Defiant Prince Harry says ‘my conscience is clear’ as he doubles down on the accusations he’s made against the royal family, but at what cost? A celebrity manager and PR expert decodes the Duke’s latest interview
Prince Harry has “widened the divide” between himself and the royal family with his latest “high risk” move, according to an expert.
The Duke of Sussex, who turns 41 today, has continuously taken aim at the monarchy since his self-exile to the US, delivering shocking bombshells during TV interviews alongside his wife Meghan Markle, as well as on Netflix shows and his own memoir Spare.
Now, in a new rare sit-down interview, Harry has insisted that he hasn’t “aired his dirty laundry” by sharing his experience of royal life and instead wanted to set the record straight, even if it means his relationship with his family was fractured.
“I know that [speaking out] annoys some people and it goes against the narrative,” Harry said, while visiting war-torn Ukraine after spending four days in the UK.
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“The book? It was a series of corrections to stories already out there. One point of view had been put out and it needed to be corrected.”
He told The Guardian: “I don’t believe that I aired my dirty laundry in public. It was a difficult message, but I did it in the best way possible. My conscience is clear.”
The bold revelations come just days after Harry reunited with his father King Charles for the first time 19 months. During his fleeting trip to the UK, the Duke met his dad at Clarence house for tea in a meeting that lasted 55 minutes.
And now PR expert and celebrity manager Mayah Riaz has claimed that Harry’s latest interview is “a clever positioning move”.
“He’s trying to claim the moral high ground and signal that, whatever criticism comes his way, he believes he’s done nothing wrong or out of alignment with his values,” she told The Mirror.
“It’s a way of controlling the narrative: if you put yourself forward as acting with integrity, it forces critics to respond on your terms.
“The problem is, the moment you say your conscience is clear, people will start combing through everything you’ve ever said and done to find cracks. From a PR angle, it’s powerful – but only if your story holds up consistently over time.”
The Duke also seemed to make a subtle dig at his estranged brother William in his latest interview, as he said that while he wants to reconnect with his family, “you cannot have reconciliation before you have truth”.
The comment echoes allegations that Harry has made in the past about William. In his explosive Netflix show with his wife Meghan in 2022, the Duke said: “They were happy to lie to protect my brother” while Meghan was “fed to the wolves”. In the show, Harry also accused William’s team of lying and planting stories.
His remarks about William fit into a pattern we’ve seen before, Mayah observed. “Taking a swipe at his brother guarantees headlines and reinforces his story of being the wronged party,” she explained.
“In his world, silence could be seen as weakness, while speaking out feels like strength and authenticity. The risk is that if he keeps revealing more and more, people may eventually tire of it and see it less as courage, more as oversharing.
“When it comes to reconciliation, every public comment like this makes things harder. Repairing relationships usually needs a sequence which is truth, acknowledgement, apology (if needed), then steps toward healing.”
She added: “By criticising William so openly, Harry raises the stakes. The royals either have to respond, which we know that they tend to avoid, or stay silent, which just makes the divide look wider. From a strategy point of view, though, it does allow him to look transparent and principled – which resonates with people who already distrust institutions and prize honesty.”
The PR guru expects that Harry’s bombshell interview is just the latest hurdle in his ongoing rift with his family, and there might be a wider message at play.
“‘Reunion’ itself is a loaded word,” she said. “Harry’s interview pushes his version of the truth forward, but it also sets up more hurdles if he ever wants to rebuild things with his family, at least in public.
“On top of that, speaking out like this increases pressure on the family to say something. If they keep quiet, the rift looks bigger; if they push back, it deepens further. In a way, this might be deliberate on his part – a way to force some kind of movement.”
“What’s clear is that he isn’t just talking to his family or the palace. He’s speaking to the public. He needs people to see him as honest, principled, and credible, because that strengthens his hand and shapes how his story is received.
“So, overall it’s a high-risk, high-reward approach. It keeps him relevant, makes sure he controls the narrative, and positions him as the truth-teller. But it carries real risks: overexposure, credibility gaps if his story doesn’t add up perfectly, and the very real possibility that reconciliation with his family becomes harder the more he talks.”
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