Prince Harry fires new shot at ‘scared’ royals while sipping tequila with TV host

Prince Harry has used his last interview to promote his book Spare to accuse his family of another outrage.

Prince Harry has blasted what he says is a “dangerous lie” that he used his memoir to boast about how many Taliban fighters he killed as a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan.

Sipping tequila on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the Duke of Sussex joked that the interview was more like “group therapy”, as he and the comedian held hands and dissected the fallout from the release of his book.

Harry was welcomed by the studio audience chanting his name, prompting him to thank the late-night host – who dubbed him “lord of the gingers” – “for bringing in the crowd”.

He revealed he and wife Meghan were fans of The Crown, the hit Netflix series based on the House of Windsor, although he conceded he fact-checked it while watching it.

But the interview quickly took on a serious tone as the Prince described how the leaks from his memoir Spare in the British press had been “hurtful and challenging”.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex leaves The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in New York City. Picture: Gotham/GC Images

“Without a doubt, the most dangerous lie that they have told is that I somehow boasted about the number of people I killed in Afghanistan,” Harry said.

In the book, he revealed he had killed 25 people in Afghanistan, who in combat he viewed as “chess pieces removed from the board”.

“It’s not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me,” he wrote.

Harry told Colbert: “If I heard anyone boasting about that kind of thing, I would be angry, but it’s a lie.”

“It’s really troubling and very disturbing that they can get away with it,” he said.

“My words are not dangerous but the spin of my words is very dangerous.”

He said he decided to share that information in the hope that it would help struggling veterans – an admission that prompted Colbert to toast him with tequila.

A day after his book was officially released, Harry agreed with Colbert’s suggestion that there had been an “active campaign” by the royal family to undermine him and his memoir.

“There’s a lot in here that perhaps makes people feel uncomfortable and scared,” Harry said.

Describing the US as a “great place to live”, Harry was also applauded as Colbert praised he and Meghan for removing themselves from a “toxic situation” in the UK.

The mood lightened later as they had a second drink to discuss what Colbert dubbed Harry’s “crisis at the South Pole” – when his penis became frostbitten at the North Pole in 2011.

The Prince said his “todger” was “frostnipped” because he had not brought a “c*** cushion”.

He also revealed that his necklace which broke when Prince William pushed him to the ground had engraved cardiograms of his children’s heartbeats, given to him by Meghan.

PRINCE HARRY SIPS TEQUILA AS QUEEN MOCKED ON US TV

Prince Harry platformed mockery of the late Queen Elizabeth II to promote the release of his rebuttal to the royal family institution in the tell-all memoir, Spare.

The Duke of Sussex shared tequila shots with The Late Show host Stephen Colbert after the political commentator ginned up interest in the episode by poking fun at the former Monarch’s beloved corgis, Britain’s imperial past, and the bitter feud between Prince Harry and Prince William.

“Stock up on corgis and steal a priceless cultural treasure from one of your colonies because The Late Show is going imperial,” Colbert said in previews of the sit-down interview, recorded at New York’s Ed Sullivan Theatre a day before airing on Tuesday night (local time).

Are you ready? Because we are. Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, will join us on #Colbert tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/FZDAKnrXn7

— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) January 10, 2023

The Late Show appearance, where Prince Harry was seen in audience photos over lime-garnished booze, is the latest in a series of media appearances given in the past week to 60 Minutes, Good Morning America, ITV, and People Magazine.

In another promotion for the show, Colbert joked about “His royal Harryness” feuding with the Prince of Wales, who was said to have told his younger brother they had to ignore each other while at school.

“That’s heartbreaking. To be rejected by his older brother at school even though that magic hat sorted them into the same house. What do you think? Hufflepuff? Gryffindor?”, Colbert said, comparing the prestigious Eton to the fictional Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the Harry Potter novels.

Colbert also ripped the royal family’s tradition of commemorating important milestones like weddings and coronations by adding that Spare was available in hardback, audiobook and “commemorative plate”.

Prince Harry’s Spare will release on commemorative plate, joked Stephen Colbert. Picture: Supplied

In his cover story with People Magazine published to coincide with the release date for Spare, Prince Harry said he was feeling “exactly” where his new family was “meant to be”.

“While I know much of my life may seem unrelatable, I do think most siblings can relate to struggling with comparisons, and my brother and I are no exception,” he told PEOPLE.

“I don’t want to tell anyone what to think of it and that includes my family. 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 — the good, the bad and everything in between,” he added.

While Prince Harry was seen arriving and leaving the filming of the episode in pictures published by Mail Online, it was unclear whether he was joined in the city by his wife Meghan Markle or his children, Archie and Lilibet.

“I have a beautiful and blessed life — one that comes with a platform, and with it responsibility that Meghan and I plan to use wisely,” told People.

Originally published as Prince Harry fires new shot at ‘scared’ royals while sipping tequila with TV host