Claims that he was bragging when he mentioned killing 25 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan in his new book are a “dangerous lie,” according to Prince Harry.
Harry, however, said on US television that the media had misinterpreted his comments and put his family in danger.
Additionally, he defended his comments by noting that his goal was to lower veteran suicide.
The non-fiction book Spare, which was released on Tuesday, has sold more copies than any other non-fiction title in UK history.
Despite numerous snippets from the memoir being published in the press before its official release, some 400,000 copies have been purchased.
Harry hinted there had been attempts to derail his book in a lengthy interview with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show, the first given after specifics from the book were made public.
Harry hinted there had been attempts to derail his book in a lengthy interview with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show, the first given after specifics from the book were made public.
In addition to being the “most vulnerable I have ever been in my life,” Harry claimed that writing the book had been “cathartic” and left him feeling stronger.
However, he continued, “The last few days have been hurtful and challenging, not being able to do anything about those leaks.”
Harry criticised media coverage and asserted that it was done on purpose to “take away the context” of his story.
“Without a doubt, the most dangerous lie that they have told, is that I somehow boasted about the number of people I killed in Afghanistan,” he said.
“If I heard anyone boasting about that kind of thing, I would be angry. But it’s a lie.”
“It’s really troubling and very disturbing that they can get away with it… My words are not dangerous – but the spin of my words are very dangerous to my family. That is a choice they’ve made.”
He claimed he wanted to be open about his time in Afghanistan and to create a safe space for other veterans to do the same “without any shame.”
READ MORE: Shell will make its first UK tax payment in five years