What made Prince Harry's tour in Afghanistan extra dangerous? And why was he later stripped
of some of his titles? Find out in this complete rundown of Harry's military career.
"Nothing was more valuable than the time I got to spend with my soldiers in a shell scrape."
Prince Harry's military career kicked off in earnest in 2004 when the royal family
announced that he had successfully completed and passed the Regular Commissions Board. The Royal
Commission on the Defense of the United Kingdom was founded in 1859 as a way for the nation to
assess its ability to defend itself in war. The exams are the first step toward enrolling
in the royal military academy Sandhurst, where Harry would go on to take classes.
Harry admitted in a statement from Clarence House that the four-day-long test experience
was "very challenging" but that he was delighted to have passed. He added:
"I have set my sights on joining the Army and
I am really looking forward to going to Sandhurst next year."
The royal took the exam alongside 31 other military hopefuls who, like Harry himself,
were being evaluated on their potential to not only serve in the military but to become officers
while doing so. Clarence House also shared that Harry's passing of the test wasn't ensured. The
test, which covers mental, physical, and emotional abilities, has a pass rate of only 60%.
Prince Harry officially entered the military the following year on May 8th,
2005. At the time, media outlets insinuated that the prince's close contacts hoped the
military would introduce discipline into the life of the then-20-year-old,
who had been the subject of a number of negative headlines following his own behavior.
Harry's father King Charles accompanied him to his first day at the military academy Sandhurst,
where the young royal joined 270 other recruits to receive their uniforms and further instructions.
Sgt. Major Vince Gaunt assured the U.K.'s Press Association that Harry would receive no special
treatment due to his royal status, and he was required to stay at the academy
for the first five weeks without any outside visits, just like the rest of the recruits.
Harry was also one of the first to join the British Army instead of the Navy. However, several
members of the family had their own military experience, including his father, grandfather,
and older brother Prince William. Harry later revealed that his time in the military caused
him to split himself into three parts. According to the prince, his different personas included:
"One in the army, one socially in my own private time, and then one with the
family and stuff like that. So there is a switch and I flick it when necessary."
"It's very easy to completely forget about who I am when I'm in the Army. I am one of the guys.
I don't get treated any differently." Prince Harry continued to swiftly enjoy
military honors, awards, and promotions early in his time of service. In 2006,
an official statement announced upon his commission that Harry would become a member of
the Blues and Royals regiment within the Household Cavalry, with the rank of Second Lieutenant. They
also shared that Harry's goals included becoming an Armoured Reconnaissance Troop Leader within
the cavalry. The Blues and Royals were first formed in 1969, and the regiment is described as
"... the second-most senior regiment in the British Army and operates as both
an armoured reconnaissance unit and a ceremonial guard of the monarch."
The next steps for Harry included training as a specialist to become a Troop Leader in the Royal
Armoured Corps, which would see Harry as a leader of about 12 soldiers in operations. Additionally,
joining the Household Cavalry allowed Harry the opportunity to join the Household Cavalry
Mounted Regiment in London, the members of which made up Queen Elizabeth's Life
Guard at the time, as well as escorting the sitting monarch to official events.
The Royal Family further elaborated on the possibility and noted that, as an officer,
Harry would be unlikely to participate as an escort or in the Life Guard.
One of the more special aspects of Prince Harry's military career is that his grandmother,
Queen Elizabeth II, formally commissioned him into the military in April of 2006. The
occasion took place following Harry's 44 weeks of training and education at
Sandhurst. Harry was one of 220 cadets who were commissioned by Queen Elizabeth in the ceremony,
and senior members of Harry's family were also in attendance to observe the celebration.
Harry took a short break before moving on to specialist training at England's Bovington Camp,
where he began working toward becoming an Armoured Reconnaissance Troop Leader.
The training took an additional five months and Harry and his
fellow recruits learned more about signals, driving and maintenance.
Queen Elizabeth gave a speech at the event where she told Harry and his comrades that
their most important relationships are with the officers they would be in charge of, saying,
"If you look at the careers of successful officers, you will find that, no matter how
clever they have been, what really matters is how they related to people under their command."
