Harry reveals he killed 25 Taliban fighters: Prince’s astonishing revelation as he describes how – during his second tour of duty in Afghanistan – he took out insurgents but saw them as ‘chess pieces taken off the board’, not ‘people’

• Prince Harry details 2012 tour of duty in Afghanistan in his tell-all memoir Spare
• Reveals he killed 25 Taliban fighters and thought of them as ‘chess pieces’
• Bombshell revelation detailed in his leaked autobiography due out on January 10

Prince Harry revealed in his memoir that he killed 25 Taliban fighters during his second tour of duty in Afghanistan.

The Duke of Sussex, who was known as ‘Captain Wales’ in the military, wrote that he did not think of those killed ‘as people’ but instead ‘chess pieces’ he had taken off the board.

This is the first time that Harry, 38, has specified the number of insurgents he personally killed during his time in Afghanistan, where he went in both 2007-8 and 2012 and flew an Apache attack helicopter during his second tour.

Harry pictured during his second tour of duty at Camp Bastion, southern Afghanistan, in 2013

Prince Harry pictured making early morning pre-flight checks in the cockpit of a helicopter

In Spare, the Prince said that he flew on six missions that resulted in the ‘taking of human lives’ in his leaked autobiography.

While many soldiers do not know how many enemies they have killed in combat, the Duke wrote that ‘in the era of Apaches and laptops’ he was able to say ‘with exactness’ the number of insurgents he killed.

Harry wrote that ‘you can’t kill people if you see them as people’ and said he instead saw them as ‘chess pieces removed from the board’… ‘bad guys eliminated’.

The prince was first deployed to Helmand province as a forward air controller in 2007, but his first tour of duty was cut short when an Australian magazine broke a media embargo by mistake.

However, he returned in 2012 with the Ministry of Defence publicising his second deployment on the understanding that the media would allow him to get on with the job at hand.

During his 2012 tour, Harry helped provide helicopter support to the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan forces operating throughout Helmand province.

Based out of Camp Bastion, 662 Squadron Army Air Corps, to which he belonged, flew more than a hundred deliberate missions over 2,500 flying hours, providing surveillance, deterrence and, when required, close combat attack capabilities as well as escort duties for other aircraft.

Captain Wales qualified as a co-pilot gunner in February 2012.

He was posted to 3 Regiment Army Air Corps, part of 16 Air Assault Brigade, to gain further flying experience and to operate the Apache on a number of exercises before deploying to Afghanistan in September 2012.

Prince Harry on patrol in the deserted town of Garmsir, southern Afghanistan, in 2008

Prince Harry pictured in November 2012 during his deployment in Afghanistan

Harry sitting in an armoured vehicle in Helmand province in February 2008

Prince Harry in Helmand province Southern Afghanistan in 2008

Harry trained to fly in the front seat as the mission or aircraft commander but the majority of the time operated the Apache’s sights, sensors and weapons systems.

The revelation of how many enemy combatants he killed could escalate fears for his personal safety as Prince Harry has been long-regarded as a terrorist target due to his royal status and military links.

It comes amid an ongoing legal battle with the Home Office not to provide full police protection for Harry and his family when visiting the UK.

The Duke’s barrister said he ‘does not feel safe’ when he is in the UK, having lost his taxpayer-funded security when he and his wife gave up royal duties.

He has previously been regarded as a target for terrorists due to his two deployments to Afghanistan, as well as being a member of the Royal family.

Harry revealed some details of his deployment to Afghanistan in 2013 after returning home.

Asked if he had killed during his deployment, the 28-year-old prince said matter-of-factly: ‘Yeah, so lots of people have. The squadron’s been out here. Everyone’s fired a certain amount.’

Prince Harry patrolling the deserted town of Garmsir in 2008

Harry brands William his ‘arch-nemesis’ who ‘he was always in competition with’

He added: ‘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.’

Harry was hailed by his colleagues and superiors as being ‘on top of his game’ during the tour.

He was given no special treatment and worked, ate and slept in the same basic conditions as the other pilots. It was, in his own words, ‘as normal as it’s going to get. I’m one of the guys, I don’t get treated any differently’.

