Prince Andrew is said to have dropped plans to write a lucrative memoir like Prince Harry.
The 63-year-old’s apparent decision ahead of King Charles’s coronation on May 6, has come despite reports he wanted to follow the financial success Harry, 38, had with the release of his “Spare” autobiography in January, according to the ‘Daily Mail’.
A source told the newspaper how Andrew apparently wanted to use a memoir to explain his scandalous link to paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein: “Andrew was the original spare (heir) and there’s plenty of material. Compared to Harry, he has a far greater depth of history to draw from.
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“Writing a book would give him the opportunity to fully explain his association with Jeffrey Epstein and the resulting fallout.
“But it would also be a fascinating insight into the inner workings of the royals and their relationships.”
But another source told the ‘Mail’ that “there are no plans for a book and never have been”.
Referencing Andrew’s notorious 2019 TV chat about his links to Epstein, they said: “The duke has had a non-existent profile since ‘Newsnight’ precisely so as not to damage the institution … he would never do anything to deliberately damage the family.”
‘The Mail’ added it had been suggested Andrew was in discussions with US author and interviewer Daphne Barak to ghostwrite his tome, with two “leading publishers” said to be “interested in an autobiography of the duke.
It also said a “lucrative” book deal would be useful for Andrew as he has allegedly told friends he received no inheritance from the Queen when she died in September at the age of 96.
An insider said: “Andrew needs to find ways of making money and supporting himself.
“It would be a huge wrench to leave Royal Lodge. But mainly he wants to set the record straight. If he doesn’t change the narrative, no one else will.”
Harry’s “Spare” is the fastest-selling memoir in publishing history, having shifted 3.2 million copies globally in a week after he secured a four-book deal worth £16 million in advance.