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Prince Harry's Spare becomes UK's fastest-selling non-fiction book

EPA Copies of Prince Harry's memoir Spare on saleEPA
The much-publicised memoir was released on 10 January

Prince Harry's memoir Spare has become the fastest-selling non-fiction book in the UK since records began in 1998.

The much-publicised book sold 467,183 copies in its first week, according to official figures from Nielsen BookData.

The book, which was written with celebrity ghostwriter JR Moehringer, went on sale on 10 January.

Most of the revelations in the book leaked early after some copies went on sale in Spain several days before the official publication date.

But that does not appear to have damaged sales of Spare. The only books to have enjoyed higher first-week sales since Nielsen's records began were four Harry Potter novels and Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol.

The memoir sees Prince Harry describe his experience as a member of the Royal Family before he stepped back from official duties in 2020.

It provides behind-the-scenes details of the conflict he had with his brother, Prince William, the heir to the throne.

The book was released in a blaze of publicity, receiving widespread media coverage around the world.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported the book sold 1.4 million copies in its first day - including pre-orders - across the US, the UK and Canada.

It is the only non-fiction book in the all-time top 10 fastest-sellers since Nielsen started collecting data.

Fastest-selling books in the UK since January 1998

JK Rowling
The Harry Potter novels, written by JK Rowling, dominate the top 10
  1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (JK Rowling) - 2.63 million copies sold in first week
  2. Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince (JK Rowling) - 1.87 million
  3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (JK Rowling) - 1.68 million
  4. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (JK Rowling, Jack Thorne, John Tiffany) - 848,000
  5. The Lost Symbol (Dan Brown) - 551,000
  6. Spare (Prince Harry) - 467,000
  7. Grey (EL James) - 386,000
  8. The Tales of Beedle the Bard (JK Rowling) - 368,000
  9. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (JK Rowling) - 256,000
  10. Inferno (Dan Brown) - 229,000

Source: Nielsen BookData

The previous fastest-selling non-fiction book was the first Pinch of Nom cookbook, which sold 210,506 copies upon its release in 2019.