Prince Harry was secretly deployed to Afghanistan in 2007 to serve his first tour of duty. However,
the tour was inadvertently cut short after the Australian magazine New Idea leaked the news,
and Harry was forced to return to the United Kingdom without finishing his assignment.
The magazine later apologized and issued a statement that
indicated it wasn't aware of the blackout. Later, in May of 2008, Prince Harry was among
military service members who were awarded medals in honor of their service in Afghanistan. Though
Harry's first tour of duty was cut short, he was still celebrated for the 10 weeks that he
completed. Harry joined 160 other soldiers as they marched through Windsor, where the
headquarters for their segment of the military were located. Harry and his fellow military
servicemembers each received the Operational Service Medal from Princess Anne, Harry's aunt.
Harry was the first member of the royal family to be involved in active military service in nearly
30 years when he was deployed to Afghanistan. His uncle Prince Andrew previously flew helicopters
in the Falklands War in the 1980s. Prince Harry spent over three years in
the military training as an Apache pilot, earning the title of best co-pilot gunner
while still training, and ultimately began working on his own as a pilot in 2012.
According to Harry's commanding officer, Lt. Colonel Tom de la Rue,
the royal was well up to the task, saying,
"[Prince Harry] has reached the pinnacle of flying excellence as an Apache pilot,
particularly in Afghanistan and, in the process, has proved to be a real inspiration to the many
Army Air Corps officers and soldiers who have come to know him so well over the last two years."
Harry later admitted that he killed members of the Afghan insurgent forces while piloting
the helicopters. As the outlet reported, Harry said that he shot at the Taliban while
defending British troops on the ground and also to rescue Afghan civilians and NATO personnel.
Four years after his first attempt at serving time on the front lines in the war in Afghanistan,
Prince Harry was redeployed to the country as a pilot. This time around,
the news was shared after Harry arrived on base in September of 2012. Harry joined the
100 troops of the 662 Squadron, 3 Regiment, Army Air Corps, and was welcomed by Royal Navy
Captain Jock Gordon, who acknowledged the difficult mission that Harry faced, saying
"He will be in a difficult and demanding job. And I ask that
he be left to get on with his duties and allowed to focus on delivering support."
The Ministry of Defence in the U.K. made the deliberate choice to make
Harry's location public, but news organizations and reporters were
asked to use discretion to keep Harry and his fellow servicemembers safe.
Harry continued to serve as a pilot for two more years until he stepped down from the role in 2014,
instead taking on a more desk-oriented role in London, according to CNN. The news outlet
also noted that Kensington Palace had revealed that Harry's new responsibilities would include
coordinating projects and commemorative events involving the Army in London.
Prince Harry's time in the British military officially came to an end in the summer of 2015,
announcing that he would retire from the military following a four-week posting to Australia.
Harry's four weeks in Australia consisted of training and domestic duties within the
country. After that, he embarked on a royal tour of New Zealand. He was
in the service for a total of 10 years. Harry was also open about
not being sure what professional steps he hoped to take following his retirement.
"I'm very happy that I've done ten years in the services. There is part of me of course,
especially post-Australia, that I would love to carry on doing that."
It was clear that Harry struggled with the decision to retire completely from
an experience that was such a dominant part of his life for so long. He shared in part with the BBC:
"I consider myself incredibly lucky to have had the chance to do some very challenging
jobs and have met many fantastic people in the process. [...] The experiences I have
had over the last 10 years will stay with me for the rest of my life."
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle confidently chose to step back from life as senior members of the
royal family in January 2020, a decision that came with a lot of consequences. Unfortunately
for Harry, one consequence of the act was that he lost his honorary military titles. These included
appointments that Harry earned during his time as an active duty member of the military.
For starters, Harry was appointed the Commodore-in-Chief of Small Ships and
Diving in 2006 and lost that appointment following his departure from the institution.
He was also named an Honorary Air Commandant by the Royal Air Force Honington in 2008
and was named the Captain General of the Royal Marines in 2017. Buckingham Palace
acknowledged the end of these patronages in a terse statement that read in part:
"As agreed in this new arrangement,
they understand that they are required to step back from Royal duties, including
official military appointments. They will no longer receive public funds for Royal duties."