Prince Harry Insists ‘My Conscience Is Clear’ After Writing ‘Spare’: It’s ‘Not About Revenge’

Prince Harry has no regrets after penning his memoir, Spare.

The Duke of Sussex, who turned 41 on Sept. 15, made the revelation in a new interview with The Guardian, in a conversation that took place during his trip to Ukraine last week.

Prince Harry said his wife, Meghan Markle, told him that telling the truth “is the most efficient way to live,” and he then reflected on previous interviews, the TV series (Harry & Meghan premiered in 2022 and remains Netflix’s most-watched documentary debut to date) and his memoir.

“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 Harry told The Guardian.

“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,” he added.

“My conscience is clear,” he said.

The outlet reported that being called stubborn slightly riled him, and Harry said, “It’s not stubbornness, it is having principles.”

“It is not about revenge, it is about accountability,” he added.

The Duke of Sussex’s 2023 book pulled back the curtain on his childhood in the royal spotlight, the death of his mother, Princess Diana, his decade of service in the British Army, his love story with Meghan and their seismic step back from their royal roles in the U.K. in 2020. 

Spare was an instant bestseller when it was released on Jan. 10, 2023, earning the Guinness World Record for the fastest-selling nonfiction book of all time.

Exclusively speaking to PEOPLE about Spare‘s release, Prince Harry described his memoir as a “raw account” of “the good, the bad and everything in between.”

“I don’t want to tell anyone what to think of it and that includes my family,” the Duke of Sussex said in 2023. “This book and its truths are in many ways a continuation of my own mental health journey. It’s a raw account of my life.”

Harry’s interview to the Guardian followed his solo trip to the U.K. last week for a series of charitable engagements, including his first in-person meeting with his father, King Charles, in 19 months.

The Duke of Sussex said his England trip took him “closer” to bringing his children, Prince Archie, 6 and Princess Lilibet, 4, to the U.K. from the family’s California home and that seeing his father the King is a priority.

Over the next year, Prince Harry said, “the focus really has to be on my dad.”

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King Charles continues to receive treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, a diagnosis that Buckingham Palace announced in February 2024.