Guy Hedgecoe
BBC News, Madrid

Image source, Reuters

Reports first started to emerge yesterday morning that some bookstores in Spain were stocking a translation of Prince Harry's autobiography, a full five days ahead of its official sale date.

As the news spread, journalists frantically tried to find copies, causing even more congestion in stores on a day when many Spaniards do their last-minute shopping ahead of Three Kings Day.

La Casa del Libro, one of the country's biggest book retail chains, was selling copies in Barcelona and Madrid, but most other booksellers were observing the 10 January sale date and still not stocking it.

At times the rules regarding the sale date seemed to be blurred: one BBC journalist appeared to have secured a copy of the book in a store, only to be told at the last minute that she was not actually allowed to buy it.

By midday, La Casa del Libro, at least, appeared to have realised its mistake and the books were removed from its shelves.

It emerged that it was not the only retailer selling the book: the BBC eventually found a copy of Harry's autobiography in a small independent bookshop in Zaragoza.

This is rather embarrassing for the book industry in Spain, particularly at a time of year when it tends to see sales peak.

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Prince Harry has been facing some backlash today from members of the armed forces after claiming in his memoir that he killed 25 Taliban fighters during his time as a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan.

Ben McBean, a former marine who flew with Harry many times, told BBC 5 Live he was "proud of him for playing his part," but "that doesn't justify talking about how many people you have killed".

He added that the revelation may create a security risk not just for the royal, but the UK at large.

“If the Taliban can’t get access to Harry, they might think about who they can target in the UK. There’s no positive to it coming out," McBean said.

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The Taliban has reacted to Prince Harry's claims in his book about killing 25 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, who he describes as "chess pieces" in war.

"This issue is not unique to Harry. The forces of all the occupying countries have committed similar crimes in our country," Taliban deputy spokesman Bilal Karimi said.

"It is unfortunate that Western countries consider themselves to be supporters of human rights. And they actually commit this kind of crime.

"This confession shows that the forces of all occupying countries have the same criminal stories."

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For some BBC 5 Live listeners, Prince Harry's tell-all book is a step too far.

Karen in Shropshire tells Nicky Campbell that these allegations against the Royal Family paint Harry as a “maverick, spoilt brat”.

“Harry has allowed himself to create a narrative that is divisive, maverick and uncontrolled," she says.

Rick in Leamington Spa says he’s a big fan of the Royal Family, and Harry’s accusations are “an attention grabbing exercise”.

“It seems like Harry had thrown out a massive amount of invitations for a pity party,” he adds.

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Over on BBC Radio 5 Live, callers have been sharing their views on the explosive claims made in Prince Harry's memoir, Spare.

Discussing the allegations of physical altercations between Harry and Prince William, Ben in Ulverston says “it’s lifted the veil on a family that has its problems," showing that "it’s a family like any other family”.

“I think good on Harry, he’s been treated appallingly from his family and by the press, and it’s got to the point where he’s drawn a line in the sand," he says.

"I don’t think anyone should be under any illusion that the Royal Family has any dignity.”

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It's been a busy day so far as more leaked excerpts from Prince Harry's memoir Spare emerge.

If you're just joining us, or need a recap, here's a round-up of some of the key revelations:

Relationship with Prince William

• A major focus of the book is Harry's deteriorating relationship with his brother, which culminated in the pair having an alleged altercation in 2019 over Harry's relationship with Meghan
• Elsewhere, he claims William and Kate encouraged him to wear a Nazi costume to a Halloween party in 2005, which later made front page news

• Harry also claims that he and William joined together in pleading that their father not marry Camilla, now the Queen Consort

The death of Diana, Princess of Wales

• The book begins with a dedication by Harry to his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, their children and "of course" his mother - setting the tone for a deeply personal memoir
• Harry writes about using a psychic to communicate with his mother, Diana, and says she told him she was happy he was living the life she never could
• He also writes about replicating the car journey Diana made in Paris in the lead-up top her death, hoping it would give him closure, but says it instead left him questioning the official cause of her death

Life as a young royal

• Recalling his time at Eton College, Harry writes about using drugs from the age of 17 including cocaine and marijuana
• He also says he lost his virginity to an older woman in a field behind a pub

Army career

• Harry has been criticised for choosing to publish the number of people he purportedly killed - 25- while fighting in Afghanistan for the British Army
• Retired commander Richard Kemp says this could worsen any security threats against the prince and provoke the wrong people to "take revenge"

Buckingham Palace has so far declined to comment on the claims made in the book.

