The Duke of Sussex has denied boasting about killing 25 Taliban while he served as a soldier.

He has also claimed members of his family are in an active campaign to “undermine” his book.

Prince Harry appeared on CBS’ The Late Show on Tuesday night in the US with Stephen Colbert and was seen sharing jokes about feeling like he was in “group therapy” with an empty chair next to him being labelled the “spare”.

The show also saw some more serious moments with Harry sharing that he believed he had seen his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, a “handful of times” after her death.

Bournemouth Echo: The duke denies boasting about the number of Taliban he killed in AfghanistanThe duke denies boasting about the number of Taliban he killed in Afghanistan (Image: John Stillwell/PA)

Prince Harry discusses British press and family in CBS interview

He also claimed that the British press was “abusing” his wife, Meghan Markle, before they left the UK.

The duke’s book was released in the UK on January 10 after leaked details surfaced and saw revelations rock the news.

Harry said writing his memoir, Spare, was the “most vulnerable I have ever been in my life”, before adding: “I’ve never felt stronger”.

Prince Harry also shared memories of his late grandparents, saying he remembers his grandmother, the Queen, for her “sharp wit” and sense of humour.

He also said he was “grateful” his grandparents didn’t have to go through the “global suffering that everybody’s experienced over the last three years”.

The CBS show started with a joke where it looked like a red carpet and fanfare had been put on for Harry but Colbert told the duke it was not for him as Hollywood actor Tom Hanks appeared on camera.

Prince Harry reacts to British press leaking his book

Harry quickly criticised the British press during the prime-time slot for leaking his book, saying: “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.”

Spare became the UK’s fastest-selling non-fiction book on Tuesday and the book sparked protests as Harry wrote about his engagement in “the taking of 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.

Watching the reactions following the book’s publication had been “hurtful and challenging” for the duke, he told Colbert.

“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.

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

The 38-year-old 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 Harry if he thought there was an “active campaign by the rest of your family, by the royal house… to undermine this book”, to which he replied: “Of course, mainly by the British press.”

Asked again if it was “aided and abetted by the palace”, Harry replied: “Yes, again, of course. This is the other side of the story.”

The duke discussed moving from the UK to the US with wife Meghan Markle

In another part of the interview, Prince Harry said he believed press and public fascination with him and his wife was a way to make Meghan Markle leave the UK and to “break her”.

He told Colbert: “We moved to California and for 12 months during lockdown where we said literally nothing – it was relentless.

“They always knew my wife was going to leave (the UK) because of the way they were abusing her.”

Harry then shared a joke with the audience, saying the interview felt like “group therapy” after he was asked whether the press fascination was designed to make Meghan leave the UK or break her.

Eventually, the duke said he felt like it was “both”.

CBS interview completes Harry’s press run for Spare

The Late Show interview caps off Harry’s press run for the release of his autobiography.

Spare has made its way into the record books with 400,000 hardback, e-book and audio format copies being sold.

The book includes claims Harry was physically attacked by his brother, the Prince of Wales. He also claims William teased him about his panic attacks.

Also in the book is a claim that the King put his own interests above Harry’s and was jealous of the Duchess of Sussex and the Princess of Wales.

 Harry also said in an interview that the Duchess of Cornwall was a “villain” and “dangerous” and accused her of rehabilitating her image at the expense of his.