Donald Trump is facing backlash across Europe, notably from Prince Harry, for his comments about the US not needing other NATO countries in the war in Afghanistan. In an interview on Thursday, the president said that troops from those countries “stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.” British prime minister Keir Starmer said the remarks were “insulting and frankly, appalling,” while the Duke of Sussex, 41, who served two tours in Afghanistan, fired back with a strong statement on the sacrifices that his countrymen made.
Prince Harry “lost friends” during his deployment in Afghanistan
In response to Donald Trump’s comments, Prince Harry said that families who lost their loved ones in the war deserve “respect,” in an official statement made on Friday through his spokesperson.
“In 2001, NATO invoked Article 5 for the first — and only — time in history,” he wrote, referencing the attack on September 11. “It meant that every allied nation was obliged to stand with the United States in Afghanistan, in pursuit of our shared security. Allies answered that called.”
Prince Harry continued, “I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there. The United Kingdom alone had 457 service personnel killed.”
“Thousands of lives were changed forever. Mothers and father buried sons and daughters. Children were left without a parent. Families are left carrying the cost. Those sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect, as we all remain united and loyal to the defence of diplomacy and peace.”
This statement is particularly surprising given that members of the royal family typically avoid political subjects and given that he has attempted to stay out of the media spotlight, particularly as he is embroiled in a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, which publishes The Daily Mail.
In September last year, Donald Trump allegedly left Prince Harry out of a speech intentionally during a visit to the UK to stir drama. Later in December, Prince Harry appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and remarked that Americans were obsessed with royalty, joking that they had elected Trump as “a king.”
