Prince Harry's memoir 'Spare' to go on sale in January

Publisher says book explores 'personal journey from trauma to healing'

Prince Harry’s memoir Spare will be released in the New Year, it has been announced.

The book will go on sale on January 10, according to the publisher.

It has been suggested the title is a reference to the phrase “heir and a spare,” which could provide an insight into Prince Harry's feelings about his place in the royal family.

The book covers the death of his mother, Princess Diana, as well as her funeral.

“Spare takes readers immediately back to one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother's coffin as the world watched in sorrow and horror,” said the publisher, Penguin Random House.

“As Diana, Princess of Wales, was laid to rest, billions wondered what the princes must be thinking and feeling — and how their lives would play out from that point on.”

The book also explores the prince's “personal journey from trauma to healing”.

“With its raw, unflinching honesty, Spare is a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief,” reads a description of the book.

In September, it was reported Prince Harry was seeking last-minute “refinements” to his autobiography because he feared some of it may not be well received after Queen Elizabeth II’s death.

The Duke of Sussex was said to be worried that it may be seen as “insensitive” following the recent flood of support for the British monarchy.

Experts questioned whether the changes may have come too late for publisher Penguin Random House, which had by that point already signed off the final draft.

It is not known whether changes were made to the book, which was ghostwritten by Pulitzer Prize-winner JR Moehringer and completed this summer.

According to reports in UK newspapers, the duke had earlier been told to revise the manuscript because it was regarded as being “too touchy-feely,” with much of the material devoted to his mental health.

Another report claimed the publisher found the first draft variously “disappointing” and “too emotional”.

The book’s proceeds will be used to support charities including Sentebale and WellChild.

The memoir will be available in English in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa and Canada.

It will also be published in 15 additional languages, including Spanish, Italian, German and Chinese.

Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the book's details.

The memoir is part of a three-title deal worth £36.8 million ($39.9m).