He admitted that his work is interspersed with periods of intense boredom while waiting for a call-out and he whiled away his time watching DVDs and playing computer games.

He even allowed himself to be photographed wearing a silly Santa hat, complete with blond plaits, to make his colleagues breakfast at Christmas and turn on their festive lights.

His father Charles, he revealed, had sent him a food parcel containing a jar of Clarence House garden honey and a box of huge Cuban cigars.

Harry’s tell-all autobiography Spare was due for publication on January 10 but has already gone on sale in Spain.

The Duke of Sussex pictured in Helmand province during his first tour of duty in 2008

Prince Harry was pictured walking his dog Pula in the rain in California yesterday hours before the revelations from his memoir leaked

One section of the book claims that Harry was ‘knocked to the floor’ by his brother William in a furious row over his wife Meghan Markle, with the Duke saying he was injured when a dog bowl shattered underneath him. The bowl may have belonged to Pula (pictured with Harry in California yesterday), who was adopted in 2018

Prince William ‘pointed a finger’ at Meghan and called her ‘rude’ during furious row sparked when Duchess told Kate she ‘must have baby brain because of her hormones’, new book claims

Jack Wright for MailOnline and Kate Mansey, Assistant Editor for the Mail On Sunday 

Prince Harry has sensationally claimed that his brother William called Meghan ‘rude’ and ‘pointed a finger at her’ during a furious bust-up after the Duchess of Sussex told Kate that she must have ‘baby brain because of her hormones’.

Details of the alleged row have appeared in Harry’s bombshell memoir Spare, which has been published in Spain.

Harry writes that Meghan made the comment during the run up to the Sussexes’ wedding in May 2018. After apparently upsetting Kate, Harry says Meghan apologised and insisted that is how she speaks to her friends.

But Harry then claims that William ‘pointed a finger at Meg’ and thundered: ‘Well, it’s rude, Meghan. These things are not done here’. Meghan then allegedly retorted: ‘If you don’t mind, keep your finger out of my face’.

Harry writes that Meghan made the comment during the run up to the Sussexes’ wedding in May 2018. Meghan is pictured with Kate here in 2018 at an event in London

A well-placed source told the Mail: ‘In the book Harry says that there was a discussion about the timing of the wedding rehearsal and the flower girl dresses and Kate was very upset.

‘Meghan said that Kate must have ”baby brain” because of her hormones.

‘It caused a huge row because Meghan was told that she wasn’t close enough to her sister-in-law to discuss her hormones and it wasn’t the way people spoke to each other within the Royal Family.

‘The book makes clear that Meghan felt the fall-out wasn’t her fault, but it doesn’t exactly make her look very good either.’

In an extraordinary development, Harry – who reveals that the brothers called each other ‘Harold and Willy’ – details the extent of the rift between the brothers. Using language in the book that appears designed to shock, Harry describes his brother as ‘my Archnemesis’.

Harry, Meghan, William and Kate at Westminster Abbey in March 2018

The detail about the fight between the women, however, gives the fullest account yet about how the bitter rift extended to their wives.

Meghan first discussed the row with Kate during her interview with Oprah Winfrey two years ago.

When Oprah asked if reports were true that she had made Kate cry, Meghan replied saying ‘the reverse happened’, adding: ‘It made me cry and it really hurt my feelings. It was a really hard week of the wedding and she was upset about something but she owned it and she apologised.’

Harry will reveal that the brothers had countless physical fights from childhood upwards.

One of the worst in recent years was over the way in which William shared his views on Meghan.

Meghan being interviewed during her and Harry’s recent Netflix documentary

A source said: ‘Harry doesn’t hold back on William, He writes that William told him: ‘Meg is difficult, she’s rude, she’s abrasive. She’s been rude to the staff.’

More allegations look set to emerge not only from the book but during a third television interview, the Mail has learned.

As well as television appearances with Anderson Cooper in the US and Tom Bradby for Britain’s ITV, Harry has granted another interview to broadcaster and former American football player Michael Strahan.

The 90-minute interview with Strahan is expected to be broadcast on US television early next week to coincide with Tuesday’s book launch.

A source said: ‘There will be many more revelations and discussion about the book so the Royal Family will want to brace themselves.’

by Elly Blake

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