Prince Harry hits out at Trump over false claims on British troops in Afghanistan

Prince Harry has hit out at Donald Trump over the US president’s false claims made against British troops who fought in Afghanistan.

The Duke of Sussex, a former Army Air Corps co-pilot gunner who undertook two frontline tours to Afghanistan, said the “sacrifices” of Britons who fought and died in the country “deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect”.

Among the remarks that have enraged Nato allies, Trump claimed that allies stayed away from the frontline in the conflict and suggested he is not sure the alliance would “be there if we ever needed them”.

Harry joined veterans and politicians from across the political spectrum in his condemnation of the US president’s false claims, with Sir Keir Starmer earlier calling them “appalling” and demanding an apology.

Critics have pointed to both the number of non-US coalition deaths in Afghanistan and Trump’s own avoidance of military service in Vietnam.

The duke paid tribute to the 457 British personnel who died in the conflict, after the prime minister earlier said he would never forget “their courage, their bravery and the sacrifice they made for their country".

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In a statement released on Friday afternoon, Harry said: “In 2001, Nato invoked Article 5 for the first – and only – time in history. It meant that every allied nation was obliged to stand with the United States in Afghanistan, in pursuit of our shared security. Allies answered that call.

“I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there.

“The United Kingdom alone had 457 service personnel killed.

“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.

“Those sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect, as we all remain united and loyal to the defence of diplomacy and peace.”

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During his decade-long full-time military career, the duke fought the Taliban in 2007 and returned to Afghanistan for a second tour of duty in 2012, and qualified as an Apache aircraft commander.

Harry – who was dubbed the “Warrior Prince”, “Harry the Brave”, and “One of Our Boys” by the press for fighting for his country – left the Army in March 2015.

His comments come after Trump, who famously avoided the draft for the Vietnam War five times in the 1960s and 1970s, suggested in an interview with Fox News that Nato allied troops “stayed a little off the front lines” in Afghanistan.

More than 1,100 non-US coalition fighters died in the conflict that began in 2001, according to veteran charity Help for Heroes, the overwhelming majority of them being from Nato countries, while more than 2,300 members of the US armed forces were killed. The UK suffered the second-highest number of military deaths, behind the US.

Trump also claimed America had “never needed” its Nato partners, despite being the only member state to have ever invoked the alliance’s “all for one, and one for all” clause, in the wake of 9/11.

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Hitting back at the US president’s comments, Sir Keir said earlier on Friday: “I consider President Trump's remarks to be insulting and frankly appalling, and I am not surprised they have caused such hurt to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured.”

Earlier, No 10 said the US president “was wrong to diminish the role of Nato troops, including British forces, in Afghanistan” and said their service and sacrifice “will never be forgotten”.

Sir Tony Blair, who was the UK prime minister who first sent British troops to support America in Afghanistan, also intervened.

Avoiding direct criticism of Trump, a spokesperson for Sir Tony said: “Tony Blair knows – and will always remember with deep gratitude – the enormous contribution and sacrifice British troops made in Afghanistan on the front line of the fight against terrorism, following the 9/11 attacks on the US.”

Earlier, the former head of the Royal Navy led those criticising Trump’s claim, calling the comments “disgraceful”. Former first sea lord, Admiral Lord West, who coordinated the naval activity in Afghanistan, told The Independent: “It is wrong and a disgraceful thing for anyone to say, let alone the head of state of an allied nation.”

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Defence secretary John Healey said British troops killed in Afghanistan were “heroes who gave their lives in service of our nation”, while defence minister Al Carns, who himself served five tours in Afghanistan, invited anyone who believes Trump’s claim to meet him and the bereaved families of the more than 400 British personnel who died in the conflict.

Mr Carns took to X to say: “I’d suggest whoever believes these comments, come have a whisky with me, my colleagues, their families, and importantly, the families of those that have made the ultimate sacrifice for both of our nations.”

He also uploaded a video of himself during his time in uniform, which he described as a “small snapshot of what it’s like to be on the frontline in Afghanistan” to LinkedIn, warning “viewer discretion advised”.

Reacting to Trump’s comments, the mother of a young British rifleman killed in Afghanistan said the president had “no compassion whatsoever for anyone who doesn’t serve him”.

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Lucy Aldridge, whose son William died aged 18, told The Mirror the US president’s remarks were “extremely upsetting”.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch also condemned Mr Trump’s claims as “flat-out nonsense”.

“British, Canadian, and Nato troops fought and died alongside the US for 20 years,” she wrote on X. “This is a fact, not opinion. Their sacrifice deserves respect, not denigration.”

And Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “Trump avoided military service five times. How dare he question their sacrifice?”