06 January 2023 , 15:52
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Prince Harry’s comments on Taliban fighters have been blasted as “wrong on every level” by a former Defence Secretary.
The royal was condemned by a string of ex-military figures today after a leaked version of his tell-all book said he killed 25 people in Afghanistan.
John Hutton, who was Defence Secretary under Gordon Brown and later chaired defence think tank RUSI, branded it a “very serious mistake”.
The Labour peer told LBC News: “It's absolutely not the right thing for anyone to be saying, and I'm sure he now bitterly regrets saying that.
“I think it diminishes him, and I think it's not what we expect from someone who has held the positions of authority and responsibility that he has previously occupied.
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“I think it's a very serious mistake on his part.”
Prince Harry on patrol in Afghanistan in 2008 (AFP/Getty Images)Asked if it was a security risk, Lord Hutton replied: “I don't know about that. I feel, instinctively, that this is not the proper subject for someone like him to be talking about in public.
“It just grates horribly - I think it's just inappropriate and wrong, and there's a sense of bravado about it, which I think most people who have served in the armed forces will recoil from.
“It's just not what should be said, it's just wrong, on every level.”
Harry wrote that flying six missions during his second tour of duty on the front line in 2012 to 2013 resulted in "the taking of human lives", of which he was neither proud nor ashamed.
The Telegraph, which obtained a Spanish language copy of the memoir from a bookshop in Spain, reports that Harry said he did not think of those he killed as people, but instead as "chess pieces" that had been taken off the board.
"So, my number is 25. It's not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me," he wrote.
The senior royal faced a line-up of angry military figures - and even provoked a condemnation from Taliban warlords.
John Hutton, who was Defence Secretary under Gordon Brown and later chaired defence think tank RUSI, branded it a “very serious mistake” (PA)
General Sir Richard Barrons told LBC: “This is clearly a very toxic matter for the royal family" (PA)Taliban warlord Anas Haqqani tweeted: "Mr Harry! The ones you killed were not chess pieces, they were humans; they had families who were waiting for their return.
Retired British Army officer General Sir Richard Barrons told LBC: “This is clearly a very toxic matter for the royal family.
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“My view is that you don't talk about these things, these are things that happen on the battlefield - and there's no great advantage in saying anything public."
Retired British Army colonel Tim Collins, known for a pre-battle speech he made in Iraq, said Harry has now turned against his "other family, the military".
Col Collins criticised Harry for making the disclosure, calling it "a tragic money-making scam”, telling Forces News: "Amongst his assertions is a claim that he killed 25 people in Afghanistan.
"That's not how you behave in the Army; it's not how we think."
Lord Darroch, former national security adviser, said he "would have advised against" Harry revealing those details (PA)Lord Darroch, former national security adviser, said he "would have advised against" Harry revealing those details, while former commando Ben McBean told the prince to "shut up".
Mr McBean, who lost an arm and a leg serving with the Royal Marines in Afghanistan in 2008, and was described by Harry as a "real hero" after they met at several events, tweeted: "Love you #PrinceHarry but you need to shut up!
"Makes you wonder the people he's hanging around with.
"If it was good people somebody by now would have told him to stop."
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said they do not comment on operational details for "security reasons".
Harry was criticised in early 2013 at the end of his tour when he disclosed that he had killed.
The then 28-year-old told the media that he took the enemy "out of the game" and soldiers "take a life to save a life".