Prince Harry’s publishers are red-faced at one of the biggest leaks in literary history

Prince Harry’s publishers have been left red-faced by one of the biggest leaks in literary history.

His bombastic autobiography, Spare, appeared in Spanish bookstores five days before Penguin Random House officially published it.

Shoppers in Barcelona, ​​including a Daily Mail journalist, lined up to snag copies of the long-awaited book, which has been kept under wraps for months.

Before it was pulled from the shelves, En La Sombra, translated as In the Shadows, was selling for €21.90 (£19.40) in the ‘recommended’ section of the Casa del Libro.

His bombastic autobiography, Spare, appeared in Spanish bookstores five days before Penguin Random House officially published it

Shoppers in Barcelona, ​​including a Daily Mail journalist, lined up to snag copies of the long-awaited book, which has been kept under wraps for months

Tomorrow is King’s Day in Spain, the day families traditionally exchange gifts, and retailers have seen a boom in trade in last-minute purchases.

A seller from Barcelona said last night: ‘We only received this today. It was the only new book.

“There was no indication that we wouldn’t be able to put it up for sale by a certain date, so we put it up for sale today. It might be popular here in Spain.’

An independent bookshop owner in southern Spain who had copies for sale yesterday said: “It came with a big sign on it that said ‘Not for sale before January 10’ but who’s going to find out and I have to anyway Earn money.”

New York-based reporter Martin Pengelly also obtained the Duke’s book, in which he detailed Harry’s allegation that he was assaulted by his brother William.

The excerpt, first published by The Guardian, says the couple clashed after a heated argument over the behavior of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, with Harry claiming the Prince of Wales had described his wife as “difficult” and ” rude”.

Mr Pengelly told the BBC: “We’ve been careful, obviously in reporting, not to call it a fight because Harry says he didn’t fight back.”

The British-born journalist, who admitted he didn’t contact Kensington Palace for comment, has a knack for uncovering the juiciest details of best-sellers before they’re published.

MailOnline has found copies of the bombshell book on sale in Spain this morning

He landed a preview of Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury in 2018, which drew back the curtain on the early days of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Copies of Spare were sent out at the last minute this week as part of the parent publisher’s multi-million pound strategy to prevent spoilers from appearing in the media.

It has been compared to the complex security operation associated with the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007.

An army of guards, satellite tracking systems and legal contracts were deployed to protect the first ten million copies of JK Rowling’s seventh Potter book.

When this finished manuscript was brought by hand from London to New York, a lawyer from the American publisher sat on it for the entire flight.

The leak of Harry’s book reflects a blip by Amazon in September 2019 after it shipped pre-ordered copies of Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments, the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, to US customers a week early.

In France, printing workers in a sleepy Loire region were forced to agree to strangle orders and threatened with dismissal if they revealed details of the French version of Spare.

It was made at Brodard and Taupin’s factory in La Flèche, where three sources said employees had signed non-disclosure agreements.

It is unclear whether similar demands were made on all printers worldwide involved in the production of the foreign language versions.

The city relies heavily on tourism and is very popular with British holidaymakers and retirees. Bookshops in nearby Nantes, 90 miles southwest, told the Mail they had yet to receive a stock of Prince Harry’s memoir.

Copies of the Duke of Sussex’s book, which is 544 pages in French, have since been sent to secret warehouses across the country ahead of its global release on January 10.

“We had to sign all non-disclosure agreements,” said an employee who refused to be identified for fear of losing his job. Another employee added: “The whole project is top secret.”

Workers said the books were locked away in a “safe room” under constant surveillance by security guards before being shipped to depots across France. “They’re usually bound by secrecy,” ranted a senior executive when the Mail visited the site late yesterday.

“They could be fired for that. If you write anything about it, it puts us in a difficult position,” the source added.

The Mail understands that Brodard and Taupin, which is part of European giant CPI Print, hopes to produce work by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in the future.

Harry and Meghan have reportedly signed a four-book deal with parent publisher Penguin Random House, with bidding starting at £18million.

The Brodard and Taupin website is well known for printing blockbusters for a French-speaking readership.