Prince Harry's tell-all book Spare includes recollections of his time serving in Afghanistan.

He makes claims about killing 25 insurgents and describes viewing them as "chess pieces" in warfare.

Colonel Richard Kemp, commander of British forces in Afghanistan in 2006, told the BBC that's not how the British Army sees it.

Keeping a tally of the enemy is unwisepublished at 11:42 Greenwich Mean Time 6 January 2023

11:42 GMT 6 January 2023

Jonathan Beale
BBC defence correspondent

Image source, PA Media

"It’s very un-soldier like”. That's the view of someone still serving in the military on Harry’s claim he's killed 25 Taliban fighters.

One soldier who did several tours of Afghanistan said he’d struggle to work out how many 'kills' he’d directly been involved in - without access to all the specific patrol reports.

Lots of people firing in roughly the same direction would make it harder. Like many, this soldier wasn’t interested in keeping count.

It is perfectly possible that Harry might have been involved in 25 'kills'. He did two tours of Helmand - one very briefly as Forward Air Controller on the ground. His job then would have mostly been calling in strikes rather than directly engaging with the enemy.

It was on his second longer tour, as an apache helicopter pilot, when he’d have seen most action. He’d have had a better view than most from his cockpit - and he would be able to see individuals up close using the helicopters sensors and screens.

An apache pilot would be able to review the footage from the cockpit video to assess the battle damage. But battle damage assessments, or BDAs in the military, are just that - assessments.

No one in the Army is disputing Harry’s claim. The Ministry of Defence is simply not commenting.

There’s one obvious reason why, his own security, as keeping a tally of enemy killed might appear unseemly but it’s also unwise.

Reactions to the revelations in Prince Harry's memoir Spare have been coming in thick and fast since it was first leaked yesterday.

Katie Nicholl, who is Vanity Fair's royal correspondent, has been sharing her views on why Harry has made such public claims.

"There was a huge amount of money at stake and if you're going to take a multi-million dollar book advance then you're going to have to spill the beans," she says.

"And I'm afraid that's what Harry has done in return for the big bucks, I mean the short answer is he sold out."

Harry's book provides no shortage of details about his relationship with his family, and in one passage he describes how his father described him as the "spare" son.

The title of his book, Spare, likely comes from the quote in British aristocratic circles about the need for an heir, and a spare.

Harry says Charles reputedly said to Diana on the day he was born that their son's arrival was wonderful and that now she had given him an heir and a spare, his work was done.

As we've mentioned, both Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace have declined to comment on the claims in the book.

We've been asking you to get in touch to tell us your views on the revelations from Prince Harry's memoir.

Here's some of what our readers had to say:

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Prince Harry has made claims about several acrimonious spats between him and his brother, Prince William, in his memoir, Spare.

Since their relationship reportedly soured when Harry announced he was stepping back from royal duties, the pair have rarely been spotted together in public.

The brothers were last reunited publicly at their grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September.

It is not known when they will next see each other, after Harry declined to commit to attending the upcoming coronation of his father King Charles in May.

The book focusses a lot on Harry’s relationship with William and how it has deteriorated over the years.

One example Harry gives is a story about the ‘secret code’ the princes shared.

They had an agreement that they would only "swear on Mummy’s memory" to signal they were in a moment of extreme crisis.

But after the brothers were quarelling following the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, William used the code when trying to reassure Harry he wanted him to be happy. Harry says that despite invoking the special phrase, he still didn’t believe him.

Harry says the incident brought into focus how far apart they had grown and the loss of trust between them, when even swearing on their mother's memory couldn't make him believe his brother.

Image source, Reuters

Rishi Sunak has said it’s “not appropriate” for him to comment on matters related to the Royal Family when asked about the revelations in Prince Harry’s leaked memoir.

