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Prince Harry, like his brother Prince William, had a distinguished career in the British military during his early adulthood and at the height of the war in Afghanistan. The young prince eventually rose to the rank of captain and flew Apache attack helicopters with the Royal Air Force. To this day, the Duke of Sussex works with veteran charity groups to support wounded soldiers and their families.
In May 2005, Harry entered a 44-week training course in the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to train as an Officer Cadet, which combined extensive physical training with academic endurance. By April 2006, the prince had completed the training and would be joining a cavalry regiment of the British Army known as the Blues and Royals. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, attended the Sovereign’s Parade at the Sandhurst after Harry was commissioned as an Army officer.
After two years with the Blues and Royals, the prince began training to become an Army Air Corps Pilot by January 2009 and eventually was selected to learn how to fly an Apache Attack helicopter.
How long did Prince Harry serve in Afghanistan?
Throughout his military career, Prince Harry served in two operational deployments to Afghanistan. The first one lasted ten weeks in the Helmand Province as a Forward Air Controller from 2007-2008. The duke’s second deployment was for 20 weeks from 2012 to 2013 as an Apache Pilot. At this point, the prince had reached the rank of captain and was placed in the 662 Squadron, 3 Regiment in the 16 Air Assault Brigade.
Prince Harry served two tours of Afghanistan while serving in the British Army for over a decade.
(John Stillwell POOL/ Tim Graham Picture Library)
“Captain Harry Wales as he was known in the Military visited the United States of America in October 2011 to complete the final elements of the Apache Conversion to Role course where he learned to operate the aircraft and its weapons systems in a variety of challenging operational scenarios,” according to the royal family website.
Harry served for approximately 30 weeks while deployed to Afghanistan with the British military and 10 years in the army as a whole.
Did he fight on the front lines?
Harry was deployed in Afghanistan while fighting on the American and British sides was at its height against the Taliban following the September 11th attacks on the United States.
By September 2012, Harry was deployed and serving as an Apache helicopter pilot in Camp Bastion, located in the Helmand province. He was a member of the Joint Aviation Group in charge of providing air support to the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan military forces.
During his period in Afghanistan, the Taliban had placed a price on his head, forcing the military high command to move Harry from his post to a safe location during parts of his tour.
Why can’t Harry wear his military uniform at the queen’s funeral?
Prince Harry lost his military titles after he and his wife Meghan Markle stepped backed from their roles in the royal family. However, a royal expert told Fox News Digital that Harry will be allowed to wear his uniform with permission from his father, King Charles III. Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral will take place on Monday at Westminster Abbey on Monday.
“I am glad the King thought better of it,” Shannon Felton Spence told Fox News Digital. “It’s the right thing to do. The Queen was immensely proud of Prince Harry’s service, as his Granny and as his Commander-in-Chief.”
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Buckingham Palace is otherwise only allowing current working members of the family with military titles to wear uniforms at the funeral.
