Prince Harry turned 13 two weeks after his mother Princess Diana's death in August 1997, and while his mum wasn't there to celebrate with him, the royal revealed she'd sorted his birthday gift in advance.
BREAKING: Biggest bombshells from Prince Harry's autobiography Spare
In his memoir, Spare, the Duke of Sussex wrote that he celebrated his 13th birthday at his school, Ludgrove. In the absence of his beloved mother, Harry's aunt, Diana's sister Sarah McCorquodale, gave him the gift his mother had chosen for him before her death.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrincess Diana arranged Prince Harry's 13th birthday present before her death
Diana had purchased an Xbox for her teenage son, because he loved video games, with Harry writing that the gift had made him happy.
By the time Harry celebrated his birthday, on 15 September, Diana was at rest at her family estate, Althorp.
SEE: Princess Diana's place of rest is 'bewitching' in breathtaking video
Royal watchers around the globe were surprised to find leaked extracts of Prince Harry's extraordinary memoir, Spare, surfaced days before its publish date.
MORE: Prince Harry makes eyebrow-raising claims about private parts in leaked memoir
After the accidental sale in Spain, this resulted in a flurry of explosive revelations from the Duke of Sussex's autobiography, which was due on 10 January.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince William and Harry pictured at their mother's funeral
Harry's book isn't the first royal tell-all to cause a stir. His mother's 1992 book, by Andrew Morton, was received with equal interest
WATCH: The sensational release of Andrew Morton's 'Diana' remembered
Ahead of the launch of Spare, bookshops were under a strict embargo to ensure the autobiography was not released early. There was tight pre-launch security in place to ensure details are not published before then.
Deliveries to bookshops are said to have been scheduled for the day before release to avoid copies being leaked.
LOOK: Prince William and Prince Harry's relationship through the years in pictures
But why did Spain release them five days early? According to the Telegraph, booksellers in Valencia were willing to break the strict publication embargo as long as the book sale was not traced back to them.
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