Prince Harry, a former British Army officer who served two tours in Afghanistan, has pushed back against comments by President Donald Trump questioning whether NATO allies truly stood with the United States after the September 11 attacks, after Trump said during a Jan. 22 interview with FOX Business that the US had borne most of the burden while allies “stayed a little back, a little off the front lines,” remarks that prompted a response from the Duke of Sussex through his spokesperson to Fox News Digital in which he stressed NATO’s collective action and losses, saying, “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,” before drawing on his personal experience to note, “I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there. The United Kingdom alone had 457 service personnel killed,” adding that “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,” and concluding that “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,” with Harry’s statement coming amid his continued public work on veterans’ issues through the Invictus Games, which he founded in 2014, and years after he stepped back from royal duties with his wife Meghan Markle and relocated to California.
