The Duke of Sussex has denied boasting about killing 25 Taliban as he cautioned against “very dangerous” spin about his memoir. Protests were sparked by Spare, which on Tuesday became the UK’s fastest selling non-fiction book, due to Harry writing he had engaged in “the taking of human lives” while serving as a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan.
“So, my number is 25. It’s not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me,” he wrote. The 38-year-old told Stephen Colbert on The Late Show it had been “hurtful and challenging” watching the reactions following the book’s publication.
“Without a doubt, the most dangerous lie that they have told is that I somehow boasted about the number of people that I killed in Afghanistan,” Harry said. He noted the context in which the reference appeared in the book, before saying: “I should say, if I heard any one boasting about that kind of thing, I would be angry. But it’s a lie.
“And hopefully now that the book is out, people will be able to see the context, and it is – it’s really troubling and very disturbing that they can get away with it. Because they had the context. It wasn’t like ‘here’s just one line’ – they had the whole section, they ripped it away and just said, ‘Here it is, he’s boasting on this’.
“When as you say, you’ve read it and hopefully everyone else will be able to have the chance to read it , and that’s dangerous. My words are not dangerous, but the spin of my words are very dangerous.”
Admiral Lord West, former head of the Royal Navy, had previously called the duke “very stupid” for giving details of his Taliban kills. The retired admiral told the Sunday Mirror that the Invictus Games – which are due to be held in Dusseldorf, Germany, in 2023 – will have “serious security issues” because of their direct connection to Harry.
The international multi-sport event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, of which the duke is the patron, will be a prime target for those wanting revenge, Lord West said.
“The Taliban will be reading (Harry’s claims about killing fighters and) thinking there’s this prince calling us all chess pieces and is quite happy about killing us. And there will be a lot of people, I am sure, in Islamic State and other terrorist organisations, who will think this is something which should be avenged.”
Harry said he was driven to discuss his kills by the goal of reducing veteran suicides: “I made a choice to share it because having spent nearly two decades working with veterans all around the world, I think the most important thing is to be honest and to give space to others to be able to share their experiences without any shame.
“And my whole goal, my attempt with sharing that detail, is to reduce the number of suicides."
The autobiography already makes the record books, with 400,000 hardback, e-book and audio format copies being snapped up. An earlier interview with ITV aired in 77 territories around the world, ITV Studios said.
Harry: The Interview, which was first broadcast in the UK on Sunday night, saw the duke sit down with ITV journalist Tom Bradby to discuss some of the key revelations from the memoir ahead of its release on Tuesday. The 90-minute programme drew an average TV audience of 4.1 million, based on overnight figures released by ITV, making it the channel’s highest rating for a factual programme for more than a year.
The interview has been viewed across Europe, Africa and the Middle East as well as Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Canada and Brazil.
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