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A new scandal broke out in the British monarchy after fragments of Prince Harry’s autobiographical book were leaked, revealing that he killed 25 people in Afghanistan during six missions between 2012 and 2013. The Afghan Foreign Ministry criticized the prince , whom he associated with the Western occupation.
New parts of Prince Harry’s autobiographical book, whose title in Spanish is ‘In the Shadow’ and which will be published next Tuesday, January 10, were released. In one of them, the former British royal confesses to killing 25 Taliban fighters during his second tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2012. While the Duke of Sussex said it was “not a fact that filled him with satisfaction”, he assured that “he was not ashamed either”.
“They were chess pieces removed from the board, bad people eliminated before they could kill the good people,” writes the youngest son of King Carlos III, referring to the Taliban fighters.
The book’s revelations, beyond monopolizing the tabloids, generated political and diplomatic commotion. UK war veterans criticized the prince. Retired colonel Richard Kemp told the BBC that Harry’s comments were “an error of judgement” and added that viewing the enemy side as chess pieces is not the style of the British army.
“I think that those kinds of inaccurate comments are misleading and potentially valuable to people who want to do harm to British forces and the British government,” Kemp said.
While from the Afghan capital Kabul, the Afghan Foreign Ministry responded to Prince Harry. “The Western occupation of Afghanistan is truly a hateful moment in human history and Prince Harry’s comments are a microcosm of the trauma experienced by Afghans at the hands of occupying forces who murdered innocents without accountability,” Abdul said. Qahar Balkhi, spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in August 2021. Until then, the Asian country had experienced an intense and extensive war. Its most recent chapter began in 2001 with the invasion of the United States that succeeded in overthrowing the first period of the emirate proclaimed by the Taliban, accused by Washington of supporting the terrorist group Al-Qaeda and especially Osama Bin Laden, responsible for the attacks on the 9/11 of 2001 in the United States.
During the 20 years of war, the United Kingdom was a key ally of the United States in military support. More than 9,000 British soldiers served in the military in Afghanistan, making the United Kingdom the second most involved nation in the conflict after the United States.
In this context, Prince Harry voluntarily enlisted in the ranks of the Army and fought twice in Afghanistan. First from 2007 to 2008, and then from 2012 to 2013. It was in this second term that Harry, known as ‘Captain Wales’ in the Navy, killed 25 Taliban fighters while serving as a helicopter pilot.
More Harry revelations that hit the British monarchy
Not since ex-monarch Edward VIII stepped down, no member of the British royal family had published an autobiographical book. Although Harry renounced his royal privileges and obligations, the prince is a reference to the crown and one of the most representative faces of him because he is the youngest son of the world-renowned Diana of Wales.
In the book that will be released, the Duke of Sussex deals with other sensitive issues. From the death of his mother to the loss of his virginity. Harry reveals, for example, that he has deep trauma and unresolved grief following the death of Princess Diana, who died in a Paris traffic accident in 1997.
Harry claims that years after his mother’s death, he asked his driver to take him to the exact point in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel where the fatal accident occurred. The duke maintains that he hoped this would help end a “decade of unrelenting pain”, but that he failed to do so.
The book also delves into the tense family situation. On the one hand, due to the marriage of the now queen consort Camilla Parker with Carlos III. Harry claims that both he and her brother Prince William “begged” her father not to marry her; They feared that she would become an “evil stepmother.”
As for the tensions with his brother, Harry notes that he feels like a “spare” next to William, as the latter is heir to the throne and Harry was second in line when he was born. However, he is now the fifth after William and his three children. Harry claims that the word “spare” was used by his father, then-Prince Charles, to refer to him. Hence, the original title of the book in English: ‘Spare’.
The Duke of Sussex even claims that, in a 2019 argument, his brother William grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the ground. Harry reportedly fell into a dog bowl which, when broken, caused cuts and bruises to his skin. The fight would have started because William referred to Meghan, Harry’s wife, as a “difficult” and “rude” person.
These revelations add to the criticism that the Duke of Sussex has previously made of the monarchy, in which he accuses them of racism and rejecting his wife Meghan.
So far, neither Buckingham Palace nor Kensington Palace have responded to the allegations that have leaked from the book. The first is the royal house that represents King Carlos III and the second, Prince William.
With Reuters, AP and local media
