Prince Harry has been humiliated after being excluded from a prestigious book celebrating Sandhurst's top alumni, in what was described as a snub by a senior army commander.
The Duke of Sussex failed to attract the military academy's top 200 people to study at the Armed Forces Military Academy, although his brother Prince William won the contract and even wrote the foreword to the exclusive guide.
Even James Blunt made it into the pages of They Also Served because he served in the military in Kosovo before becoming a multi-million pound singer.
Instead, the California-based king joins other military outcasts such as fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley and Benson Freeman, who joined the Nazi Party to become a Waffen-SS officer.
The humiliating blow comes almost a year to the day after the publication of the Duke's explosive memoir Spare, in which he boasted of killing 25 Taliban fighters and declared that he viewed those he killed as “chess pieces.” “because consider them as human beings.
Prince Harry salutes after leaving Sandhurst Royal Military Academy in April 2006
Prince Harry served two tours in Afghanistan, where he served as a forward air controller from 2007 to 2008 and as an Apache pilot from 2012 to 2013. Pictured in Helmand Province in 2008
They also served as documentation of a list of 200 “extraordinary people” trained at Sandhurst
It sparked anger among the military. Former British Army colonel Richard Kemp described the division of details in his autobiography as a “betrayal of the people he fought alongside”.
Who did the editing for Sandhurst's They Also Served:
The military academy has included a list of 200 “extraordinary individuals” who were educated at Sandhurst.
They include:
- Prince William
- Prime Minister Winston Churchill
- Nigerian President Murtala Mohammed
- Land speed record holder Henry Segrave
- Oscar-winning actor David Niven
- TV presenter Dick Strawbridge
- Astronaut Tim Peake
- Polar explorer Preet Chandi
Reacting to the decision to leave the prince out of the book, Mr Kemp told The Sun: “I completely understand why he wasn't included. “The bottom line is I probably would have included him but it's not a disappointment to have him there not visible.
“I don't think he did anything particularly notable in his service, but he was certainly a significant person who went to Sandhurst.” I suspect that the recent disharmony between him and the royal family has led to that they have decided against admission.
“One thing he said in his book was that the Army had taught him to view the enemy as less than human – something we weren't taught.” That has a lot of the great things he did in the Shadowed.”
The book's author, Vaughan Kent-Payne, reportedly notes in the book, “Not everyone who has trained.” [there] was a good egg,” adding that there are “a few traitors and villains” who were trained at the prestigious base.
Prince Harry completed the 44-week training course at Sandhurst in Berkshire in 2005 before becoming an officer in the Family Cavalry Blues and Royals in April 2006.
Over the course of his decades-long Army career, he served two tours in Afghanistan, where he served as a forward air controller from 2007 to 2008 and as an Apache pilot from 2012 to 2013.
While Prince Harry is not mentioned in the book, his older brother Prince William took on the role and even wrote the foreword. Pictured: Prince Harry and Prince William at younger brother's passing out ceremony in Sandhurst
The Duke, pictured in the cockpit of his helicopter, wrote in Spare that “in the age of Apaches and laptops” he could “accurately” give the number of insurgents he killed
Harry conducts his early morning pre-flight checks on the flight line at Camp Bastion in 2012
Prince William arrived at Sandhurst in 2006 before serving as a retainer in the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. He served in 150 missions before retiring in 2013.
Sandhurst has selected 200 “extraordinary people” to feature in her book, including wartime prime minister Winston Churchill, Nigerian President Murtala Mohammed and Oscar-winning actor David Niven.
Recent alumni include astronaut Tim Peake and polar explorer Preet Chandi.
Taking Prince William's page, the book reportedly states that the heir to the throne “could not be deployed for military service like his younger brother Harry” due to his future duties as king.
In his bombshell memoir, Prince Harry, known in the military as Captain Wales, wrote that he viewed those killed not as people but as “chess pieces” he had removed from the board.
The Duke spoke for the first time about the number of insurgents he personally killed during his time in the army, saying it was “not a fact that gives me satisfaction, but I am not ashamed either.”
This led to a backlash from the military community. Former Royal Marine Ben McBean, who Prince Harry previously hailed as a “hero” after he lost an arm and a leg in a bomb blast during the war, urged the duke to “shut up.”
Prince Charles speaks with his two sons at Prince Harry's passing out ceremony at Sandhurst in 2006
Harry storms out of the VHR (Very High Readiness) tent to board his Apache with his fellow pilots on the British-controlled flight line at Camp Bastion, southern Afghanistan, in 2012
After the memoir was published, he tweeted: “I love you #PrinceHarry but you need to shut up!” Makes you wonder what people he hangs out with. If they were good people, someone would have told him to stop by now.'
Meanwhile, Bob Stewart – a sitting independent MP who was formerly a member of the Conservative Party – described the comments as “tasteless”.
He said at the time, “I wonder why he does things like that.” Real soldiers tend to shy away from that… People I know don't brag about things like that. They're more likely to regret having to do it.'
After the public outcry, the Duke insisted he had not bragged about the killings, telling American talk show host Stephen Colbert that his critics were “twisting” his words.
“I think one of the most dangerous lies they told is that I kind of bragged about how many people I killed in Afghanistan,” he told Colbert.
“I would say if I heard someone else brag about something like that, I would be angry.” But it's a lie.
He added: “My words are not dangerous, but the turn of my words is very dangerous for my family.”