Did Prince William serve in the military? Everything to know as Prince Harry claims he killed 25 Taliban fighters

What did Prince Harry say about serving the military? Details revealed as his book, Spare, gets leaked. (Image via Twitter)
What did Prince Harry say about serving the military? Details revealed as his book, Spare, gets leaked. (Image via Twitter)

Prince Harry’s claim about killing 25 Taliban fighters has created a stir on social media. In his memoir, Spare, the Duke of Sussex stated that he was an Apache helicopter pilot during his second tour of duty in Afghanistan. He also talked about how he was known as “Captain Wales” in the military. He also exclaimed that he did not think of those killed as “people,” but instead, he considered them as “chess pieces” that he had taken off the board.

All of this came to light after his autobiography, Spare, was leaked and accidentally put on sale in Spain. As per the book, the prince was first deployed to Helmand province in Afghanistan as a forward air controller in 2007, however, his first tour was a brief one, as this was when an Australian magazine broke the media embargo placed and reported on his deployment. However, Prince Harry returned in 2012. He was deployed to Camp Bastion, where he stayed for over 20 weeks.

However, hearing about Harry’s encounter with the Taliban fighters, netizens also began to wonder if Prince William too had served in the military. This especially came forward as Prince Harry also talked about outranking his older brother, William, in the military.

It is true that Prince William was also in the military. He served in the military for seven and a half years and was admitted to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in January 2006 as Lieutenant Wales.

The autobiography of the Duke of Sussex is all set to be released on January 10, 2022, and Harry has dedicated the book to his wife, children, and mother, Princess Diana.


Prince Harry opens up about his 10 years in the army in his memoir

Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, sheds a lot of light on his personal relationships, his life, and his time in the military, where he fought the Taliban fighters. While serving in the army for 10 years, the prince rose to the rank of Captain and took two tours of Afghanistan. Speaking about his survival in the army, Harry said:

“Take a life to save a life, that's what we revolve around. If there's people trying to do bad stuff to our guys, then we'll take them out of the game. I'm not here on a free pass... our job out here is to make sure the guys are safe on the ground and if that means shooting someone who is shooting them, then we will do it.”

He also revealed that his colleagues thought that he was “on top of his game” during the tour. He also confessed to how he was not given any extra treatment and was treated the same way as other pilots were. Harry said:

“As normal as it's going to get. I'm one of the guys, I don't get treated any differently.”

Prince William was presented with RAF wings by his father during his tenure in the military

Like many other members of the Royal Family, Prince William too served in the military for seven and a half years of military service and was admitted to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in January 2006 as Lieutenant Wales, based on his father’s former title as the Prince of Wales. After completing his training, he was presented with RAF wings by his father.

William also participated in a £40 million drug seizure in the Atlantic, northeast of Barbados, and was promoted to Flight Lieutenant. He was later trained to become a helicopter pilot. The older prince has received three Queen’s Jubilee medals, Gold, Diamond, and Platinum.

Other than this, he has also been presented with the Tuvalu Order of Merit and a Garter Star.

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