When questioned by reporters about Harry's claim that he killed 25 Taliban fighters, the prime minster again said he “wouldn’t comment” but added that he was “enormously grateful to our armed forces".

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In the book, Prince Harry describes how his sadness over the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, led to him seeking help from a woman who "claimed to have 'powers".

"Your mother says that you are living the life that she couldn't live," Harry says the woman told him. "You're living the life she wanted for you."

Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997 when Harry was 12.

He also writes about a conversation he had with Prince William, his brother, about how he feels their mother guided him towards Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

"Willy took a step backward. His face looked concerned. It seems that went too far," Harry recalls, before claiming his brother responded with: "Well, Harold, I'm not so sure. I wouldn't say that."

Sean Coughlan
BBC News, royal correspondent

Image source, PA Media

From losing his mother, losing his trust in his family to losing his virginity, Prince Harry's bombshell memoir, Spare, leaves few royal stones unturned.

But there is also a deep seam of unresolved grief, with repeated references to Princess Diana.

Prince Harry's view is clear from the very outset of the book, in its dedication - to his wife Meghan, their children Archie and Lilibet, and "of course" his mother.

He talks in the book of being left with a legacy of "terrifying panic attacks" and the sweat-drenched anxiety he felt about appearing and speaking in public.

A clue to understanding Prince Harry's clear sense of unfinished business comes from a quote from US writer William Faulkner that's used to start a chapter: "The past is never dead. It's not even past."

It was a line used by Barack Obama before he became president - and it runs through this memoir like the writing in a stick of rock. It's a past that dominates his present - the sense of losing his mother and then failing to find the support he expected.

This is Prince Harry's version of events - Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace have declined to comment.

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We're continuing to bring you some of the main revelations from Spare, as reporters scour its pages.

In an emotional excerpt from the book, Prince Harry recalls a time he asked his driver to replicate the journey his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, took in the lead-up to her death.

While in Paris for the 2007 Rugby World Cup semi-final, Harry, then 23, was driven through the Pont de l'Alma tunnel at the same speed as the car that was carrying Diana and Dodi Fayed before it crashed in August 1997.

He remembers weaving through traffic, "cruising past the Ritz, where Mummy had her last meal" that August night, and finally entering the tunnel.

Appearing to question the official cause of Diana's death, Harry says the car he was in went over "the bump that supposedly sent Mummy's Mercedes veering off course" - but it was "nothing" and he "barely felt it".

He says in the book, titled Spare, that he hoped the drive would bring him some form of closure. It didn't, he writes, adding it had been "a very bad idea".

Image source, Getty Images

A number of bookstores in Spain were selling Prince Harry’s book yesterday, five days ahead of its official launch date.

A Reuters reporter who attempted to purchase the memoir there struggled to obtain a copy.

At one shop, the book was displayed on shelves but a staff member withdrew it after the reporter asked why it was being sold in Spain earlier than in Britain, according to Reuters.

Another shop said the book had already sold out.

A spokesperson for the Spanish publisher Plaza y Janes Editores said a “very clear launch protocol” was communicated to all customers to make sure the book was not sold before its release date.

"Everything points to the fact that some customers have breached their commitment to the publisher and have put the book on sale before the agreed date,” the spokesperson said.

In the UK, bookshops have said they are under strict embargo to ensure the book is not released ahead of schedule.

Dozens of independent book shops are yet to even receive their copies.

Amid the fallout from Prince Harry's memoir the BBC takes a look back at his life in the spotlight with his brother and heir to the British throne, Prince William.

From birth the brother's lives have been closely watched by fans and critics alike.

Now, in his book, Harry refers to William as both his "beloved" big brother and his "arch-nemesis".

Prince Harry's memoir Spare isn't the only way he's trying to get his "side of the story" heard.

ITV has released a trailer for an upcoming interview with the prince and it's set to cover several controversial topics too.

In the preview clip, he discusses his rift with his brother William which he says turned physical, his drug use when he was younger but also his hopes for family reconciliation.

Harry: The Interview will be aired on ITV1 and ITVX at 21:00 GMT on 8 January