a $20m (£17m) advance for Spare, the BBC reports. ET Canada, has reported that Prince Harry’s book deal consists of four editions, with a $35m-$40m (£28m-33m) price tag.
Prince Harry is expected to donate proceeds from the book sales to charity, People reports.
The royal announced that a portion of the proceeds would be going to Sentebale, an organisation he founded in 2006 with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to help children affected by HIV in Africa.
“This is one of several donations I plan to make to charitable organizations, and I’m grateful to be able to give back in this way for the children and communities who gravely need it,” he said in a statement.
