Inside Prince Harry's military service: Frontline danger in Afghanistan to medals
The Duke of Sussex followed royal family tradition by being in the Armed ForcesPrince Harry has spoken about his military experience and service in the Armed Forces many times. From discussing his kill count in his memoir Spare to launching the Invictus Games – it’s clear the decade he spent in the army holds a special place in his heart.
The Duke of Sussex was forced to give his military titles and uniform when he stepped down as a senior royal alongside Meghan Markle in 2020. A further blow was a major setback for the prince when a military title earmarked for the younger brother was handed to his brother by their father years later.
We take a look back at Prince Harry‘s career in the military service, his medals, rank and what he’s said about his tours in Afghanistan.
What did Prince Harry do in the military?
The Duke of Sussex began his Army Air Corps pilot training in January 2009. When he qualified in February 2012, he received the prize for best co-pilot gunner.
Prince Harry was first commissioned as a cornet in the Blues and Royals where he served alongside his older brother William.
He was deployed on active duty, twice, in Afghanistan. First between 2007 and 2008 where he spent 10 weeks in Helmand Province. The second time he spent 20weeks with the Army Air Corps between 2012-2013.
Prince Harry’s military service lasted 10 years.
Duke of Sussex medals
Prince Harry has several medals, and although he lost a host of military titles after leaving the UK, he is able to still wear them.
Prince Harry’s medals include the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, Afghanistan Operational Service Medal, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal, the King’s Coronation Medal and been awarded the KCVO Star.
The Golden Jubilee Medal was awarded to all those in active service in 2002, who had been in the Armed Forces for at least five years. The Diamond Jubilee Medal marked his late grandmother’s 60th year on the throne in 2012. It was given to Armed Forces, emergency services, prison services personnel and royal family members. For the Platinum Jubilee Medal, it followed the same traditions.
The Afghanistan Operational Service Medal marked his service at the frontline in Helmand Province.
The King’s Coronation Medal represents his father’s ascension to the throne, and the KCVO Star recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch.
Does Prince Harry still have a military title?
Prince Harry, who served on the frontlines, gave up a number of military titles after leaving the service of the royal family as a working member.
These included the Captain General of the Royal Marines, Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Honington in Suffolk, and the Honorary Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Naval Commands’ Small Ships and Diving.
King Charles gave his brother William a military title said to be earmarked for the Duke of Sussex four years after Harry and Meghan left The Firm.
Prince William was made Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, which was said to be a snub to the dad-of-two, as the 662 Squadron where he served in Afghanistan was part of the corp.
He was also told he wouldn’t be able to wear his ceremonial royal military uniforms at official events, including the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and the coronation of his father King Charles in 2023. However, his father gave him permission to wear his uniform while standing vigil at the Queen’s coffin alongside his brother and the late monarch’s other six grandchildren.
Who has a higher military rank, Prince William or Harry?
Prince William, after being commissioned as a British Army Officer in December 2006, joined the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals) as a second lieutenant. He commanded a troop of four Scimitar armoured reconnaissance vehicles.
He was promoted to lieutenant a year later. The future king also holds the rank as Commander in the Royal Navy and a Wing Commander in the RAF.
Prince Harry was promoted to Captain General Royal Marines, a role that was held by his grandfather, Prince Philip.
He later was promoted three more times, to a Major in the BritishArmy, Lieutenant commander in the Royal Navy andSquadron Leader in the Royal Air Force.
Prince William holds a higher military rank than brother Harry.
However, when the Duke of Sussex gave up on working for The Firm, he had to give up his military appointments. Prince Harry, therefore, no longer holds any military rank despite his service overseas.
What did Prince Harry do in the Afghanistan War?
Prince Harry first served as a forward air controller in air raids between 2007 and 2008 and served as an Apache commander and co-pilot gunner during his 2013 tour in Afghanistan, flying helicopters in the war.
He was later filmed and interviewed during his five-month deployment in the country, where he flew and took control of the weapons of a two-man chopper.
Opening up about his military tour of duty in his memoir Spare, Prince Harry described his kill count while in Afghanistan. He wrote that he gunned down 25 Taliban fighters, making similarities to ‘chess pieces taken off the board’. Videos on the nose of the Apache helicopter enabled him to determine how many lives he took.
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He wrote: “It wasn’t a statistic that filled me with pride but nor did it make me ashamed.
“When I was plunged into the heat and confusion of battle, I didn’t think about those as 25 people. You can’t kill people if you see them as people.
“In truth, you can’t hurt people if you see them as people. They were chess pieces taken off the board, bad guys eliminated before they kill good guys.
“They trained me to ‘other’ them and they trained me well.”
Comments sparked backlash from veterans
However, the duke referring to the men he killed as ‘chess pieces’ sparked fury.
British veterans slammed how the prince spoke about his kill count, saying it was ‘crass’.
Anas Haqqani, of the Afghan government, said at the time: “The ones you killed were not chess pieces, they were humans; they had families who were waiting for their return. Among the killers of Afghans, not many have your decency to reveal their conscience and confess to their war crimes.”
Retired Colonel Tim Collins told Forces News: “Amongst his assertions is a claim that he killed 25 people in Afghanistan. That’s not how you behave in the army; it’s not how we think. He has badly let the side down.
“We don’t do notches on the rifle butt. We never did.”
Whereas a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said the military would not discuss Harry’s kill count claim: “We do not comment on operational details for security reasons.”
‘Unravelling’ after his tour overseas
Speaking during his Netflix docuseries, the Heart of Invictus, the Duke of Sussex said he ‘unravelled’ after he returned from his tour overseas.
The royal said it triggered the trauma of losing his mother, Princess Diana, at a young age.
Speaking in the series, Prince Harry said ‘mental illness’ was a “dirty word” when his career in the military service began, but he wanted to break down that stigma.
The Duke set up the sporting competition in 2014 for injured and sick military personnel and veterans.
In the show, Prince Harry said: “From my personal experience, my tour of Afghanistan in 2012, flying Apaches, somewhere after that there was an unravelling. And the trigger to me was returning to Afghanistan, but the stuff that was coming up was from the age of – from 1997 – from the age of 12.
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“Losing my mum at such a young age, the trauma that I had I was never really aware of. It was never discussed, I never really talked about it, and I’ve suppressed it like most youngsters would have done.”
“But when it all came fizzing out I was bouncing off the walls,” the royal added. “Like: what is going on here? I’m now feeling everything as opposed to being numb
“The biggest struggle for me was no one around me really could help. I didn’t have that support structure, that network, or that expert advice to identify what was actually going on with me. Unfortunately, like most of us, the first time you really consider therapy is when you’re lying on the floor in the foetal position probably wishing you had dealt with some of this stuff previously.
“That’s what I really want to change.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, contact The Samaritans on 116 123. They are available for free at any time.
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