Prince Harry criticized President Donald Trump for downplaying the role NATO allies played in the Afghanistan War.
In a Fox News interview, Trump said the U.S. had “never really asked anything of” its NATO partners and questioned whether they would come to America’s aid if called upon. He also suggested allied forces operated at a distance from the fighting.
“They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan,” Trump said. “And they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”
The U.S. is the only NATO member to have invoked Article 5, the alliance’s collective-defense clause, doing so after the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001. That decision led allies to deploy troops in support of the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan.
Speaking to Newsweek, the Duke of Sussex said allied nations answered the United States’ call—and paid a lasting price. He pointed to the 457 British service members killed in Afghanistan and said thousands of families were permanently changed. He urged that the war and its consequences be discussed “truthfully and with respect” while pursuing diplomacy and peace.
“In 2001, NATO invoked Article 5 for the first—and only—time in history,” Harry said. “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.”
He added, “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 defense of diplomacy and peace.”
Harry’s Service and Past Remarks
Prince Harry served two tours in Afghanistan beginning in 2008. During his second deployment, from September 2012 to January 2013, he flew an Apache attack helicopter in combat operations.
In his 2023 memoir, Spare, Harry wrote that he could account for the number of enemy fighters he killed during his service and said he believed transparency mattered for accountability. He described the figure—25—as neither a source of pride nor shame, but as an unwanted consequence of war. He also wrote about the emotional and psychological detachment soldiers are trained to adopt in combat.
Keir Starmer Condemns Trump’s Comments
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also condemned Trump’s remarks, calling them “insulting” and “appalling,” and said the president should apologize.
Starmer honored the 457 British service members killed in the conflict and those who suffered life-altering injuries, emphasizing the toll on military families.
“I will never forget their courage, their bravery and the sacrifice they made for their country,” Starmer said. “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 and, in fact, across the country.”
Diane Dernie, whose son Ben Parkinson was severely injured when a British Army Land Rover struck a mine in Afghanistan in 2006, called Trump’s comments “the ultimate insult” and urged Starmer to confront him.
“Call him out,” she said. “Make a stand for those who fought for this country and for our flag, because it’s just beyond belief.”
Starmer replied that if he had “misspoken in that way or said those words,” he would “certainly apologize,” including to families like Dernie’s.
