Prince Harry, in his new memoir Spare, slammed the “dangerous turn” in which he “bragged” about killing 25 Taliban militants in Afghanistan.
The Duke of Sussex condemned the “dangerous lie” after being widely criticized for discussing the murders in his book – a move his former comrades describe as “treason” that could “incite” assassination attempts.
Appears on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” In an episode aired on Tuesday, the exiled king accused the press of taking his words out of context.
“I think one of the most dangerous lies they’ve told is that I kind of bragged about the number of people I killed in Afghanistan,” Harry said.
“I would say if I heard someone brag about something like that, I would be furious. But it’s a lie.”
“My words are not dangerous, but the twist in my words is very dangerous for my family,” he added.
“Without a doubt, the most dangerous lie they have told is that I somehow boasted about the number of people I killed in Afghanistan.” – says Prince Harry #colbertadding that his “words are not dangerous” but the twist of his “words are very dangerous”. #spare part pic.twitter.com/FnjEZ0QnQl
— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) January 10, 2023
Harry served in the British Army Air Force for ten years, where he served twice in Afghanistan and rose to the rank of captain.
In his record-breaking memoir, Harry called his victims “chess pieces taken off the board, bad guys eliminated before they kill the good guys” and said he wasn’t “ashamed” of his actions because he’d been conditioned in the military to feel nothing.
Prince Harry mans the 50mm machine gun January 2, 2008 at an observation post in southern Afghanistan. Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
“You can’t kill people by seeing them as people,” he wrote. “They trained me to ‘change’ them, and they trained me well.”
When Colbert stated that news of Harry’s assassination by the military was not new information, Harry continued, “Almost ten years to the day, my face was on the front pages because someone asked me the question when I… was still in Afghanistan, if anyone was killed by a helicopter gunship. And I said ‘yes’.”
Prince Harry patrols the deserted town of Garmisir, Afghanistan January 2, 2008.Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
Harry continued to defend his powerful admission, saying he chose to share it to reduce veteran suicide.
“I chose to share it because, after spending nearly two decades working with veterans around the world, I think the most important thing is to be honest and give others space so that they.” It’s a shame to be able to share their experiences without them,” said the 38-year-old.
“And my whole goal and attempt to share that detail is to reduce the number of suicides.”
Harry’s blase reminiscence also sparked outrage from the Taliban, who demanded that he be tried for war crimes.