Prince Harry’s emotional struggle laid bare amid military ‘chess pieces’ reaction
Prince Harry is reportedly experiencing “isolation” from the military community as he faces an upcoming awkward award show, according to a royal commentator.
Later this month, the Duke of Sussex is set to receive the Pat Tillman Award, which honours individuals with a strong sports background who have also served their country.
Pat Tillman, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2004, served alongside Harry during his military tenure.
However, Pat Tillman’s mother, Mary, has expressed reservations about Harry, 39, receiving the ESPY Award, suggesting that there are more deserving recipients. She described Harry as “controversial and divisive.”
Gareth Russell, a royal commentator, spoke exclusively to GB News to explain the backlash that Prince Harry has received from the military community, which he claims stems from the comments the duke made in his memoir Spare.
Russell said: “There were very clear signs from the military in Britain that they were extremely unhappy with many of the comments made in Spare and on several chat shows.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that many in the military felt he had broken a code or broken protocol, and that means a great deal within the British military.
“It’s worth remembering that many people have a great deal of affection and admiration for the work the Duke of Sussex has done with the Invictus Games.
“But someone’s record is not all good or all bad.
“Even those who have admiration for the Invictus Games have said that they felt the comments in Spare were isolating and inappropriate.”
In his memoir, the Duke of Sussex described killing 25 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan as “chess pieces taken off the board”.
Ex-colonel Tim Collins responded by saying that was “not how you behave in the army”.
Prince Harry wrote: “It wasn’t a statistic that filled me with pride but nor did it make me ashamed. When I was plunged into the heat and confusion of battle, I didn’t think about those as 25 people.
“You can’t kill people if you see them as people. In truth, you can’t hurt people if you see them as people.
“They were chess pieces taken off the board, bad guys eliminated before they kill good guys. They trained me to ‘other’ them and they trained me well.”
