Prince Harry’s memoir will still be pushed back following the death of Queen Elizabeth, multiple publishing sources told Page Six.
Insiders had already said that the hotly anticipated book was set to be held back until early 2023 as Harry worked out precisely which “truth bombs” he wanted to drop.
According to one source, the big question is: “Is Harry taking out anything potentially bad he wrote about [William, Charles and Camilla] now? Who knows what will change.”
But one thing is for sure: “He would never write anything bad about the Queen. He always has had the utmost love and respect for her.”
With Harry already looking for more time to finish the book, the Queen’s passing certainly could give it to him.
The memoir was initially slated to be released in November in time for all-important holiday sales, but now publishing insiders confirm it will almost certainly be pushed back out of respect for Harry’s grandmother.
One insider told Page Six: “Of course, the Queen”s passing was something that was always speculated on when we started working on the book … when it comes down to it, there is absolutely no way the book can come out this year.
“You only have to look at the royal family to see how emotional they are. This is a matter of respect for Her Majesty — as Prince Harry’s grandmother and as his Queen.”
Another publishing source said: “Harry will want to take out certain passages that involve Queen Elizabeth, out of respect for her. Plus, he will want to describe his feelings about the Queen’s passing.”
Another publishing source told Page Six — which first revealed the news of Harry’s $20 million publishing deal with Random House back in July 2021 — that there had been multiple edits with the prince’s ghostwriter, JR Moehringer.
Moehringer, who is married to Shannon Welch, a VP at Random House, is believed to be getting as much as $1.5 million for Harry’s book, according to publishing sources, as well as a slice of the sales profits.
Harry joined his father, King Charles, brother, Prince William, and other family members for the somber walk behind the Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday. He walked directly alongside William, with whom he’s had a fractious relationship over the past few years.
The Duke of Sussex’s wife, Meghan Markle, then joined them for a brief church service, before they left the monarch’s coffin to lie in state for four days ahead of her state funeral Monday.
In a message posted Monday on his and Markle’s Archewell website, Prince Harry said he was “forever grateful” that the Queen had been able to hug their children, Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1.
The Queen met Lilibet, who is named after her, for the first time during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, when the Sussexes made their first return trip to the UK as a family after quitting their royal jobs.
Addressing the monarch, who died at 96 on Sept. 9, as “Granny,” Harry shared his “great sadness” at her passing and described her as a “guiding compass” through her commitment to service and duty.
As Page Six revealed, Harry and Markle will be staying at their Windsor home until the funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday, Sept. 19. It now seems that their children will be staying at home in California during this time.
Sussex reps were unavailable for comment.
