Why Prince Harry wanted to be ‘soldier first, royal second’

The Duke of Sussex spent 10 years in the military, but evidently it was far from enough, according to royal biographer Duncan Larcombe.

It seems that Prince Harry never wanted the attention that life as a royal brought for him. The idea that he could join the army, serve as a soldier, and be a ‘normal’ citizen appealed to him more.

The biographer revealed that back in 2006, he was was eyeing the front lines and hoped to be sent to Iraq. This was a time when Saddam Hussein still ruled the country. Despite his position as a royal, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) seemingly made his wish come true by deploying him into the field. However, his happiness at the order was short lived since it was decided soon after that his presence may endanger the operation.

The Duke had already served in two tours of Afghanistan before finding out a third round wasn’t going to happen. His time in service shows how dedicated he was. Harry’s love for all things military goes back to his childhood. And after a decade of service it’s safe to say that he put his all into his time during active duty. Back home he may have been a royal, but in the field he was a soldier doing everything he could to protect his people.

The biographer also suggested that Prince Harry’s need to ‘just’ be a soldier stemmed from his need for normalcy in his life. The tumultuous time the royal’s have navigating their public and private life is a secret to none. Sadly, it doesn’t seem like the prince will ever be getting the privacy he wants.

Even though he’s no longer in the military, Prince Harry continues to support the forces. He continues to support veterans who return to normal life after suffering an injury.