Prince Harry has insisted he did not air his “dirty laundry in public” after speaking out against members of the Royal Family.
The Duke of Sussex, who celebrates his 41st birthday today, claims his tell-all memoir Spare and Netflix show Harry & Meghan were “not about revenge”.
He made the comments during a surprise visit to Ukraine with his Invictus Game Foundation, just days after a reconciliation meeting with his father.
During an interview with The Guardian, Harry declared that his “conscience is clear” as he revealed the state of his relationship with the monarch.
The estranged royal and his wife the Duchess of Sussex, 44, have resided with their children Archie, six, and Lilibet, four, since they waved goodbye from royal duties in 2020.
He met His Majesty for the first time in 19 months on Thursday, with the two drinking tea together for an hour at Clarence House.
Harry told the Guardian “the focus really has to be on my dad” over the next 12 months.
Silence will hold you in the dark
It was in reference to his priorities over the coming year, amid reports he is keen to bring his family back to the UK.
In the interview, Harry also appeared to make a veiled swipe at his brother Prince William, saying: “You cannot have reconciliation before you have truth.”
He added: “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.”
“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. 'It is not about revenge, it is about accountability.”
On Friday, Harry visited the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, during which he paid tribute to “the wives and mothers who keep their loved ones on the straight and narrow, they deserve as much respect as anyone who serves”.
Asked about advice for those leaving military service, Harry, who was twice deployed on active duty to Afghanistan, replied: “You will feel lost at times, like you lack purpose, but however dark those days are, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“You just need to look for it, because there will always be someone — a mother, father, sibling, friend, or comrade — there to pick you up.”
He added: “Don’t stay silent. Silence will hold you in the dark. Open up to your friends and family because in doing so you give them permission to do the same.”
