Spare: Prince Harry's book proving popular in Worthing with highest figures since 'Harry Potter mania'

Following weeks of controversial build-up and coverage, Prince Harry’s book went on sale on Wednesday (January 10). The book has officially hit shelves following days of leaks.

Although unable to reveal the exact number of sales, Rayah Evans, bookshop manager at Waterstones Worthing, said: “It is definitely selling well. We haven't seen these kinds of figures since the heights of the Harry Potter mania.

"Though I didn't have a queue at the door first thing I heard some shops did, so I'll blame the bad weather here for that.”

Rachel Matthews, who works at the Waterstones store in the town centre, spoke to the Worthing Herald. She said she has twice stocked up a table with the books on, which are on offer at half price (£14) this week.

“It's doing well,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of pre-orders. Some people are buying it because they like him, other people are buying it because they hate him.

“There are quite a few copies in the cupboard, ones that've we've kept back for people who have pre-ordered. The price is interesting. It's rare for it to be £28. Hardback biographies typically go for £20 to 25 and academic hardbacks typically go over £30."

John Cotterill, non-fiction category manager at Waterstones: “We are very pleased with the exceptional sales we have seen so far across our bookshops, with Spare currently being our number one bestseller.

"Having such a prominent book land in shops in January has added welcome interest to a usually quieter month. It is one of the biggest pre-orders for Waterstones in a decade and we have seen unprecedented numbers of click and collect orders. We expect Spare to be one of the bestselling books of 2023.”