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Prince Harry's worldview changed after he met Meghan Markle. The Duke of Sussex, 38, spoke about his personal growth in this week's exclusive PEOPLE cover story as his memoir

_Spare_ hits bookshelves. Harry reflected on how his eyes were opened to racism in the media, royal institution and world at large after his relationship with his wife, who is biracial,

began six years ago. "My relationship with Meghan has opened my eyes to so much I fear I otherwise would have never fully understood. When we recognize bias within ourselves or others —

we have a choice. Be part of the problem through inaction or part of the solution through change," Prince Harry tells PEOPLE. "We live in a world with systemic racism, and none of

us are immune from the effects of that. I am someone who has long benefited from my place in society," he says. "I understand that much better today than I once did. I had so much

to learn and, equally, unlearn. It's not a simple process, but it's a fulfilling one. I'm a better husband, father and human because of it. I feel more grounded and

connected." "To this day I'm doing important and necessary work to understand and address unconscious bias — it's ever-evolving and requires us to step up and speak out

where we can — even when it's our friends, families or loved ones," Harry adds. The Duke of Sussex spoke about racism, unconscious bias and his own family in his first television

interview surrounding the release of _Spare_, out today. During a sit-down with ITV News anchor Tom Bradby, which aired Sunday night in the U.K., Bradby brought up Meghan's revelation

to Oprah Winfrey during their March 2021 interview that there were "concerns and conversations about how dark [Archie's] skin might be when he's born." Revisiting the

claim, Bradby said, "In the Oprah interview, you accuse members of your family of racism..." "No," Harry interjected as he went on to explain the difference between

racism and unconscious bias. "The British press said that. Did Meghan ever mention they're racist?" Bradby replied: "She said that there were troubling comments about

Archie's skin — Harry interjected, "Yeah, there was concern about his skin color," to which Bradby asked, "Right, but wouldn't you describe that as essentially

racism?" "I wouldn't. Not having lived within that family," Harry said. "The difference between racism and unconscious bias is, the two things are different. But

once it's been acknowledged, or pointed out to you as an individual or as an institution that you have unconscious bias, you, therefore, have an opportunity to learn and grow from that

in order, so that you are part of the solution rather than part of the problem. Otherwise, unconscious bias then moves into the category of racism," Harry continued. _FOR MORE FROM

_PEOPLE_'S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH HARRY, CHECK OUT THIS WEEK'S ISSUE, ON NEWSSTANDS FRIDAY___ Prince Harry then referenced a recent incident at Buckingham Palace involving Lady

Susan Hussey, a longstanding lady-in-waiting to the late Queen Elizabeth. Hussey was accused of asking racially-charged questions to Ngoni Fulani, the founder of the charity Sistah Space

during a royal reception to combat violence against women. "What happened to Ngozi Fulani is a very good example of the environment within the institution," Harry said. "And

why after the Oprah interview they said they were going to bring in a Diversity Czar. That hasn't happened. Everything they said was going to happen hasn't happened."

"I've always been open to wanting to help them understand their part in it, especially when you are the monarchy, you have a responsibility and quite rightly people hold you to a

higher standard than others, certainly the media should. So, the way that I've learned it through my own experience, from what I've seen and what I've heard – yes, you're

right the keyword is concern, which was troubling," the Duke of Sussex said. "But, you speak to any other couple, mixed-race couple around the world, and you will probably find

that the white side of the family have either openly discussed it or secretly discussed, what are the kids going to look like. And, that is part of a bigger conversation that needs to be

had." "But to say that that doesn't happen around the rest of the world, but it just happened there, that's not true, but again, for me, the difference is unconscious

bias and racism. But if you are called out for unconscious bias, you need to make that right, and you have the opportunity and the choice to, but if you choose not to, then that rapidly

becomes something much more serious," he said. With an eye to what's next, Prince Harry tells PEOPLE that the future feels bright. "I'm looking ahead and am optimistic

for what's to come. 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," he says. "I feel I am

exactly where I am meant to be and exactly where we [my family] are meant to be. I don't think I could have written this book otherwise."