UK Bookstores React to Prince Harry’s Memoir

The release Prince Harry’s memoir, “Spare,”It was a highly anticipated affair in Britain. There were leaked passages that describe fights between Harry (and his brother, Prince William) and Harry (claiming to be the victim). have killed 25 Taliban fightersIn recent days, the headlines in newspapers all over the country were:

But as bookstores placed “Spare” in window displays and flung open their doors on Tuesday, reaction among the British public appeared muted, under a gray rainy sky. While journalists flocked to the lines early in the morning, regular book buyers were slow to make their way through the doors.

It seemed strange considering the high level of interest in the memoir that some booksellers reported it had received, as well as the internet interest. Waterstones, Britain’s largest bookstore chain, said that it had seen some of the biggest preorders in a decade, and that “unprecedented” numbers of people had ordered the memoir to pick up on Tuesday.

“We expect ‘Spare’ to be one of this year’s best sellers,” John Cotterill, the nonfiction category manager for the brand, said in a statement on Tuesday, adding “welcome interest to a usually quieter month.”

Some people did not venture into bookstores. Others were curious, and some dismissed the latest episode of a mounting royal drama. a Netflix documentary seriesAnd on social media.

Some said they saw recent revelations by Prince Harry as nothing more than a distraction — the machinations of Britain’s aristocracy at stark odds with the deepening economic squeeze being felt across the country.

“It’s been hugely overblown. I don’t think people care,” said Nikki Kastner, an owner of Herne Hill Books, a small independent seller in South London. “It’s not exactly the ‘Harry Potter’ launch, is it?”

Others however were more curious.

Monika Nicolaou, a self-described fan of Britain’s royal family, dropped by the Waterstones bookstore in London’s Piccadilly Circus to pick up a copy of “Spare” on Tuesday and planned to start reading it on her way to work.

“Dirty laundry should be left behind-the-scenes,” she said, explaining that she disapproved of Prince Harry’s decision to share secrets about the royal family. “I don’t think it was brave.”

The book contains the following: Harry writes aboutHe and his brother pleaded with their father not marry Camilla, now queen consort, but he did. There are also insights into his relationship with Prince William, his anxiety, his time in Afghanistan and his battles with anxiety.

“​​It’s making people question whether they really like him or not,” said James Broadley, who was looking at the bookstore’s display with his wife. The book cost 28 Pounds, which is about $35, but Amazon and Waterstones are selling it for half the price. Although Broadley didn’t consider himself to be a big royalist, he found the situation fascinating.

A spokeswoman for Waterstones said in an email that the half price offer was customary to give a “balanced offer for Waterstones customers and compete with heavy online discounting.”

“It feels like they’ve gone the tabloid aspect of dishing dirt,” he said, adding that although the book was a “cash grab,” he understood the motivations behind it.

“This is part of him going alone,” Mr. Broadley said. “He’s got to make it somehow.”

Elisabeth Stang (56), a tourist from Norway, discovered the depth of the rift between Prince Harry, his older brother and Prince William, the current heir to the throne. “They are a hurt family,” she said, adding that the two had lost their mother so young and with the whole world watching them.

“I just think they are more normal than maybe we all think they are,” she said.

Joanna Davey, 38, and also a Waterstones customer, said: “I just feel really sad for him. I think you can tell he’s really experienced a lot of trauma in his life.” Ms Davey did not buy the book.

“It would be better if he sat down with a therapist instead of spilling his guts on paper,” she added. Harry did write in the book that he went to therapy and that his wife encouraged him to do so.

Aside from rainy skies, some blamed the wall-to-wall news media coverage of the memoir’s leaked contents in previous days for the less-than-enthusiastic reaction on Tuesday.

“It’s been on the radio all week, people are sick of it,” said Salman Gohar, a London cabdriver. “It took the magic out of the launch.”

“I liked him before, but he’s just going after them one by one now,” added Mr. Gohar in reference to Prince Harry.

The British public used social media on Tuesday to share their thoughts. Many people were not able to brave the rain, so many took to social networking sites to express their opinions. Many people lamented Prince Harry’s increasing rifts in royal families, while others felt sympathy for his account.