Prince Harry has made it clear that he will not retract or apologize for his explosive memoir Spare, even after his long-awaited reunion with King Charles in London.
The Duke of Sussex, who met his father face to face for the first time in more than a year, insists that publishing the book was necessary to tell his truth and correct what he describes as false narratives about his life.
Speaking during his recent visit to Kyiv, Harry revealed in an interview with The Guardian that he has no regrets about the decision. “I know that speaking out annoys some people and it goes against the narrative,” he admitted, adding that his conscience remains clear.
Harry explained that the book was not written out of bitterness but to set the record straight. “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 said firmly.
Since its release in early 2023, Spare has been one of the most talked-about royal memoirs in history, selling millions of copies worldwide. But within the walls of Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace, the autobiography has been viewed as a betrayal, with senior royals angered by the Duke’s candid accounts.
Despite the backlash, Harry denied that he revealed family secrets for the sake of sensationalism. “I don’t believe that I aired my dirty laundry in public,” he insisted. “It was a difficult message, but I did it in the best way possible.”
The Duke stressed that his intentions were never rooted in revenge. Instead, he framed the book as a call for accountability. “It is not about revenge, it is about accountability,” he explained.
The timing of these remarks is particularly significant, coming just days after Harry sat down with King Charles at Clarence House. The meeting, which reportedly lasted close to an hour, was their most substantial private conversation in years and was widely seen as a first step toward healing strained ties.
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Royal experts suggest that while Charles was willing to open the door to reconciliation, the King may still harbor concerns about Harry’s refusal to step back from controversial revelations that have embarrassed the monarchy.
Some commentators believe Harry’s insistence on defending the book will further complicate his relationship with Prince William, who was one of the most directly affected by the memoir’s claims. The Prince of Wales has never publicly responded, but sources close to Kensington Palace have said he felt deeply hurt by his brother’s words.
Meanwhile, Harry’s brief time in the United Kingdom left royal watchers wondering whether future visits will be more frequent. The Duke hinted that he hopes to return more often, saying his recent trip “definitely brought that closer.”
For Harry, the visit to the UK was followed by a high-profile humanitarian stop in Ukraine, where he met with soldiers wounded in the ongoing conflict and pledged further support through his Invictus Games foundation. Images of him in Kyiv highlighted the duality of his life—part royal outcast, part global humanitarian.
Back in California, where he now lives with Meghan Markle and their children, Archie and Lilibet, Harry’s stance on Spare shows no sign of softening. To him, the book remains not a weapon but a declaration of truth.
Still, the refusal to back down could reignite tensions with the rest of the royal family, particularly as King Charles and Prince William look to project stability for the monarchy in the coming years. For critics of the Sussexes, the memoir will always be a symbol of division. For Harry, however, it appears to be a matter of principle he is unwilling to abandon.
