The Duke of Sussex has asserted that his "conscience is clear" in the wake of his candid memoir, *Spare*, stating that he did not expose his "dirty linen in public." In 2020, Prince Harry and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, stepped away from their official royal duties. The following year, they openly discussed the strains in their familial relationships with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
Speaking to *The Guardian* during a visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, Prince Harry remarked, "I don’t believe I aired my dirty laundry in public. It was a tough message to deliver, but I did it in the best possible way. My conscience is clear." His remarks came shortly after a brief reunion with his father, King Charles, marking their first meeting in over a year and the first since February 2024.
The prince, who also featured alongside his wife in the 2022 Netflix series *Harry & Meghan*, also touched upon his impending legal battle against Associated Newspapers, publishers of the *Daily Mail*, at the High Court in London. He is among several public figures, including Sir Elton John and Baroness Lawrence, suing the publisher over allegations of phone hacking and other illicit information gathering practices. Associated Newspapers has vehemently denied the accusations, labeling them as "preposterous smears."
"This isn’t about vengeance; it’s about accountability," declared the prince, who now resides in the US but returned to the UK last week to participate in a series of events supporting causes close to his heart. Emphasizing his enduring "love" for the UK, he expressed a desire to return more frequently to reunite with his family. He added that for the upcoming year, "the primary focus has to be on my dad."
Prince Harry’s visit to the Ukrainian capital aimed to spotlight the work of his Invictus Games Foundation and to honor the recovery and rehabilitation of thousands of veterans who have sustained life-altering injuries since the conflict with Russia erupted three years ago. "No one should feel embarrassed or ashamed of their disabilities," he asserted. "It’s about shifting from sympathy to admiration and respect."
After laying a wreath in memory of the fallen, he described the conflict as "utterly unnecessary." Reflecting on his post-military career, he shared that his work with Invictus had imbued him with a renewed sense of "purpose," stating that it "saved me." In his conversation with the British newspaper, he discussed the toll of war, his method of stress relief through boxing—pummeling a punching bag—and his portrayal in the media.
He underscored that while he felt "devastated by certain members of the British press," he still sensed a deep well of affection from the British public. In January, the publisher of *The Sun* newspaper agreed to pay "substantial damages" and issued an apology to settle a protracted legal dispute over allegations of unlawful intrusion into his life. He told *The Guardian* that some events of the past four years have been "extremely stressful," revealing that he had "uncovered certain truths that have been profoundly painful."
