Prince Harry's blunt words of advice from Prince Philip ahead of 'mission'
Prince Harry fondly remembered the poignant advice his grandfather, Prince Philip, gave him before his deployment to Afghanistan. In April 2006, after joining the Blues and Royals, Harry was commissioned as an Army Officer.
In the subsequent year, Harry embarked on active duty, setting off for a 10-week stint in Afghanistan as a forward air controller, tasked with coordinating airstrikes against Taliban forces. His tour was cut short when international media disclosed his whereabouts, necessitating an early return home.
Following Prince Philip's passing in 2021, Harry reflected on the sage counsel his grandfather offered prior to his departure for military service.
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Harry recounted: "Going off to Afghanistan, he was very matter of fact and just said: 'Make sure you come back alive'."
Post-war, Harry acknowledged that it was Philip who provided him the opportunity to discuss his experiences in Afghanistan, reports the Mirror.
Harry further noted: "Then when I came back, there wasn't a deep level of discussion, more a case of: 'Well you made it. How was it?' That's how he was. He was very much a listener, he sort of set the scene for you to be able to share as much as you wanted to share but he would never probe."
Prince Philip's straightforward approach to discussing the war may have been influenced by his own military service in the Royal Navy during World War II.
Philip initially enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1939 and was swiftly promoted to become one of the youngest first lieutenants at the age of 21. His vessel, the HMS Wallace, played a crucial role in the Allied invasion of Sicily, a turning point in the war.
Throughout his military career, Philip held various honorary titles within the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Notably, he was appointed Admiral of the Sea Cadet Corps, Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, and Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Air Training Corps.
Furthermore, he underwent pilot training with the RAF and continued to fly until the late 1990s.
His grandson, Prince Harry, followed in his footsteps by joining the military in 2005. Upon completing his officer training in April 2006, Harry graduated from the prestigious Sandhurst Military Academy.
Subsequently, Harry received his commission in a regiment within the Household Cavalry. However, in 2006, his unit announced their scheduled deployment to Iraq the following year, sparking a heated public debate regarding the Prince's safety.
Addressing his desire to serve on the front lines, Harry stated: "There's no way I'm going to put myself through Sandhurst and then sit on my a*** back home while my boys are out fighting for their country."
Despite the public concerns surrounding his security, the Duke of Sussex was discreetly deployed to the Helmand Province in Afghanistan for ten weeks in late 2007. During this time, he assisted NATO forces as a forward air controller before his tour was prematurely terminated when his location was compromised.
Prince Harry's military career saw him rise through the ranks, becoming a lieutenant with the Household Cavalry in April 2008. Later, he transitioned to the Army Air Corps, where he retrained as an Apache pilot.
He subsequently returned to Afghanistan in 2012, serving as a helicopter co-pilot and gunner.
His military service came to a close in June 2015, when he concluded his career at the rank of captain, following a stint with the Australian military. At the time, General Sir Nicholas Carter, the Chief of the General Staff, praised Harry for his decade-long contributions to the military, noting that he had "achieved much in his 10 years as a soldier".
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