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Prince Harry sparked fury among many in the military community after making boastful claims about killing 25 taliban members while working as an Apache helicopter pilot. The Duke of Sussex could, as a result, risk losing his position in the Invictus Games, a multi-sport event for wounded, injured or sick members of the armed forces.
In the memoir, Harry said he didn’t think of the 25 Taliban members as “people” but instead “chess pieces” who had to be removed from the board.
Several experts and media personalities believe he should be no longer allowed to be the face of the Games.
They are due to take place in September in Dusseldorf, Germany.
A senior officer told The Mirror: “Harry’s book has become a self-inflicted wound from which he might never recover.“It may be a bestseller but the damage done to his reputation, especially among the forces and veterans, could be beyond repair.”
Meanwhile, senior member of a veterans charity added: “Harry was idolised by veterans.
“Many who have competed in the games will tell you it saved their lives.
“But the tide has turned with the publication of Spare and Harry may be viewed as toxic by many veterans.
“If so, he may have to give up his patronage.”
It follows as insiders previously stated that Harry’s confession has heightened security concerns for the Royal Family.
In his memoir, Harry said he shot down Taliban militants when he flew Apache helicopters in the southern Helmand Province in 2012.
Harry was able to rewatch films of his killings from the gunship’s nose-mounted camera.
Harry said the technology meant: “I could always say precisely how many enemy combatants I’d killed”.
He wrote: “So my number: 25. It wasn’t a number that gave me any satisfaction. But neither was it a number that made me feel ashamed.
“In the heat and fog of combat, I didn’t think of those 25 as people. I’d been trained to ‘other-ise’ them.”
The Taliban retaliated by branding Harry a “loser” and demanded he be brought before an “international court” for his “crimes”.
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