Prince Harry has mentioned the “most dangerous lie” about his explosive memoir Spare is that he boasted about killing 25 Taliban whereas serving as a soldier in Afghanistan.
The controversial guide, which was launched on Tuesday, sparked an uproar after it was revealed the Duke of Sussex had engaged in “the taking of human lives”.
“So, my number is 25. It’s not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me,” he wrote.
The prince mentioned he didn’t consider them as “people”, however as a substitute as “chess pieces” that had been taken off the board.
In an interview with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show, the 38-year-old mentioned it had been “hurtful and challenging” to observe the reactions after his guide was prematurely leaked.
“Without a doubt, the most dangerous lie that they have told, is that I somehow boasted about the number of people that I killed in Afghanistan,” he mentioned.
He famous the context through which the reference appeared within the memoir, earlier than saying: “I should say, if I heard anyone boasting about that kind of thing, I would be angry. But it’s a lie.
“And hopefully now that the guide is out, folks will be capable to see the context, and it’s – it is actually troubling and really disturbing that they’ll get away with it.
“Because that they had the context. It wasn’t like ‘here is only one line’ – that they had the entire part, they ripped it away and simply mentioned ‘right here it’s, he is boasting on this’.
“When as you say, you’ve read it and hopefully everyone else will be able to have the chance to read it, and that’s dangerous.
“My phrases aren’t harmful, however the spin of my phrases are very harmful.”
Admiral Lord West, former head of the Royal Navy, mentioned the duke had been “very stupid” for giving particulars of his Taliban kills.
The retired admiral advised the Sunday Mirror that the Invictus Games – which had been created by Harry and are scheduled to be held in Dusseldorf, Germany, this 12 months – can have “serious security issues” due to their direct connection to Harry.
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Lord West added that the worldwide multi-sport occasion for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and girls will probably be a first-rate goal for these searching for revenge.
Meanwhile, a senior Taliban chief Anas Haqqani tweeted that the militants Harry had killed in Afghanistan had been “not chess pieces, they were humans”.
Harry advised Colbert he had been pushed to debate his kills within the hopes of decreasing veteran suicides.
“I made a choice to share it because having spent nearly two decades working with veterans all around the world, I think the most important thing is to be honest and to give space to others to be able to share their experiences without any shame,” he mentioned.
“And my whole goal, my attempt with sharing that detail, is to reduce the number of suicides.
Buckingham Palace attempted to ‘undermine’ book
Harry claimed Buckingham Palace attempted to undermine the stories he has told in the book, with the help of the British press.
Without mentioning any names, Colbert asked if there had been attempts by the Palace to undermine the book, to which he replied: “Of course, and primarily by the British press.”
Asked again if it was the Palace who had assisted the undermining of his book, Harry said: “Of course.”
Fan of The Crown
Elsewhere in the interview, Harry admitted to watching The Crown – the hit Netflix historical drama series about Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and the Royal Family.
“You’ve acquired have watched a few of The Crown, proper?” Colbert asks.
“Yes, truly, I’ve watched The Crown,” Harry said. “The older stuff and the more moderen stuff.”
On whether he fact-checks the Netflix show, the prince laughed before quipping: “Yes, I do truly. Which, by the way in which, one more reason it’s so vital that historical past has it proper.”
Queen was ‘extremely humorous’
The prince mentioned he remembers his late grandmother the Queen for her “sharp wit” and sense of humour.
“Her sharp wit, her sense of humour, her ability to respond to anybody with a completely straight face. But totally joking,” he advised Colbert.
“She was incredibly humorous.”
He continued: “I’m genuinely happy for her because she finished life. She had an amazing life, she had an amazing career and she was buried with her husband.
“And taking into account the worldwide struggling that everyone’s skilled during the last three years, there was much less struggling for each of my grandparents. I’m actually, actually grateful for that.”
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Harry’s interview with Colbert marks the end of the press run for his autobiography, which has become the fastest-selling non-fiction book ever, recording figures of 400,000 copies so far across hardback, eBook and audio formats on its first day of publication.
The prince has used the 550-plus pages of Spare to make headline-dominating claims including accusing William of physically attacking him and teasing him about his panic attacks, saying King Charles put his own interests above Harry’s and, in a US broadcast interview, branding Camilla as the “villain” and “harmful”.
But as a well-connected particular person, the guide can also be filled with celeb cameos, from the Spice Girls to Courteney Cox.
Source: information.sky.com”