Prince Harry has been warned he faces an uphill task to prevent the contents of his new memoir from going public if, as seems likely, it has already been printed. Jonathan Sacerdoti was speaking after Katie Nicholl, Vanity Fair’s Royal Correspondent, suggested the Duke of Sussex was pushing for major changes to the book after the death of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.
She further claimed copies had probably already been printed, predicting publisher Penguin Random House would have to pulp them at enormous cost.
Journalist Mr Sacerdoti, whose television credits include the BBC, Fox News and Sky News, told Express.co.uk: “I haven’t heard anything about the books being pulped.
“There are times when publishers have to do that, for example if they lose a legal case because of something printed in a book.”
However, he added: “If it’s true that Harry’s book is being rewritten or re-edited after it had been signed off and possibly even been produced to a nearly finished state, then there is also a risk that the earlier version could be leaked and made public even if a decision is made to change the focus or tone things down.
“That’s always going to be a risk that will maybe make some people afraid.
“The further down the line it was, the more people will have seen it, and the more digital copies of it there will be in circulation.”
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In a statement issued last year, he said: “I’m writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become.
“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.”
He added: “I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to share what I’ve learned over the course of my life so far and excited for people to read a first hand account of my life that’s accurate and wholly truthful.”
However, the Queen’s death on September 8, which saw both Harry and Meghan temporarily reunited with other senior Royals, including father King Charles III, had prompted a rethink, Ms Nicholl – who has recently published her own book, New Royals – suggested in an interview with True Royalty TV’s Royal Beat.
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She said: “What is interesting, after having just done my own book and got that out quickly because of what has happened, is if his book was ready to go out in the fall, for Thanksgiving and Christmas, it will have been printed.
“So are they pulping those editions? If so, that will be phenomenally expensive.
“But, I don’t think Harry can risk being seen to be insensitive to his grandmother’s memory.
“So my understanding is that yes, changes are being made.”
Meghan, 41, and Harry, 37, are also understood to seeking edits to their eagerly awaited Netflix documentary series in order to make it more sympathetic to the Royal Family.
Speaking to celebrity gossip website Page Six, one insider said “a lot of conversations” were taking place.
They added: “I hear that Harry and Meghan want the series to be held until next year, they want to stall.
“I wonder if the show could even be dead in the water at this point, do Harry and Meghan just want to shelve this thing?”