British Royals Who Wrote Memoirs Before Prince Harry: Sarah Ferguson, Wallis Simpson and More

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British Royals Who Wrote Memoirs Before Prince Harry: Sarah Ferguson, Wallis Simpson and More

The pen is mightier! Prince Harry might be the latest royal to tell all in a memoir, but he's hardly the first. The Duke of Sussex announced in July 2021 that he is working on a "wholly truthful" book to be published by Penguin Random House in late 2022. “I’m writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become,” he said in a statement announcing the book. “I’ve worn many hats over the years, both literally and figuratively, and my hope is that in telling my story — the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned — I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think." The news was met with a fair amount of shock from both royal watchers and actual royals. “The royal family is shaken up about the book,” a source told Us Weekly exclusively after the book was announced. The insider added that Prince Charles and Prince William were “particularly concerned about what Harry will reveal” after the former military pilot's increasing criticism, which was “bad enough” already. The decision to share a "firsthand account" of his life in print seems unprecedented, but 70 years ago, his great-grandfather Edward VIII did much the same thing in a ghostwritten memoir called A King's Story. [jwplayer ZplLghUC-l3ahXupL] As fans of The Crown may recall, Edward abdicated the throne in 1936 after the U.K. government opposed his marriage to American divorcée Wallis Simpson. Following his abdication, he was titled the Duke of Windsor and wed Simpson in 1937. A Foreign Affairs review of his 1951 book called it "a pleasant autobiography" that covered territory leading up to Edward's abdication and marriage. "The work is not particularly informative about broad world or Empire affairs, but is most useful for an understanding of the subtle premises of that unique institution, the British crown," the review concluded. It remains to be seen what kind of details Harry will reveal about the "unique institution" he decided to leave in 2020, but his publisher promises that the memoir will be full of details about his life from childhood to the present day. “Prince Harry will offer an honest and captivating personal portrait, one that shows readers that behind everything they think they know lies an inspiring, courageous, and uplifting human story,” read a press release, noting that the book will be "the definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons that have helped shape him." Keep scrolling for a list of other British royals who revealed all in books: [podcast_block]

Credit: Shutterstock

British Royals Who Wrote Memoirs Before Prince Harry: Sarah Ferguson, Wallis Simpson and More

The pen is mightier! Prince Harry might be the latest royal to tell all in a memoir, but he's hardly the first. The Duke of Sussex announced in July 2021 that he is working on a "wholly truthful" book to be published by Penguin Random House in late 2022. “I’m writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become,” he said in a statement announcing the book. “I’ve worn many hats over the years, both literally and figuratively, and my hope is that in telling my story — the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned — I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think." The news was met with a fair amount of shock from both royal watchers and actual royals. “The royal family is shaken up about the book,” a source told Us Weekly exclusively after the book was announced. The insider added that Prince Charles and Prince William were “particularly concerned about what Harry will reveal” after the former military pilot's increasing criticism, which was “bad enough” already. The decision to share a "firsthand account" of his life in print seems unprecedented, but 70 years ago, his great-grandfather Edward VIII did much the same thing in a ghostwritten memoir called A King's Story. [jwplayer ZplLghUC-l3ahXupL] As fans of The Crown may recall, Edward abdicated the throne in 1936 after the U.K. government opposed his marriage to American divorcée Wallis Simpson. Following his abdication, he was titled the Duke of Windsor and wed Simpson in 1937. A Foreign Affairs review of his 1951 book called it "a pleasant autobiography" that covered territory leading up to Edward's abdication and marriage. "The work is not particularly informative about broad world or Empire affairs, but is most useful for an understanding of the subtle premises of that unique institution, the British crown," the review concluded. It remains to be seen what kind of details Harry will reveal about the "unique institution" he decided to leave in 2020, but his publisher promises that the memoir will be full of details about his life from childhood to the present day. “Prince Harry will offer an honest and captivating personal portrait, one that shows readers that behind everything they think they know lies an inspiring, courageous, and uplifting human story,” read a press release, noting that the book will be "the definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons that have helped shape him." Keep scrolling for a list of other British royals who revealed all in books: [podcast_block]

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Edward VIII

The former king (and uncle of Queen Elizabeth II) recounted his life story in 1951's A King's Story: The Memoirs of the Duke of Windsor. While Edward did have some interest in telling his side of the dramatic story that had gripped the nation, he and Simpson also faced financial difficulties after they were cut off from the monarchy. The book's royalties helped fund their lifestyle in France.

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Wallis Simpson

Five years after A King's Story, Simpson published The Heart Has Its Reasons: The Memoirs of the Duchess of Windsor. Though the book covered the events leading up to her husband's eventual abdication, she also wrote about her first two marriages and divorces.

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Princess Diana

Harry's mother is not credited as an author of Andrew Morton's 1992 biography, Diana: Her True Story, but Morton later revealed that she was the main source for the book and read over his drafts for corrections. The 25th anniversary reissue also includes excerpts taken directly from transcripts of Morton's interview with the late royal.

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Sarah Ferguson

After her 1996 divorce from Prince Andrew (Elizabeth's second son), Ferguson published a memoir titled My Story. The book created a huge uproar at the time and included allegations about the royal family's refusal to help her in moments of crisis. In 2011, she wrote a second memoir titled Finding Sarah: A Duchess's Journey to Find Herself.

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Prince Charles

Like his ex-wife, Diana, Charles was not listed as an author of 1994's The Prince of Wales: A Biography, but he did openly collaborate with author Jonathan Dimbleby and gave the book his stamp of approval. Among other things, Dimbleby claimed that Charles was forced into his marriage to Diana by his late father, Prince Philip.

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Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester

Alice was married to Prince Henry, who was a great-grandson of Queen Victoria. (His older brothers were Edward VIII and George VI, the father of Elizabeth.) The duchess published two books in her lifetime: 1983's The Memoirs of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester and 1992's Memories of Ninety Years.

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Prince Harry

Penguin Random House unveiled the cover and title for Harry’s memoir, Spare, ahead of its January 2023 release. Per a book summary, Spare is set to showcase a “raw, unflinching” look into the duke’s life “in the public eye.”