I'm feeling a bit sorry for Harry

[ssd]

I feel like he needs his mum more than ever. To put an arm round him and say "enough son".

He needs guidance, he's never had maternal guidance. Its well documented that Williams life has been really enhanced by Kates parents. Harry has never had that and i feel sorry for him.

That’s a shocking thing to say .

What about an International tribunal on war crimes then?

More shocking than admitting to killing 25 human beings with children and families?
I will save my sympathy for the real victims in this.

What war crimes? He killed soldiers whilst on active duty and under the orders of his commanding officer. He didn’t randomly wander about shooting civilians.

Let the court determine that we have heard from the Taliban that they were not insurgents.

Why would he face a war crimes tribunal?

There is no suggestion that he broke the ROE

And if targets were misidentified, then isn't that more of a matter for the Air Ops Centre staff and those supplying the target information, rather than the pilot during the flight who engages what is on his target list?

That is because there has not been a full investigation into the events.
Most combatants are not stupid enough to go around bragging in the International press about killing people. The 'fog of war' protected him he chose to step into the sunlight.
Should have kept his mouth shut.

I feel sorry for him too, tinge of pity too.

Watching anyone crash their car with their family in it and try and take them all down, it’s just sad. Doesn’t matter how fancy the car is, wrecked cars don’t help anyone get anywhere. Some people don’t make it out alive. The faster they drive badly, the more people get hurt. Having a passenger in the seat next to you egging on isn’t going to help either.

There aren't usually war crimes investigations into soldiers saying they killed other combatants, no. Afghanistan is actually a state party to the ICC but it wasn't the Taliban regime who signed and they have some fairly whopping reasons not to want to open that particular can of worms themselves. So I don't think we're going to see the Hague taking an interest any time soon.

Harry should absolutely have kept his trap shut on this point, but the reason for that is because of his own security rather than anything else.

@mpsw you feel sympathy for the taliban? I've heard it all now.

I do not think this post did express sympathy for the taliban.

Sympathy for the Taliban?

How the hell did you read that into a post explaining why a pilot following ROE against verified targets would not face a war crimes investigation?

Or the underlying assumption that targeting information and orders which flow from it are correctly processed, and that if errors are made then responsibility is taken? That's sod all to do with the Taliban, and instead everything to do with our standards in waging a campaign and our status as signatories to relevant international agreements

You'll be saying next that people decried the actions of some US personnel at Abu Ghraib were Iraqi sympathisers, rather than those who that deplore torture (whoever is carrying it out) and breaches of the Geneva Conventions (which were held to apply)

(PS: feel free to AS my posting history if you want to get a wider picture of my attitude to the military!)

Some really vile people on here.

He hasn't had a perfect life. So basically if you are born into money, you don't have any problems and should shut the fuck up, no matter what horrific trauma you have faced, and get on with it, because people have it worse than you.

You're fucking ridiculous. First the UK, then the US and now Afghanistan. Why are you so obsessed with imprisoning him?

Well all I know is that the "generational pain" he was so upset about seems very likely to be carried on to the next generation. The people I really feel for in this situation are the kids.

🙄 Except we ALL have traumas yet most of us just have to survive, we can’t sit in a mansion navel gazing all day. I’m not saying he can’t have MH issues but why go on and on about it when his life is easier than the vast majority of people’s.

I mean why make it all so public? Just deal with it privately like most people instead of wanting everyone to feel sorry for him over something that happened 25 years ago.

Harry's book summed up

my wife is wonderful
the media are bastards
my family are bastards.
all I want is a quiet, private life...
... which is why I have spent the last year doing interviews.

nah, no sympathy from me

Harry was very, very foolish to ignore guidelines from the Army etc and start talking about killing 25 Taliban. It’s as if he thinks the rules don’t apply to him, but they’re there for good reason.

The Taliban are now claiming he killed innocent lives, not Taliban fighters because they’ve “checked his claims and dates”. The Taliban also say that as he’s now confessed to “war crimes” he should be made to face the penalty.

Do we believe the Taliban? Of course not. But those within the regime will believe them, and will inflamed by Harry’s words. I think that will increase the appetite to not only target Harry but also other Western Forces, potentially.

people have pointed out that they hate us anyway, which is true, but it’s dangerous to fan the flames of extremism. There have already been ex-Marines (Pen Farthing) saying they’ve been forced to evacuate Afghanistan because of what Harry said and the increased risk to life.

Foolish, irresponsible and only thinking of himself - but then, that sums up the book as a whole really, doesn’t it?!

I also think he's probably put ex forces members attending the Invictus games at greater risk.

I don't think anyone had issues with how he spoke of it in 2013

Maybe he was better advised then? It covered much the same ground as the fuller book excerpt - but did not include the two really problematic aspects of giving a number and referring to chess pieces.

I can't help thinking how his life would have been if he'd never met or married Meghan....

I do feel some sympathy for him but at the same time he is being incredibly stupid and reckless.

I was wondering what the Invictus community would make of this. There's little to no support for specific detail he included for the first time here amongst other military commentators.

If Invictus have any sense though, they'll stay quiet in terms of official reaction.

The next Games are in September in Dusseldorf. Hopefully this will all be chip paper by then

I imagine the Invictus community in general don’t agree with him revealing the level of detail but won’t ever criticise him publicly or desert him because he’s been their champion and is seen as “one of their own”. Loyalty is such a huge thing for ex-military, I doubt it will make any difference at all to how he’s welcomed, or the reception he’ll receive.

I'm just glad that Germany will be responsible for the security at the next games. (Presumably.)