Will Prince Harry wear his military uniform at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral? A look at his military history
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Prince Harry, Like his brother Prince William, he had a distinguished career in the British Army in his youth and at the height of the war in Afghanistan. The young prince eventually rose to the rank of captain and flew Apache attack helicopters with the Royal Air Force. To this day, the Duke of Sussex works with veterans charity groups to support wounded soldiers and their families.
In May 2005, Harry entered a 44-week training course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to train as an officer cadet, combining extensive physical training with academic endurance. By April 2006, the prince had completed training and would join a British army cavalry regiment known as the Blues and Royals. Queen Elizabeth II And Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, attended the sovereign parade at Sandhurst after Harry received his commission as an army officer.
After two years with the Blues and Royals, Prince began training to become an Army Air Corps pilot by January 2009 and was eventually selected to learn how to fly Apache attack helicopters.
How long did Prince Harry serve in Afghanistan?
Throughout his military career, Prince Harry served in two operational deployments to Afghanistan. The first was in Helmand province as a forward air controller for ten weeks from 2007-2008. Duke’s second deployment was as an Apache pilot for 20 weeks from 2012 to 2013. By this time Prince had reached the rank of captain and was posted to 662 Squadron, 3 Regiment in the 16 Air Assault Brigade.
Prince Harry served in the British Army for more than a decade and served two tours of duty in Afghanistan.
(John Stillwell Poole/Tim Graham Picture Library)
“Captain Harry Wells, as he was known in the military, visited the United States in October 2011 to complete the final elements of the Apache conversion-to-role course where he tested the aircraft and its various weapons systems. Learned to operate in challenging operational scenarios.” According to the royal family’s website.
Harry served for around 30 weeks while stationed in Afghanistan with the British Army and was in the army for a total of 10 years.
Did he fight on the front lines?
Harry was deployed to Afghanistan during the height of the US and British fight against the Taliban following the September 11 attacks on the US.
As of September 2012, Harry was deployed and served as an Apache helicopter pilot at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province. He was a member of the Joint Aviation Group responsible for providing air support to the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan forces.
During his time in Afghanistan, the Taliban put a price on his head, forcing the military high command to move Harry from his post to a safer location during parts of his tour.
Why can’t Harry wear a military uniform to the Queen’s funeral?
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have lost their military honors after stepping down from their roles in the royal family. However, a royal expert told Fox News Digital that Harry would be allowed to wear the uniform. By permission of his father King Charles III. Queen Elizabeth II’s official funeral will take place on Monday at Westminster Abbey.
“I’m glad the king thought better of it,” Shannon Felton-Spence told Fox News Digital. “It is the right thing to do. The Queen was very proud of Prince Harry’s service, both as his Grandmother and as Commander-in-Chief.”
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Buckingham Palace is otherwise only allowing current working members of the family with a military title to wear uniform to the funeral.