Despite his hatred for the press, Prince Harry allowed Richard Bacon and the BBC into the war-world of his tour of Afghanistan where he is solely known as Captain Wales.
‘Prince Harry: Frontline Afghanistan’ not only portrayed the royal as an intriguing, honest young man but also as one of the lads who becomes the ‘Brew Bitch’ if he loses a Fifa competition with his soldier pals; who resides in barracks on high alert and in full readiness for action; who can’t be arsed to make his tiny, single bed; and who is at his happiest when regarded as ‘normal’ and ‘just like the others’.
Not only had Harry always felt most comfortable in the army, he was always extremely good at what he does. His passion for his role as Apache Helicopter Pilot is honourable throughout the documentary, although he makes it very clear that if it wasn’t for who he was and the consequences that follow his royal title, he would be most at home on the ground with his squadron.
Perhaps unfairly, Harry has come under-fire from ‘officers from the upper echelons’ for saying he would prefer to be on foot than in his helicopter: The Sunday Telegraph reported that a senior officer (who spoke anonymously to the paper) said that the tone of interview was wrong and that Captain Wales sounded like a ‘spoilt teenager’!
In my opinion, this is not so and I found Harry to be compelling, keen and proud to be serving in the British Army. The points he raised about his disgruntled feelings towards the press and media were given with dignity and the necessary brevity it deserved and his apologies for his infamous Vegas snaps were heart-felt.
The only inevitable backlash that will follow the show’s airing will be the failure to address the ongoing controversy of allowing Prince Harry, third in line to the British throne, to serve on the frontline of a heavy warzone, albeit from the relative “safety” of an Apache.
Although visibly able enough to work the £45million machine, it has still cost an awful lot to train, maintain and debate over Harry which some are saying is too excessive for someone often pulled out early for security reasons. The argument continues…
Agreeing with Caroline Frost’s Review for the Huffington Post, I’d have also chosen a better suited presenter for the documentary. As Caroline mentions, “Richard Bacon…seemed caught up instead by the wave of glamour that inevitably pervades a good-looking royal staying off the polo field and out of Bouji’s long enough to ‘look after the lads down there.'”
What the documentary did for someone like me, who never really knows what to believe and what to read, was give an insight of the real Prince Harry’s behaviour during an intimate interview in an environment where he feels most comfortable. Whether he’s acting his age as Harry the Playboy, letting off some steam as Harry the party-hard alcoholic or serving as Captain Wales, the 28-year-old Prince wins major lad points with me.
Photo Source: The Telegraph
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