Prince Harry reveals he killed 25 Taliban fighters during second tour of duty in Afghanistan

Prince Harry revealed in his memoirs 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. 

He said it was ‘not a fact that filled me with satisfaction, but I was not ashamed either’.  

This is the first time that Harry, 38, has spoken about the number of insurgents he personally killed during his time in Afghanistan, where he went in both 2007-8 and 2012.

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

Prince Harry pictured in November 2012

Prince Harry pictured making early morning pre-flight checks in the cockpit, at Camp Bastion, southern Afghanistan

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. 

He wrote: ‘And it seemed to me essential not to be afraid of that number. So my number is 25. It’s not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me.’

Harry reportedly detailed the shock revelation in his tell-all memoir Spare that has been leaked days before it was due to be published

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.

After he learnt to fly Apache helicopters, Harry was deployed to Camp Bastion in southern Afghanistan in 2012 where he stayed for 20 weeks.

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 Garmisir, southern Afghanistan, in 2008

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

Prince Harry in Helmand province Southern Afghanistan in 2008

Prince Harry patrolling the deserted town of Garmisir in 2008

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

The book leak also reveals:

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

Prince Harry walked the Sussexes’ black Labrador Pula in the pouring rain in California yesterday

A sombre Prince Harry was pictured walking one of the dogs whose food bowl may have been smashed when Prince William allegedly threw his younger brother to the ground in a row over Meghan.

The Duke of Sussex took Pula for some exercise in California just hours before excerpts of his new book Spare were leaked to The Guardian newspaper.

Harry was wrapped up in a hat, rain coat and wellies as he walked the black Labrador alone in a torrential rainstorm by a quiet public beach at noon yesterday.

Within hours of his walk, a leaked copy of his memoir revealed he has gone nuclear on his brother, with claims William assaulted him in his London kitchen after branding Meghan ‘difficult’, ‘rude’ and ‘abrasive’.

Harry got black Labrador Pula, adopted by the Sussexes in 2018, out of the boot of his luxury 4×4 before striding off down a coastal path to the beach. 

The royal looked serious and sombre in the car park, shortly before the accusations – which could end his relationship with his older brother – appeared in the Press. Harry, however, still insists he ‘would like to have my brother back’ despite his memoir and TV attacks.

The Duke of Sussex has denied breaching the privacy of his brother as he described a stand-up row that ended with the Prince of Wales grabbing him by the collar and throwing him to the floor, shattering a dog bowl with his back. William then allegedly declared: ‘I didn’t attack you, Harold’.

In an extraordinary excerpt from his upcoming book, Harry recalls a ‘physical attack’ which allegedly left him with visible injuries, including ‘scrapes and bruises’.

He claimed the row broke out in the kitchen of his London home, Nottingham Cottage, in the grounds of Kensington Palace in 2019. 

William is said to have branded Meghan ‘difficult’, ‘rude’ and ‘abrasive’ and insisted he was trying to ‘help’ his younger brother.

Harry accused his brother of ‘parroting the Press narrative’ about his US wife before a screaming match ensued, the book claims. 

Harry claims he gave the Prince of Wales a glass of water and said: ‘Willy, I can’t speak to you when you’re like this’.

Describing what happened next, Harry claims: ‘He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor.  I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out’.

Prince Harry looked serious as he walked his dog alone in a torrential rainstorm by a quiet California beach

The boot of his car was protected because of the bad weather. The prince  then grabbed a ball to throw to his pet on the sand

Harry claims that William had then urged him to fight back, saying that is what would happen when they scrapped as children. 

But the Duke of Sussex claims he refused, claiming that William left and then returned ‘looking regretful, and apologised’.

William then ‘turned and called back: ‘You don’t need to tell Meg about this’.’

Harry claims he said: ‘You mean that you attacked me?’, to which William replied: ‘I didn’t attack you, Harold’.

The Duke of Sussex says that the first person he spoke to about it was his therapist, on the phone.

But he claims Meghan would see the ‘scrapes and bruises’ on his back from the dog bowl.

He claims his wife ‘wasn’t that surprised, and wasn’t all that angry. She was terribly sad’.

The extract has been published by the Guardian. It is not known how the newspaper obtained an early copy of the book, given that the publisher Penguin Random House has gone to great lengths to prevent leaks.