Prince Harry: Just ‘one of the guys’ in war zone

CONFRONTING the Taliban in one of the world’s most advanced attack helicopters is beyond the comprehension of most members of his generation.

But the third in line to the throne believes a 20-week tour of duty in Afghanistan represents the closest he will ever get to leading a normal life.

Prince Harry was dispatched to the war zone just weeks after his behaviour in Las Vegas came under public scrutiny and he welcomed the chance to be just “one of the guys”.

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“For me it’s not that normal because I go into the cookhouse and everyone has a good old gawp, and that’s one thing that 
I dislike about being here,” he said. 

“Because there’s plenty of guys in there that have never met me, therefore look at me as Prince Harry and not as Captain Wales, which is frustrating.

“But yeah, it’s completely normal. It’s as normal as it’s going to get. I’m one of the guys. I don’t get treated any differently.”

Five years ago Prince Harry served 10 weeks in Afghanistan co-ordinating air attacks on the Taliban with his regiment – the Household Cavalry – before foreign websites breaking a news blackout on his deployment triggered his return to the UK. 

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While his last tour saw Prince Harry on patrol mixing with locals and sometimes just 500m from the frontline trenches of the insurgents, his home this time around was the sprawling Camp Bastion.

The royal had the freedom to walk around the base, to visit the gym, eat in the canteen and drop off his laundry.

His main accommodation was a modified shipping container he shared with another pilot decorated with rugs from Afghanistan and the UK in an attempt to make his bedspace more homely. 

“My choice would have been back out on the ground with my regiment,” he said.

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“It is a weird reality, being stuck in Bastion. For me, I hate it, being stuck here.

“Obviously lots of guys like the luxury and comforts of Bastion, but what’s weird, as I said, is we’re stuck in Bastion and what’s going on out there is completely separate.

“But as soon as we’re outside the fence, we’re in the thick 
of it.

“Yes, OK, we’re supposedly safe, but anything can go wrong with this thing. But, at the end of the day, we’re out there to provide cover and protection for the guys on the ground.”

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The prince flew on deadly sorties over the barren desert – often for hours on end – in support of International Security Assistance Force, Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police fighters.

His tour saw him mix “very high readiness” shifts – responding to emergency calls to provide cover for casualty evacuations or support troops on the ground in firefights with insurgents – and other missions including striking known Taliban strongholds and flying on pre-arranged escort missions.

For Harry and his colleagues, the unpredictability and immediacy of the ‘VHR’ shift were the most exhilarating.

“It is probably the most rewarding if you’re busy. You can fly up to seven-and-a-half hours in a day.

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“We did seven hours 10 (minutes) the other day, which is exhausting. And other days you can be in and out of the tent eight or 10 times doing half-an-
hour here, 45 minutes there etcetera.

“Every time you run to the aircraft you get that adrenaline rush, and then once you’re in the aircraft you’ve got to try and slow yourself down because otherwise if the adrenaline’s pumping too much and everything happens too quickly, then you’re going to miss something.

“It’s all about getting from A to B as quickly as possible, but at the end of the day and you’ve had a few shouts and things have got quite hectic in the cockpit, and you’ve got no adrenaline left in you, then you are exhausted.”