Prince Harry stared death in the face as a British cavalry officer in Afghanistan — but the real-life hero has always downplayed his combat experience! Now, an American military man is breaking his silence to reveal the truth about the battle-hardened blue blood, whose military service has turned Harry into a target for jihadist radicals in Britain and around the world. “Harry was in the thick of the fighting! He’s the real deal!” said Col. William Connor, a former South Carolina National Guardsman who served alongside the royal redhead in gun battles with Muslim radicals. Read on for details of Harry’s service, and click here for more royal gossip….
1 of 7
Photo credit: Getty Images
“He came down range, got shot at, put his life on the line and led by example," Connor continued. "He could have been in a safer position. But, clearly, he was willing to die. He was not Prince Harry, he was just Harry.”
2 of 7
Photo credit: Getty Images
3 of 7
Photo credit: Getty Images
“The British during that time were losing a substantial number of people,” Connor recalls. “There was a decent chance you would not come back. Harry must have thought on at least one occasion, ‘Yes, I could die,’ but he still went ahead and took this risk for his nation.”
4 of 7
Photo credit: Getty Images
Connor was at an outpost just 500 yards from Taliban lines when Harry arrived by helicopter on Christmas Eve 2007. “He had no security. He really expected no special treatment,” said Connor. On New Year’s Day 2008, Harry fired his first shots in combat.
5 of 7
Photo credit: Getty Images
Harry, shown here second from left as a child in 1989 beside his brother
Prince William, commanded a squadron of light tanks as they pushed through Taliban-controlled territory. “We could hear Prince Harry on the radio,” Connor recalled.
6 of 7
Photo credit: Getty Images
“He sent an illumination round up. Our guys were on rest and some pebbles came down," he said. "It was not his fault. The guys were saying, ‘Gosh darn, that Prince Harry!’ ” Looking back, Connor said he was deeply impressed by Harry’s gutsy choice to serve on the front lines.
7 of 7
Photo credit: Getty Images
“I have seen people that have taken advantage of being VIP and getting different kinds of treatment,” said Connor. “But he is so humble — and he was respected. That’s something that’s earned, not given. He had earned that respect among his men."
“He came down range, got shot at, put his life on the line and led by example," Connor continued. "He could have been in a safer position. But, clearly, he was willing to die. He was not Prince Harry, he was just Harry.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images
“The British during that time were losing a substantial number of people,” Connor recalls. “There was a decent chance you would not come back. Harry must have thought on at least one occasion, ‘Yes, I could die,’ but he still went ahead and took this risk for his nation.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
Connor was at an outpost just 500 yards from Taliban lines when Harry arrived by helicopter on Christmas Eve 2007. “He had no security. He really expected no special treatment,” said Connor. On New Year’s Day 2008, Harry fired his first shots in combat.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Harry, shown here second from left as a child in 1989 beside his brother
Prince William, commanded a squadron of light tanks as they pushed through Taliban-controlled territory. “We could hear Prince Harry on the radio,” Connor recalled.
Photo credit: Getty Images
“He sent an illumination round up. Our guys were on rest and some pebbles came down," he said. "It was not his fault. The guys were saying, ‘Gosh darn, that Prince Harry!’ ” Looking back, Connor said he was deeply impressed by Harry’s gutsy choice to serve on the front lines.
Photo credit: Getty Images
“I have seen people that have taken advantage of being VIP and getting different kinds of treatment,” said Connor. “But he is so humble — and he was respected. That’s something that’s earned, not given. He had earned that respect among his men."
Photo credit: Getty Images
