Prince Harry said he did not "air his dirty laundry in public" in his 2023 memoir Spare and that his conscience is "clear," insisting his revelations were aimed at accountability rather than revenge.
In an interview with the Guardian published Sunday, the Duke of Sussex defended the disclosures in the book and described speaking out as a matter of "having principles," not "stubbornness." "It was a difficult message, but I did it in the best way possible. My conscience is clear," he said. "It is not about revenge, it is about accountability. You cannot have reconciliation before you have truth."
Harry's comments come after a brief reunion with his father, King Charles, at Clarence House in London. Page Six reported the visit lasted about an hour and that Harry showed the king photographs of his two children, Archie and Lilibet, before departing for an Invictus Games engagement. Harry later told reporters that Charles was "doing great."
The memoir, which drew global attention, includes allegations about members of the royal family. Among the most widely reported passages are Harry's account of a physical confrontation with his elder brother, William, whom he said had called Meghan Markle "difficult," and his claim that Charles referred to him as a "spare" after his birth. In the Guardian interview, Harry reiterated that his aim was to surface truth rather than settle scores.
Harry and Markle have been publicly candid about their rift with parts of the royal household since stepping back from senior royal duties in 2020 and relocating to California. The couple's 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey and subsequent disclosures have been cited by both supporters and critics in debates over privacy, duty and the role of the monarchy in modern life. Harry told the Guardian that some family members continue to hold grudges over matters including what he wrote in Spare.
In Spare, Harry detailed struggles with his mental health, his relationship with family members, and his view of life inside the institution. His account of a confrontation with William, which he said left him dazed and briefly on the floor, amplified tensions between the brothers when the book was published. The palace has typically declined to comment on personal accounts in memoirs, offering instead statements on institutional issues when required.
The visit to Clarence House marked one of the more public instances of contact between Harry and the monarch since Charles announced a cancer diagnosis earlier in 2024. The two had not seen each other since February 2024 until the recent meeting, according to reports. The reunion came amid ongoing private and public negotiations over the relationships among senior royals and those who have stepped back from duties.
Harry's defense that his revelations were motivated by principle and an effort to enable reconciliation by establishing truth adds a further layer to the conversation about memoirs, privacy and public interest. The duke's public remarks echo themes he has raised in multiple forums: that leaving the institution was both an escape from a system he said he could not leave and a path toward accountability for perceived wrongs.
Representatives for the royal household did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Guardian interview. Harry continues to undertake public engagements, including events connected to the Invictus Games and other veterans' causes, while remaining a prominent and polarizing figure in discussions about the modern monarchy and media scrutiny.