Prince Harry gives his verdict on The Crown

Duke of Sussex spoke with Stephen Colbert on night of memoir’s release

Prince Harry has revealed that he watches The Crown while joking about fact-checking the fictional show about the British royal family.

The Duke of Sussex discussed the Netflix program during an interview with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show on 10 January, while promoting his new memoir, Spare. During the conversation, the TV host asked Harry if he “binged” any TV shows lately with his wife, Meghan Markle, who he shares four-year-old son, Archie, and one-year-old daughter, Lilibet, with.

In response, Harry said yes, before Colbert asked him if he’s “watched The Crown” and joked that the royal “had to have watched some” of it, since the program is largely based on the royal’s late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. After laughing at the remark, Harry confirmed that he had seen the show.

“Yes, I have watched some of The Crown,” he said, before Colbert asked if he’d watched the more recent seasons of the show. Harry then replied: “The older stuff and the more recent stuff.”

Colbert went on to ask Harry if he did any “fact-checking” while watching the show, prompting the duke to imitate taking notes.

After the pair shared a laugh, Harry confirmed that he does fact-check the show, which is described as a fictional dramatisation of the British royal family and historical events. He then took the opportunity to reference his book, Spare, and the importance of history having it “right”.

“Yes, I do actually. Which, by the way, is another reason why it’s so important that history has it right,” he added, as he pointed to a copy of his memoir in Colbert’s hand.

Elsewhere in his interview with Colbert, which aired on the night of Spare’s release, Harry spoke about the press leaking excerpts of the memoir before it came out, and claimed that, while the British press may not be supportive of his book, it was important for him to tell his side of the story.

“This is the other side of the story, after 38 years,” he said. “They told their side of the story. This is the other side of the story. There’s a lot in here that perhaps makes people feel uncomfortable and scared.”