Despite the Duke of Sussex’s controversial memoir becoming the fastest-selling non-fiction book in the UK since records began in 1998, his local bookseller has revealed she has only sold 30 copies of Spare.
Mary Sheldon, owner of Tecolote Book Shop in Montecito, has said her shop has only managed to sell 30 copies of autobiography since it was released.
The owner of the store has struggled to shift copies with Harry and Meghan’s Californian neighbours have little interest in the book.
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.
Speaking to The Guardian, Ms Sheldon said some customers had reserved copies to collect in person, but the area had a lack of buzz for the book.
Despite the memoir being written by local man Harry, Ms Sheldon said: “I think most people up here think of it as a soap opera.”
James Manning
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”.
Discussing their decision to reside in the United States, the Duchess of Sussex said the couple’s life in California allowed them the “freedom to share family moments” with their young children Archie and Lilibet.
Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary includes footage from their life at home in Montecito.
Yui Mok
Near the end of the final episode of the documentary, Meghan said: “A part of what’s beautiful here is the freedom to have family moments out in the world.
“And I want our kids to be able to do that and to be able to travel and to fall in love. I just want them to be happy.”
Harry said: “The world that they see is how I would love the world to be. They don’t worry about, they don’t need to worry about the things that we worry about.”
It is still unknown whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will attend King Charles III’s historic coronation later this year, with GB News’ Royal Reporter Cameron Walker telling Alastair Stewart the couple have put the monarchy in a difficult position.
“We don’t have a guestlist yet of who’s going to be invited to the coronation, so it’s unconfirmed whether Harry and Meghan will arrive.
“For the Royal Family it’s damned if they do, damned if they don’t.”