British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace today slammed Prince Harry for “bragging” about shooting dead 25 Taliban militants in Afghanistan.
The 52-year-old Tory MP said the Duke of Sussex had “abandoned” his former army comrades by revealing his kill count in his autobiography, Spare.
He is the longest-serving minister to speak out on the issue, which experts have claimed is putting Britain at risk and sparking anger among the armed forces.
Asked about it by LBC’s Nick Ferrari today, Mr Wallace said: “I honestly think bragging about numbers or talking about numbers distorts the fact that the Army is a team game. It’s a team company. It’s not about who can shoot the most.
Mr Wallace told LBC’s Nick Ferrari today that Harry was wrong to “boast” about the Taliban’s killings.
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace with Prince Harry at the Invictus Games in The Hague last April
Prince Harry patrols the deserted town of Garmisir in Helmand province on January 2, 2008. In his book, he said he viewed Taliban fighters as “pawns” during operations.
The Defense Secretary, who is responsible for Britain’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said Harry “let down” his former colleagues in the armed forces.
He said: “When you start talking about who did what [you’re] letting all those other people down because you’re not a better person, because you did it and they weren’t.
Asked by Mr Ferrari if the king broke an “unwritten code” there is no talk of kill numbers.
Mr Wallace said: “Well, you would have to ask Prince Harry about his choices.”
He added: “For an infantryman to go over the top, they are backed by hundreds of people behind them. Whether they are at the head office in the UK or at the Royal Logistic Corp helping them get there. It’s a team.
“It’s not about who shoots the most or who doesn’t shoot the most. That’s my personal view, when you start talking about who did what, you’re actually letting all these other people down.
Harry included the detail of the killing of 25 Taliban fighters in his controversial memoir Spare to reduce suicides in veterans’ communities during an appearance on US television.
The Duke of Sussex referred to these soldiers as “chess pieces”.
His admissions – despite a long-standing code not to discuss her “kill number” – have particularly angered members of the Armed Forces family with mental health problems.
The release of Spare coincided with Harry’s popularity, which fell to an all-time low in both the US and UK following the aftermath of his memoir.
The Sussexes were also mercilessly mocked in a South Park episode last week.
It has even been claimed that his wife Meghan Markle has expressed “gentle concerns” about Prince Harry’s decision to release Spare.
She reportedly stayed away because she’d been accused of “trying to steal the spotlight” – but even the “media savvy” Meghan may have expressed mild concerns about whether the book was the right move, an insider told the Telegraph.
The source said: “Is that the way she would have gone about things? Might not. But she will always have his back and would never have gotten involved in promoting such a personal project. This was about his own life, his journey and his own perspective.”
When Harry, 38, published his explosive memoir, blasted his family and revealed he had killed 25 Taliban militants, Meghan, 41, was particularly absent from promotions or interviews.
Mr Wallace is the senior minister to comment on Harry’s account of his time in the army
Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Harry insisted the detail of the killing of 25 Taliban fighters in his controversial memoir Spare was intended to reduce suicides in veterans’ communities
British troops and their families were upset by his book, and many veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder found Harry’s admission extremely disturbing.
At his television interview in January, Harry was unchallenged by The Late Show host Stephen Colbert when he insisted “my words are not dangerous” – despite serious concerns about the safety of the royal family and British citizens abroad The Taliban revelation surfaced.
He has also been widely accused of encouraging the Afghan regime, which has returned the country to a brutal dictatorship since 2021, when Western troops left the country.
Leaders of the militant regime taunted Harry and demanded that his “war crimes” be investigated by an international tribunal.
The Duke of Sussex told Colbert his words had been twisted, but condemnation of his attempt to deflect criticism was spearheaded by Derek Hunt, whose son Nathan served with the prince in Afghanistan but later struggled with PTSD and eventually took his own life took.
Mr Hunt, who campaigns for soldiers with mental health problems, told the Mail: “However, he is trying to justify his comments, what he said cannot be unspoken. This is too painful for too many people to be discussed so loosely in public.
“Veterans didn’t cry out for this debate, they spent years forgetting the realities of combat, such as killing people.
“If disclosure was part of his therapy, it should have stayed between him and his therapist. I think he brought back a lot of memories for the men and women who served and try to forget. If it was all to her advantage, then Harry made a mistake.’
Harry’s attempt to convince US television audiences that he was trying to help veterans was met with acclaim at the New York studio, which had invited a number of veterans.
He told Colbert, “The reason I chose to share this in my book … I chose to share it because, after spending nearly two decades with it, I connect with veterans around the world working together, think the most important thing is to be honest and give others space to share their experiences without shame.
“And my whole goal, my attempt to share that detail, is to reduce the number of suicides.”
More than 2,000 British soldiers and veterans have reportedly killed themselves since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Suicide rates in military communities have also increased in recent years. Military veterans under the age of 25 are four times more likely to commit suicide than civilians.
Harry also told Colbert the media had falsely accused him of wanting to “brag” about his killings. In doing so, the media would have endangered his family, according to the prince.
He said: “The most dangerous lie they [the media] said that I was kind of bragging about the number of people I killed in Afghanistan. My words are not dangerous but the twist of my words is (sic) very dangerous for my family.
“I would say if I heard someone brag about something like that, I would be furious. [The media] had the context. They didn’t just have one line, they had the whole section. They tore it away and said he boasted about it. And that’s the choice they made.’
Indeed, this interpretation of the prince’s remarks has been introduced by numerous commentators, including Conservative MP Bob Stewart, who said: “I wonder why he does things like this. Real soldiers tend to shy away. People I know don’t brag about such things. Rather, they regret having to do it.’