Harry misses the opportunity to be a military champion

As a former soldier, Prince Harry still has plenty of fight left in him but his choice of targets is belittling and increasingly bizarre. His family has, of course, been in the firing line since he and his wife Meghan opted out of royal duties for a new life in California.

Ostensibly to make ends meet, the pair have savagely traduced the relatives back home in prime-time television interviews, through a Netflix series and in Harry’s memoir Spare, published earlier this year. Barred by protocol from retaliating, the late Queen came up with the brilliant “recollections may vary” in response to the Sussexes’ sometimes outrageous slurs.

The family gets it again as Harry publicises his five-part Netflix documentary on the Invictus Games, with claims he had no support when he returned from two tours in Afghanistan. His other main enemy, in his mind, is the British press and he has taken another potshot, accusing the media of ignoring injured servicemen and women.

“I was angry they were not covering it,” he says in the Heart of Invictus documentary, which celebrates the games Harry founded in 2014 for wounded forces personnel. Widely regarded as his greatest achievement, they were inspired by the sight of stricken soldiers on the flight home from his second tour of Afghanistan.

In the words of one participant Ben McBean, who was on that same flight, Invictus has been a “game changer for veterans”. But McBean, a double amputee, is among the many comrades who are bewildered by Harry’s new attack on the press. “Still love Harry but have to disagree,” he tweeted. “Not sure what media he’s on about but I know the British media did cover veterans for years”.

The press, unlike the royals, can defend itself. The Sun, particularly offended by the prince’s comments, trotted out war heroes and former military chiefs to rebut his slights. Even before Harry’s first tour, the paper had launched its Help for Heroes campaign, which went on to raise £370 million. Then there were the Millies, the military awards it set up in 2008 to honour “the bravest of the brave”.

One award winner, ex-Para Ben Parkinson, who lost both legs, broke his back and suffered brain damage in a mine blast, said the media had been “amazing” to him and his family. Lord Dannatt, chief of the general staff when Harry first went to Afghanistan, also questioned his recall, saying there was “genuine concern” for veterans’ welfare.

Under Dannatt’s command, the British press cooperated in a news blackout which enabled Harry to be deployed in a war zone. He was only brought home when outlets in Australia and the US blew his cover.

But Harry’s hatred for the press is blind to reason and the truth. His obsession has resulted in several court cases, some ongoing, in which he has pitted himself, implausibly, as a David versus Goliath figure, battling for fellow victims of press intrusion.

As fifth in line to the throne, Harry’s privileges place him outside the common man’s experience. With his inherited wealth and Meghan’s reported earnings scope as an “influencer”, he could afford to be more generous with his time. Yet, so much of the commendable work he has done, especially in highlighting the plight of veterans in his Invictus initiative, is undermined by own goals.

The consensus in military circles and beyond is that he betrayed the soldiers’ code by bragging in his book about the number of Afghans he had killed. “That’s not how you behave in the Army,” said retired British Army colonel Tim Collins, who called Harry’s revelations in Spare “a tragic money-making scam”.

The prince’s problems with his mental health merit our sympathy, but his constant focus on himself is not only wearying, it is a waste of a potentially potent force for good. The Heart of Invictus series has attracted headlines, mostly negative, about Harry but it could have been the launchpad of a new career championing the armed forces.

With all the goodwill the games still bring him, and with his own battles with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), Harry could lend his voice to military charities, such as Combat Stress, whose patron until his accession in 2022 was Charles.

While such royal patronages are no longer applicable to Harry in his new world, he could contribute much to, for example, fund-raising appeals, the predicament of homeless veterans, or even to recruitment drives. Aligning himself with military causes would not just benefit service people, but would also help Harry regain some of the kudos he has lost among his military family.

He has missed a massive opportunity this week to emerge, metaphorically if not geographically, from his self-imposed Montecito exile and his lengthy period of navel-gazing, grievance-seeking stagnation.

A week today, Harry will be in Dusseldorf for the start of the 2023 Invictus Games. If only he could forget about his own woes and shine the spotlight where it’s needed most, he could make a lasting difference.

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