Prince Harry has given a frank interview admitting for the first time that he has killed men during his 20-week tour of Afghanistan.
The 28-year-old royal flew out of the war-torn country last night, but not before he filmed a rare interview discussing his time flying Apache attack helicopters on the front line.
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Asked if he had killed anyone in combat, Harry matter-of-factly replied: “Yeah, so lots of people have. The squadron’s been out here. Everyone’s fired a certain amount.”
The Prince seemed thoughtful but unrepentant about his actions in Helmand, saying he could justify killing people if it would prevent the deaths of his comrades.
“Take a life to save a life, that’s what we revolve around,” he said. “If there’s people trying to do bad stuff to our guys, then we’ll take them out of the game.
“I’m not here on a free pass … our job out here is to make sure the guys are safe on the ground and if that means shooting someone who is shooting them, then we will do it.”
Harry also opened up about his living condition at Camp Bastion in southern Helmand, saying he didn’t receive any special treatment because of his status.
“It’s as normal as it’s going to get,” he said. “I’m one of the guys, I don’t get treated any differently.”
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He did admit to having his soldier’s rations boosted by a special Christmas gift from his father Prince Charles — a pot of Clarence House honey and a box of Cuban cigars.
Harry is currently relaxing and debriefing at a British base in Cyprus before returning to the UK.
