Prince Harry's publishers have signaled their hope that the royal's 15-hour self-read recording of his memoir, Spare, will secure a nomination for the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, publishers Penguin Random House Audio uploaded an image of the book cover with the caption "For your Grammy consideration" listing the category of: "Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording."
Newsweek reached out to Penguin Random House and representatives of Prince Harry for comment.
Harry's audiobook became a viral sensation after its global release on January 10. A number of social media users posted edited clips and compilations from the recording across platforms, many highlighting the bizarre nature of hearing Harry making personal revelations in his own voice.
Principally among these was the story the prince included detailing his experience with frostbite on his penis, which was caught during a trek to the North Pole before Prince William and Kate Middleton's 2011 wedding.
"My penis was oscillating between extremely sensitive and borderline traumatized. The last place I wanted to be was Frostnipistan," he wrote before going on to describe a home remedy that was pounced on by late-night TV hosts as the subject of skits and opening monologues.
This clip found particular fame on TikTok, where users recorded their own reactions, lip-syncs and dances to the clip. One video made by the TikTok account @greatbritishmemes about the confession received over 6 million views and in excess of 369,000 likes. It has also gone on to be used as a sound in over 4,500 other videos.
The frostbite clip is not the only one to have found favor among a social media audience. The prince dramatically reading the lyrics to "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls in a section about a visit to Africa after his mother's death in 1997 was also widely shared after release.
The Grammy Awards' "Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording" category is competitive, with past winners including Barack and Michelle Obama, Maya Angelou, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Quincy Jones.
Alongside their X post about Spare on Wednesday, Penguin Random House also released images of a number of other titles with the "For your Grammy consideration" caption, suggesting Harry's nomination could be hard won.
Other Penguin Random House titles put forward include The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama; Its OK To Be Angry About Capitalism by Bernie Sanders; And Build The Life You Want by Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey.
Grammy voters are currently submitting ballots on what is known as the first round of voting, which narrows thousands of entries from record labels and publishers into the final categories and official nominees.
The list of nominees will be published on November 10, 2023. The category winners will be announced at the glittering annual awards ceremony in Los Angeles on February 4, 2024.
Though the competition may be stiff, an entertainment expert previously told Newsweek that Harry had every chance of securing a Grammy nomination and even going on to take the win.
"With the huge success I am positive Harry's book Spare will certainly be nominated for next year's Grammy awards," said entertainment expert and founder of MarkMeets, Mark Boardman. "The book and audiobook have surpassed expectations, and just the nomination will draw huge attention again to the royal.
"The audiobook is not something we typically hear from an author of such a high status, and the way he uses his voice to tell his side of the story illustrates his ongoing unresolved emotional pain. He is an eloquent speaker, well-expressed and effective in persuading people of what he truly feels," he said.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
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