Prince Harry reveals why he shared his Taliban kill count

The Duke of Sussex has explained the strange reason why he boasted about his Afghanistan kill count in his controversial memoir.

Prince Harry has spoken out about why he revealed his Taliban kill count in his new memoir and hinted at having no regrets, despite being accused of putting British troops at risk of revenge attacks.

Writing in his new memoir Spare, Harry claimed to have killed 25 Taliban fighters during his two tours of Afghanistan in 2012 and 2013.

“My number is 25. It’s not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me,” he wrote.

He did not think of the 25 as “people” but rather “chess pieces” that had to be taken off the board – and candidly describes the insurgents he killed as “baddies eliminated before they could kill goodies”.

Prince Harry walking out of a tent at the British controlled flight-line at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan's Helmand Province. Picture: AFP.

Now, the Duke of Sussex has told PEOPLE that he opened up about his killings in an attempt to “heal” himself and help others.

Prince Harry was heavily criticised for potentially betraying comrades he fought alongside, with war heroes and military chiefs warning he has put British troops’ lives, as well as his own, at risk.
But the prince has since defended his words, insisting it’s important for soldiers to discuss the “parts of service that haunt us”.

“There’s truly no right or wrong way to try and navigate these feelings, but I know from my own healing journey that silence has been the least effective remedy,” he told PEOPLE.

“Expressing and detailing my experience is how I chose to deal with it, in the hopes it would help others,” he said.

‘KIDNAPPED BY MEGHAN’: ROYALS DESPAIR HARRY LOST FOREVER

King Charles and Prince William fear reconciliation with Prince Harry is “impossible” while he remains “kidnapped by a cult of psychotherapy and Meghan”, according to a new report.

Quoting sources close to the Royal family, the British newspaper The Independent claimed there has been a “complete breakdown of trust” in Prince Harry, who they fear will publicise anything they say privately “for commercial benefit”.

In his latest media appearance, the Duke of Sussex shared tequila shots with The Late Show host Stephen Colbert after the political commentator poked fun at the Queen and the bitter feud between Prince Harry and Prince William.

It was the latest in a series of media appearances Prince Harry has given in the past week to 60 Minutes, Good Morning America, ITV, and People Magazine.

“They are trapped,” said the source. “They really can’t engage because everything they say will be shared with the media. It is impossible to have a conversation or write a letter because of the risk that anything they say being put in the public domain by Harry.”

Royal family sources say King Charles and Prince William fear a reconciliation with Prince Harry is impossible after he turned his back on the royal family. Picture: Getty Images

The royal family reportedly despairs that Prince Harry is trapped by a “cult of psychotherapy and Meghan. Picture: Netflix

Prince Harry maintains he wants a relationship with his family despite the barrage of public criticism against an institution infamous for being unable to publicly defend itself.

“I’ve said before that I’ve wanted a family, not an institution — so of course, I would love nothing more than for our children to have relationships with members of my family, and they do with some, which brings me great joy,” Prince Harry told People.

While Buckingham Palace has not officially commented on the allegations made across the Sussex’s Netflix series, Harry & Meghan, the memoir Spare, or the accompanying media appearances, the family source has privately disputed many of their claims.

“They aren’t going to apologise because they don’t recognise Harry’s version of events,” they said.

“He has been kidnapped by a cult of psychotherapy and Meghan. It is impossible for him to return in these circumstances.”

The Sussexes’ unofficial biographer, Omid Scobie, hinted that the front page cult claims could be retaliation for Prince Harry’s attacks on his stepmother, Camilla Queen Consort.

“An unusually tabloid-style royal front page for The Independent. Former Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday editor-in-chief Geordie Greig — a close friend of Camilla, the Queen Consort — was recently announced as the paper’s new editor.

“Kidnapped by a cult of psychotherapy and Meghan”

An unusually tabloid-style royal front page for The Independent. Former Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday editor-in-chief Geordie Greig—a close friend of Camilla, the Queen Consort—was recently announced as the paper’s new editor. pic.twitter.com/JrKNfTOwCo

— Omid Scobie (@scobie) January 10, 2023

During an interview with Anderson Cooper “60 Minutes,” Prince Harry said Camilla’s need to rehabilitate her image from being a “villain” made her “dangerous”, echoing claims in Spare that he was “sacrificed on her personal PR altar”.

“With a family built on hierarchy, and with her, on the way to being Queen consort, there was gonna be people or bodies left in the street because of that,” he wrote.

Mr Scobie, who has been one of the Sussexes most ardent supporters since writing their biography, Finding Freedom, urged the couple to tread carefully after the sustained media blitz.

“People want to see Harry and Meghan in a happy place, it’s all very 2020 still but now people want to see them move on and see them in 2023,” he told ITV’s This Morning.

“They have got to be careful in the months ahead, they should move on to their work in the US.”

Originally published as Prince Harry reveals why he shared his Taliban kill count