Prince Harry has revealed exactly why he took aim at the royal family in his memoir Spare, and insists that his ‘conscience is clear’ when it comes to one ‘difficult message’
Prince Harry has doubled down on his decision to openly criticise the royal family as he seems to make another dig at his estranged brother Prince William.
The Duke and his wife Meghan Markle have continuously taken aim at the monarchy since their self-exile to the US, delivering painful blows in TV interviews, Netflix shows and Harry’s own memoir Spare.
But Harry insists in a new behind-the-scenes chat that he hasn’t “aired his dirty laundry” and instead wanted to set the record straight, even at the cost of his fraught relationship with his relatives.
The bold revelations come just days after Harry reunited with his father King Charles for the first time 19 months. During his four-day trip to the UK, the Duke met his dad at Clarence house for tea in a meeting that lasted 55 minutes.
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The reunion came after months of speculation that father and son were working to heal their relationship after Harry claimed earlier this year that Charles “refused to speak to him” due to his battle with the Home Office over the level of security he is granted while in the UK.
Royal sources have persistently said that chances of a reunion all boil down to trust, with Charles said to be fearful that Harry will continue to speak out about the royals in interviews and other media.
But now Harry has insisted that he did so to “correct” the “one point of view” that was “put out”. In an in-depth chat with The Guardian, the Duke said: “I know that [speaking out] annoys some people and it goes against the narrative.
“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 continued: “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 Duke also seemed to make a subtle dig at his estranged brother William, 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.
In his new interview during his trip to war-torn Ukraine, Harry insisted: “It is not about revenge, it is about accountability”.
The brothers have reportedly not spoken in years, and while Charles likely spoke to William about his plans to see Harry during his UK visit, the rift between siblings will be much harder to crack, according to experts.
Strides towards peace were seemingly made earlier this summer when top aides from both Harry and Charles’ camps met in a secret meeting in London, where the Duke’s team reportedly offered to share his diary in order to prevent any clashes with royals during his visits to the UK. William’s team were not present, however.
Experts have also warned that Harry’s latest visit to Ukraine could spark further tensions with his brother. The Duke’s visit to Kyiv comes just months after he visited the country previously, spending time at the Superhuman Trauma Centre in Lyiv, which works with amputees.
However, his first visit to Ukraine is said to have left his older brother, Prince William, “fuming” at palace officials.
William’s also been a huge supporter of Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022, but he was reportedly blocked from visiting the country itself on the grounds of “security concerns” in 2024.
He has been allowed to visit Poland, where he met with British soldiers and thanked them for “defending our freedoms”. William also visited Estonia, where he got the chance to speak with Ukrainian refugees and visit an army base that’s a crucial strategic point in NATO’s eastern flank.
However, the future King was told in no uncertain terms that he wouldn’t be able to visit Ukraine itself, according to the Daily Mail. Despite the fact he had “long-hoped” to go, it was “firmly rejected” as a possibility, with the heir to the throne reportedly expressing his displeasure to Kensington Palace staff, “rankled” by the fact his younger brother had gone.
