Harry claims he had to reveal his 25 Taliban kills “for his own healing” while posing (with suspiciously blue eyes) in a glossy photoshoot for US People magazine.
- Duke of Sussex sat down with People for a cover interview and photo shoot
- Cover photo shows Prince Harry smiling with the caption: “My story, my words”
Prince Harry today justified disclosing his Taliban kill count because soldiers were to discuss “parts of our service that haunt us” in a glossy US magazine article, in which he appears to be modeling the necklace he claims William has broken in a fight for the Megxit.
The Duke of Sussex claimed in his memoir to have killed 25 enemy combatants in two sorties in Afghanistan – calling his victims “pawns” rather than people to endure the emotional toll of taking dozens of lives.
People posted their interview this afternoon, in which social media users noted how the magazine’s photoshoot appears to have brightened his blue eyes and made his hair thicker.
Harry said today that he is open about his time in Afghanistan – and killing insurgents – “for my own healing journey” and “in the hope that it will help others”.
It came as Harry was accused of making a laughing stock of the royals ahead of an appearance on the satirical ‘The Late Show’ with Stephen Colbert, due to air tonight in the US. It was captured yesterday in New York as the exiled king was escorted in and out of the studio by armed bodyguards, including a former British police officer carrying a Glock holster.
Prince Harry has done a glossy cover for People magazine, one of the Sussexes’ most popular US publications
Prince Harry is seen leaving his Manhattan hotel on Monday and heading to tape an episode of Stephen Colbert’s show, accompanied by an armed guard with a Glock gun lock
But critics, including senior figures in the British Army, have said his admission breached the unwritten code that soldiers don’t count “notches on their guns”. Others said Harry betrayed ex-comrades by jeopardizing their safety, his own and that of the royal family.
Harry justified his decision to tell millions that he opened fire as an Apache helicopter gunner, killing 25 fighters, to People, a Sussexes favorite US magazine: “I know from my own healing journey that silence was the least effective tool . Expressing and describing my experiences is how I chose to deal with them in hopes that it would help others.
Former military commanders, pilots, aides and diplomats condemned the remarks, which they claimed gave the militants a propaganda victory. He also faced the shame of being branded a “loudmouth loser” by the Taliban themselves.
But Harry told People: “It’s something every soldier has to grapple with, and in the nearly two decades that I’ve worked with service personnel and veterans, I’ve listened to their stories and shared mine.
“In these conversations, we often talk about the parts of our ministry that haunt us — the lives lost, the lives taken. But also the parts of our ministry that heal us and the lives we have saved.
“It’s a duty, a job and a service to our country – and after completing two tours of duty in Afghanistan for my country, I did everything I could to be the best soldier I was trained to be. He added, “There’s really no right or wrong way to try to manage those feelings.”