Prince Harry has stepped into political territory by addressing comments made by Donald Trump about NATO, despite the Royal Family’s long-standing rule of staying out of politics.
The Duke of Sussex issued a rare public statement after the US president questioned whether NATO allies would truly support the United States in times of need. Trump suggested that allied forces in Afghanistan stayed “a little back” and avoided the front lines.
Prince Harry, who served nearly a decade in the British Army and completed two tours in Afghanistan, rejected that claim.
Speaking to the BBC, he referred to NATO’s Article 5, the alliance’s mutual defence clause, which was activated after the September 11 attacks. He said it required every allied nation to stand with the United States in Afghanistan and stressed that they did exactly that.
“I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there,” he said, noting that the UK alone lost 457 service personnel during the conflict.
He added that the cost of the war went far beyond the battlefield. “Thousands of lives were changed forever. Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters. Children were left without a parent. Families are left carrying the cost.”
Prince Harry said those sacrifices should be spoken about “truthfully and with respect,” while maintaining a shared commitment to diplomacy and peace.
He was not the only one to respond. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also criticised Trump’s remarks, calling them “insulting and frankly appalling.”
