Prince Harry has joined the chorus of figures rebuking President Donald Trump’s suggestion that NATO allies remained away from the front lines during the Afghanistan conflict, citing his own military service and the friends he lost during the war.
The Duke of Sussex, who completed two operational tours in Afghanistan, issued a statement to GB News following the President’s remarks during a Fox News interview in Davos.
He said the sacrifices made by allied forces “deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect” and highlighted that 457 British service personnel were killed during the mission.
Prince Harry stated that he had made lifelong friends during his service and lost friends there. He noted that thousands of lives had been changed forever, with mothers and fathers burying sons and daughters and children left without a parent.
The Duke referenced NATO’s invocation of Article 5 following the September 2001 attacks, describing it as the first and only time the collective defence clause had been triggered in the alliance’s history. He said every allied nation had been obliged to stand with the United States in Afghanistan.
His intervention followed criticism from across the UK political spectrum. Downing Street said President Trump was “wrong to diminish the role of NATO troops” during the two-decade mission.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the remarks as “insulting and frankly appalling” and called for an apology.
President Trump had questioned during the interview whether NATO would support the United States if it ever required assistance, suggesting allied forces had stayed “a little off the frontlines” in Afghanistan.
