‘A lot of us in the Army didn’t agree or disagree with Afghanistan war’
Prince Harry talked about drugs and the importance of therapy to Dr Gabor Maté in an online interview
‘I as a father feel a huge responsibility to ensure that I don’t pass on any trauma I’ve had as a kid or as a man growing up’
THE Duke of Sussex has said “a lot of us” in the Army “didn’t necessarily agree or disagree” with the war in Afghanistan.
Prince Harry, who served for 10 years in the Army and did two tours in Afghanistan, said that one of the reasons why so many people in the UK did not support the troops was because they “assumed” that all serving military personnel were in favour of the invasion.
“But once you sign up, you do what you’re told to do,” he told Dr Gabor Maté, a trauma expert, in a livestreamed conversation. “There was a lot of us that didn’t necessarily agree or disagree, but you were doing what you were trained to do. You’re doing what you were sent to do.”
The Duke, 38, took part in the 90-minute interview to promote his memoir, Spare, which was published in January.
The conversation with Dr Maté, a Hungarian-Canadian Jewish Holocaust survivor, touched on subjects including his drug use, the importance of therapy and his wife, Meghan, who he said had “saved” him.
The Duke admitted that he has “lost a lot” by turning his back on royal duties and relocating to California. But he said that in changing the “root cause” of his issues, he had gained the ability to bring up his children, Archie, three and Lilibet, one, in a more “beneficial” environment, smothering them with the affection he was not shown as a child.
“I as a father feel a huge responsibility to ensure that I don’t pass on any trauma or any negative experiences that I’ve had as a kid or as a man growing up,” he said.
The Duke said he was “grateful” that he had been able to change his environment after realising that life within the royal institution was not right for himself or his family – and acknowledged that he was lucky to have had the resources to do so.
“When there are tough decisions to be put in front of you, there’s a lot of fear involved,” he said.
“Where you know what the right decision is but you’re afraid of making it because of what you’re going to lose.
“I’ve lost a lot. But at the same time, I’ve gained a lot. To see my kids growing up here the way they are, I just can’t imagine how that would have been possible back in that environment.”
The Duke said he did not see himself as a victim but rather, considered his memoir “an act of service”.
Meanwhile sources close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex suggested that their children may not develop a relationship with the King if the couple are not provided with accommodation in the UK. The couple have not been offered alternative accommodation in the UK since being evicted from Frogmore Cottage, The Sunday Telegraph understands. The couple are said to be concerned that future visits will be incredibly “complicated” if they are forced to stay outside the security perimeters of a royal estate.
There has been no counter offer of a place to stay should they want to return, a source suggested.
They have not been offered the occasional use of rooms at St James’s Palace, for example, or any other royal residence, meaning that they may have to use hotels or stay with friends.
The news raises the prospect that the King will have no tangible relationship with his two youngest grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, who may never be brought back to the UK.
“It’s not just his son, it’s his grandchildren too,” the source noted.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
The King’s decision to remove one of the final links his son has to the UK was described as indicative of the current state of the relationship between the two sides of the family.
While the Palace has also refused to comment on the allegations made in the Duke’s memoir or interviews, such actions have been interpreted in California as a direct retaliation.
The Telegraph revealed last week that the Sussexes were “disappointed” but resolute about the King’s decision to ask them to leave their Windsor home.
The couple were asked to vacate the five-bedroomed property in January, the day after the publication of Prince Harry’s memoir.