Prince Harry's book Spare is due to be released on Tuesday, January 10, 2023, but details about what his memoir contains have been leaking out.  Amid the revelations of squabbles with his family and the sanctification of his wife, D-list actress Meghan Markle, one truly shocking revelation stands out: Harry claims to have killed 25 Taliban fighters during his service in Afghanistan.  He also claims to have regarded the dead fighters as chess pieces to be taken off the board.

The backlash has been intense.  Retired British Army colonel Richard Kemp gave an interview in which he described Harry's remarks as not only creating a security threat to himself, but also raising the level of threat toward any British serviceman.  Colonel Kemp stated that the British Army teaches respect to the enemy, including following the Geneva Conventions, and characterized Harry's boast as tarnishing the reputation of the service:

It is especially sad to reflect that there was a time when Harry was very special to the British Army.  He served for ten years.  He rose to the rank of captain.  He did two tours in Afghanistan.  As third in line to the British throne, Harry certainly had a good excuse for staying out of harm's way.  He chose to serve his country in an active war zone.  That is admirable.  He launched the Invictus Games, an international sporting event for wounded or sick veterans and those actively serving.  That, too, is admirable.

Why he should now choose to characterize himself and, by inference, his fellow soldiers as bloodthirsty monsters who think of enemy combatants as subhumans to be swept off a playing board is a mystery.  Senior Taliban leader Anas Haqqani took to Twitter to remind Harry that his "chess pieces" were men with families.  It is not unreasonable to fear that other Taliban members, irked by Harry's comments, might use something more deadly than a keyboard against members of the British military.  Harry is probably beyond their reach, but his fellow soldiers are more vulnerable.

I am reminded of the words of David Niven, who was both a celebrated actor and a commando in World War II.  "I was asked by some American friends to search out the grave of their son near Bastogne.  I found it where they told me I would, but it was among 27,000 others, and I told myself that here, Niven, were 27,000 reasons why you should keep your mouth shut after the war."  If only Prince Harry had such wisdom and humility.

Image: Prince Harry.  YouTube screen grab.

Pandra Selivanov is the author of The Pardon, a story of forgiveness based on the thief on the cross in the Bible.