Prince Harry has defended his tell-all autobiography Spare, insisting he has no regrets about its publication.

Harry arrives in Kyiv to meet with wounded Ukrainian war veterans

Prince Harry has travelled by train to Ukraine, for the second time since Russia invaded in early 2022. 

“I don’t believe that I aired my dirty laundry in public,” Prince Harry said in an interview with The Guardian newspaper in Kyiv that was published on Sunday.

“It was a difficult message, but I did it in the best way possible. My conscience is clear.”

Harry, who despite having stepped back from royal affairs still holds the title of Duke of Sussex, insisted Spare was “not about revenge”.

Three men walk next to each other talking with another group of people following behind.

Prince Harry visits areas of Kyiv heavily damaged by Russian missile strikes. (Reuters/ Kyiv Military Administration)

“It is about accountability,” he said.

“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.”

Prince’s memoir irritated royal family

With its unstinting depiction of the royals and at times uncomfortably detailed account of his life as a prince, Spare flew off the shelves after its release in January 2023.

A book shop table showing tens of copies of Prince Harry's autobiography 'Spare'

Spare became the UK’s fastest-selling non-fiction book, recording 400,000 sales on its publication day in January 2023. (Reuters/ Peter Nicholls)

But his frank criticisms of other family members, including his brother’s wife Catherine and his stepmother Camilla, irritated Buckingham Palace.

In the wake of the book’s publication, the already strained ties between Harry and the rest of royal family frayed further.

Harry had quit royal duties in 2020, moving to California with his wife Meghan.

Prince Harry expected to meet with King

The prince has been in the UK for the past week amid speculation of a meeting with his father.

He had previously voiced hopes for “reconciliation” with the king, as he did “not know how much longer my father has”.

However, before paying a surprise visit to Charles on Wednesday, he had not seen his father for 19 months.

Their previous meeting was in February 2024, when Harry rushed to the UK after Charles announced he had been diagnosed with cancer, for which he is still receiving treatment.

A man with ginger hair wearing a black suit is sitting in a chair next to a woman with black hair wearing a white jumpsuit.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan no longer have an official UK residence. (Reuters/ Mike Segar )

AFP