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Prince Harry Was 'Inches From Death' During Time Serving In Afghanistan

Prince Harry Was 'Inches From Death' During Time Serving In Afghanistan

A new book has revealed more about the Prince's time in the army

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

A new book has claimed that Prince Harry was just 'inches away from death' during his time in Afghanistan when he was almost caught in improvised explosive device (IED).

The new biography focuses on the Prince's time in the Helmand Province when he was part of the Household Cavalry back in 2007.

PA

Harry was a forward air controller, based in the area of Garmsir, near to the Pakistani border, which was 'about as dangerous as it can get', according to Harry's commanding officer Major Mark Millford.

Harry would examine images on, what was known as by troops as, 'Taliban TV', looking out for signs of movement or body heat created by troops, which would give away where they were, the Daily Mail reports.

Captain Dickon Leigh-Wood, who attended Ludgrove prep school with Harry before they met again at Combermere Barracks to do their training, revealed the moment that Harry and his unit almost ran over an IED.

He said: "One of the vehicles in the column suddenly noticed something flick underneath the tank in front and everyone was ordered to stop.

PA

"You automatically think, "This is going to go off. This is it".

"The previous vehicles, including Harry's, had missed the pressure plate of an IED by about six inches. If any of us had gone over it, it would have been game over."

Captain Leigh-Wood also said that Harry was happy to bed down in trenches with up to four other people in temperatures as low as -26C, saying that he 'just got on with it' and 'never complained once'.

He also said that Harry would often go into the villages with an interpreter to talk to locals and drink tea.

"He was never recognised and I think he really cherished that," he said. "These people had no TV.

PA

"I don't think they'd have recognised the Queen if she'd have been there. He was also brilliant at keeping everyone's spirits up."

Speaking in 2008, Leigh-Wood said about Harry: "I think he loves the privacy - there's no paparazzi chasing him, he hasn't got his bodyguard team in the field.

"He's with the boys who he gets on with incredibly well, he's always playing rugby or football or sitting round the fire telling stupid stories."

Source: The Daily Mail

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: UK News, Royal Family, Prince Harry