KEY POINTS
- Prince Harry's memoir Spare hit bookshelves in the United Kingdom on 10 January and has become a bestseller.
- He later appeared on a prime-time show in the United States, where he took aim at the British press.
- Prince Harry also said his family are out to "undermine" his book.
Prince Harry has told of the "hurt" he felt over reactions to his tell-all memoir as he claimed members of his family are in an active campaign to "undermine" his book.
He appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night (local time) in the United States after , hit bookshelves across the world.
The Duke of Sussex, 38, sat down for the interview to a standing ovation from the audience, and quickly used the prime-time CBS show to criticise the British press for leaks of his book.
"They intentionally chose to strip away all the context and take out individual segments of my life, my story and every experience I've had, and turned it into a salacious headline," he said.
Prince Harry wrote in his book that he had engaged in "the taking of human lives" while serving as a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan — a comment that attracted criticism.
The Duke of Sussex, 38, sat down for the interview to a standing ovation from the audience, and quickly used the prime-time CBS show to criticise the British press for leaks of his book. Source: AAP, AP / Scott Kowalchyk
Prince Harry told Colbert 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," he said.
Prince 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," he told Colbert.
"And my whole goal, my attempt with sharing that detail, is to reduce the number of suicides."
Colbert asked the duke if he believed there was an "active campaign by the rest of your family, by the royal house ... to undermine this book".
"Of course, mainly by the British press," Harry said.
How Prince Harry's 'Spare' became a bestseller
Some booksellers in the United Kingdom opened at midnight on Tuesday as they anticipated a rush for the Duke's book, but local media reported that queues were sparse.
Caroline Lennon was the only person waiting at a Waterstones store in London. As reporters and photographers crowded the storefront in anticipation of long lines, the single eager reader said she was planning to read the book immediately.
"I like him, I like the royal family," she told reporters.
But despite the lack of physical queues, the publisher said the memoir has become the United Kingdom's fastest-selling non-fiction book ever.
Many modern bestseller lists are not only dictated by physical purchases on the day of a book's release, but also by pre-orders, audiobooks, and digital copies.
Caroline Lennon was the only person to line up early at Piccadilly Waterstones to buy Prince Harry's memoir Spare. Source: AAP / James Manning / PA Wire
Contrary to the quiet reception in-store, Waterstones said there had been strong pre-orders for the memoir, which currently ranks as the best-seller on Amazon's UK, US, Australian, German and Canadian websites.
The memoir is also topping bestseller lists for Australian online retailer Booktopia, and Barnes and Noble in the United States.
Citing UK sales figures, the book's publisher, Transworld Penguin Random House, said it had sold 400,000 copies across hardback, e-book and audio formats so far.
"As far as we know, the only books to have sold more in their first day are those starring the other Harry (Potter)," managing director Larry Finlay said in a statement.
In the lead-up to its release, Spare - which publishers say was always expected to sell well - gained increased attention following an accidental early release in Spain, and a series of leaks revealing details and accusations about the British royal family.
The extracts included Harry's experience growing up after the death of his mother Princess Diana, his recreational drug use, and while serving as a soldier in Afghanistan.
He also revealed a and how they had both begged his father not to marry Camilla, who he wed in 2005 and is now the queen consort.
The royal family has not yet commented on the book.
With additional reporting by Jessica Bahr.
