Come back alive
Harry reveals Duke of Edinburgh’s guidance for serving in Afghanistan
Prince Harry has revealed how his late grandfather Prince Philip urged him to stay safe when he went to serve in Afghanistan, telling him: “Come back alive.”
Harry, who was deployed twice to Helmand province, says the Duke of Edinbugh gave him space to talk about his time in the war-torn country and would “never probe” but listen.
He pays tribute in a new documentary on BBC One this week. It was originally intended to celebrate the Duke’s 100th birthday, until he died in April, two months before his centenary.
Har r y recal ls: “Going of f to Afghanistan, he was very matter of fact and just said, ‘Make sure you come back
alive’. Then, when I came back, there wasn’t a deep level of discussion – more a case of, ‘ Well you made it. How was it?’
“That’s how he was. He was very much a listener, he sort of set the scene for you to be able to share as much as you wanted to share but he would never probe.” All of Philip’s children and grandchildren pay tribute in the new film.
The Duke loved barbecues so much, he once tasked a Sandringham engineer with building a special trailer for his outdoor cooking kit. Prince Charles recalled: “If I ever tried to do it... I could never get the fire to light or something ghastly, so (he’d say), ‘Go away’.”
Prince William says his grandad was “a dab hand” at outdoor cooking, adding: “I can safely say there’s never been a case of food poisoning in the family attributed to the Duke of Edinburgh.”
And Sophie Countess of Wessex reveals he loved cookery shows and Hairy Bikers was “one of his favourites”.
Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers is on BBC One at 9pm on Wednesday.