The Duke of Sussex has released new photos showing him in action in Afghanistan after releasing a triumphant statement remembering NATO soldiers who laid down their lives
Prince Harry has released never-before-seen photos showing him deployed in Afghanistan in the wake of his defiant message to Donald Trump today.
The Duke of Sussex, 41, said in a statement released this afternoon that NATO troops who came to the aid of the US and sacrificed their lives should be remembered with “respect” after the draft-dodging President suggested they had stayed off the frontlines. In stark comparison to Trump’s words, he added they “deserve to be spoken about truthfully”.
To hammer his point home, the royal has given the public all-new insight into his 10-year military career with photos showing him wearing full combat gear and armed with heavy weaponry.
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Both snaps show the Prince dressed in protective gear and in the seat of a Spartan armoured vehicle while hefting a heavy duty gun alongside two of his fellow soldiers, one of whom has been identified as Lance Corporal of Horse Chris “Dougie” Douglass. While it isn’t clear whether the photos from John Stillwell were taken on the frontline, Harry said in his statement that he had “lost friends” while deployed to Afghanistan.
He said: “In 2001, NATO invoked Article 5 for the first – and only – time in history. It meant that every allied nation was obliged to stand with the United States in Afghanistan, in pursuit of our shared security. Allies answered that call.
“I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there. The United Kingdom alone had 457 service personnel killed. Thousands of lives were changed forever. Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters. Children were left without a parent. Families are left carrying the cost.”
“Those sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect, as we all remain united and loyal to the defence of diplomacy and peace.”
The Duke, who retired as a captain following a 10-year armed forces career – during which he was deployed twice to Afghanistan – was responding to a highly controversial statement made by Trump, who claimed his country had “never needed” allied troops who lost their lives fighting for them after NATO triggered Article 5.
He said during an interview this week: “Weāve never needed them ā¦ Theyāll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan ā¦ and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the frontlines.”
The President, who went on to suggest the relationship between the US and Europe was not a “two-way street” prompted immediate backlash, especially in the UK where close ally Keir Starmer condemned the remarks as “insulting and frankly appalling”. He said in his own statement: “I will never forget their courage, their bravery and the sacrifice that they made for their country.
“There are many also who were injured, some with life-changing injuries. And so I consider President Trumpās remarks to be insulting and frankly appalling, and Iām not surprised they caused such hurt to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured.ā
