Prince Harry Says He Excluded Stories About Prince William from Book: 'I Just Don't Want the World to Know'
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Prince Harry is opening up about the process of writing his memoir — and revealing that he left out some stories about his brother Prince William and father King Charles III.
In a new interview with The Telegraph's Bryony Gordon released Friday, the Duke of Sussex said the first draft of his 400-book Spare was 800 pages. "It could have been two books, put it that way," he explained. "And the hard bit was taking things out."
While some stories were excluded due to space, Prince Harry also said he gave a lot of material to his ghostwriter J.R. Moehringer for context but with "absolutely no way" they would be in the finished product.
"Because on the scale of things I could include for family members, there were certain things that — look, anything I'm going to include about any of my family members, I'm going to get trashed for," he said. "I knew that walking into it. But it's impossible to tell my story without them in it, because they play such a crucial part in it. And also because you need to understand the characters and personalities of everyone within the book."
Daniel Leavl-Olivas-Pool Getty Images Prince William and Prince Harry
He continued, "But there are some things that have happened, especially between me and my brother, and to some extent between me and my father, that I just don't want the world to know. Because I don't think they would ever forgive me. Now you could argue that some of the stuff I've put in there, well, they will never forgive me anyway. But the way I see it is, I'm willing to forgive you for everything you've done, and I wish you'd actually sat down with me, properly, and instead of saying I'm delusional and paranoid, actually sit down and have a proper conversation about this, because what I'd really like is some accountability."
"And an apology to my wife," he added about Meghan Markle.
RELATED: Prince William Ignores Reporter When Asked If He's Read Prince Harry's Memoir
Samir Hussein/WireImage Prince William, Prince Charles and Prince Harry
Prince Harry, 38, said in his interview with ITV's Tom Bradby that he still believes in the monarchy, and he told The Telegraph that his memoir was not trying to take the institution down.
"This is not about trying to collapse the monarchy, this is about trying to save them from themselves," he said. "And I know that I will get crucified by numerous people for saying that."
When asked if the criticism is worth it, he says, "I feel like this is my life's mission, to right the wrongs of the very thing that drove us out. Because it took my mum, it took Caroline Flack, who was my girlfriend, and it nearly took my wife. And if that isn't a good enough reason to use the pain and turn it into purpose, I don't know what it is."
RELATED: Everything Prince Harry Said About His Brother Prince William in Spare
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On Friday, Gordon shared a photo on Instagram from her meeting with Prince Harry.
"Popped to Montecito for an afternoon last week to speak to my old friend Prince Harry about Spare," she wrote. "We chatted therapy, magical thinking, grief, and the freedom that comes from finally finding your voice."
Prince Harry previously opened up to Gordon about seeking therapy for grief and anxiety in 2017. "The experience I have had is that once you start talking about it, you realize that actually you're part of quite a big club," he said in a podcast interview.
Jenna Jones
In his exclusive interview with PEOPLE, now on newsstands, Prince Harry spoke of what he hopes his family takes away from the memoir.
"I don't want to tell anyone what to think of it and that includes my family," he said. "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."
