Prince sends condolences to family of his Army comrade
PRINCE HARRY has written a private letter of condolence to the family of a soldier he fought alongside in Afghanistan, after he is feared to have taken his own life, following a battle with posttraumatic stress disorder.
Warrant Officer Nathan Hunt, 39, was found dead at his home in Lincoln on Jan 2 after telling colleagues he was struggling with depression.
The father-of-one, who was decorated for his service in Helmand Province, had also reportedly complained about the care and treatment he had been receiving from the Ministry of Defence, after developing mental health problems following his service.
WO Hunt served alongside the Prince in a desert reconnaissance unit, helping to identify roadside bombs in Helmand Province.
Following his 2008 tour, he received a Mention in Dispatches for his courage and professionalism.
But it is understood he was later diagnosed with a stress-related condition believed to have been caused by his front line experiences.
A former colleague claimed he had been unhappy about the treatment he had been receiving from the Army.
The soldier said: “Nathan was a cracking bloke who saved a lot of lives in Afghanistan. He fought the demons in his head for years but it seems they won in the end. He said recently at a get-together for veterans that the care he was receiving for his condition was useless and he was thinking of getting out of the Army.”
The death is the second tragedy to hit the Prince’s desert squad. In March 2013, Corporal James Dunsby, 31 died after collapsing during a Special Air Service march in the Brecon Beacons.