It got the royal treatment.
An independent bookstore poked fun at Prince Harry’s scathing autobiography, Spare, which details Harry’s longstanding struggles with the royals, by placing the memoir alongside Bella Mackie’s novel, How to Kill Your Family.
Bert’s Books in Swindon, England, on Monday shared a photo of their store’s front display with the two books side by side.
“Anyway, we have a few spare copies of Spare if you want one,” the store wrote.
Bert’s Books in Swindon, England, drew attention online this week for its clever presentation of Prince Harry’s new memoir. Twitter / @bertsbooks
Shopkeeper Alex Call, 35, said his staff thought the exhibition was “pretty light-hearted and would make a few people smile,” according to the BBC.
With Harry’s book dominating the headlines, the outlet’s store staff said they didn’t expect it to remain a bestseller for very long.
“The price is £28, which I think is quite steep for a book,” said Michael Ritchie, who works at the store. “People will say, ‘Actually, I don’t know if I’m going to pay for this or[I]will wait for the paperback.'”
Spare broke the UK record for best-selling non-fiction book in history on Thursday. Getty Images
Ritchie noted that Harry and Meghan have “already had a lot of press” and that readers may turn up because they’ve heard enough. He also thought it might be aimed at American readers rather than British ones.
Twitter users applauded the establishment, with many quick jokes under the shop’s original post.
“Who will sue HRH or Ms Mackie first?” one commenter wrote.
Twitter users were quick to comment on the store’s clever book launch. Twitter / @bertsbooks
“We just put our best-selling books on display… people are making all sorts of wild assumptions and connections,” the store replied with an upside-down emoji.
Mackie, whose novel How to Kill Your Family was the shop’s best-selling book of 2022, shared a screenshot of the post on her Instagram account.
“Thanks to the 8000 people who sent this to me today. And thanks @bertsbooks what an honor,” Mackie wrote.
Prince Harry’s controversial autobiography has broken the UK record for best-selling non-fiction book in history, the publisher announced on Tuesday.
The store said it is putting the two books together because they are both bestsellers.
Harry has aggressively promoted the release of his book, which details his struggles with the loss of his mother, Princess Diana, his strained relationship with his father, King Charles, and even details of physical altercations with his brother, Prince William.
The book also includes other bombastic revelations and goes into more detail on how Harry’s marriage to Meghan Markle has caused friction with the royal family.