Prince Harry tells NATO chiefs leaving the Army felt like losing identity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has said that hanging up his Army uniform felt like losing part of his purpose and identity.
He made the remarks by video link to NATO's Military Committee in Brussels on Thursday, speaking as founder of the Invictus Games, the international sports event for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans. Hello! Magazine
Harry served for a decade in the British Army and rose to the rank of Captain. He completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan before ending his military career in 2015. Hello! Magazine
“When he hung up his uniform he felt he had lost not simply a profession but part of his purpose and identity,” is how his account of that moment was reported. He added that he had been fortunate because he had another way to serve after leaving the Army.
He staged the inaugural Invictus Games in 2014 for wounded, injured and sick former and current service personnel. In the NATO address he warned military leaders to think seriously about what happens to personnel after they have served, particularly when they return wounded, injured or sick.
The session was a formal briefing by the Invictus Games Foundation to the Military Committee on its work with the international WIS community. WIS is military shorthand for wounded, injured and sick. Harry, who is Patron of the Invictus Games Foundation, joined via VTC, the secure video-link system, while a delegation attended the meeting in person. NATO The foundation’s chief executive is Dominic Reid OBE. Invictus Games Foundation
What makes this stand out for viewers is the bluntness. Harry rarely describes the break with Army life in such personal terms. Here he tied it directly to his next job, building a competition where former personnel can find team, structure and a crowd again.
