"In truth, you can't hurt people if you see them as people. They were chess pieces taken off the board”– Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

 

The never-ending soap-opera that is the House of Windsor has had a new series written for it. The memoir, of Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex is due to be officially launched on 10 January 2023 and as with all great book launches, this one has been filled with “teasers” as to the private revelations about life in the most famous family on the planet.

As expected, the Duke has lambasted just about everyone in his family, especially his elder brother, the heir to the throne. Newspaper headlines around the world are writing themselves with every utterance of the duke. It’s clear that the duke has a few personal issues to settle with his family and I shall leave this aspect of the royal soap opera to others.

I will, however, look at one of the more interesting confessions, which was the fact that the duke claimed to have killed 25 Taliban insurgents when he served with the British Army in his second tour of duty in Afghanistan from 2012 to 2013. The duke is quoted to have likened the experience to taking chess pieces from the board. The duke credits the army for training him to “other” the enemy and training him well.

As expected, many senior military officers have spoken up and described the duke’s comments as being misleading. They have argued that the army trains its soldiers to recognise and respect humanity in the places where the troops are deployed. More on the story can be found at:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64185176

 

On a personal note, I get where the top brass is coming from and although I’ve argued that while the duke is wasting his privilege whinging about his family, I do get where he’s coming from.

Whatever you might feel about the duke’s personal vendetta against his family, you got to respect him for waiving his birth right and pushing the government to allow him to serve on the front line. I come from a country that has compulsory military service and we had a political situation where a presidential candidate, had a son who mysteriously got special deferments and then got posted to study soil as a matter of national security when his father was minister of defence.

So, the idea of someone born with the highest privileges available in life, insisting on serving on the front line and fighting the government to let him do so, is inconceivable to me. From personal experience in military service, most people would pull every available connection to get away from the front line.

If you look at the facts, we should not be surprised that the duke killed people. He was on the front line in war zone. That is the job of soldiers in war zones. We also have to acknowledge that his public admission of the deed and likening it to a chess game was politically naïve (the duke forgetting that he, unlike private citizens does not have the right of free speech, especially in areas concerning government and politics) and he’s handed a propaganda victory to the “enemy.” The Taliban have milked the duke’s admission for everything it’s worth, accusing him of being a callous, racist, psychopath who does not see Afghans (with the undertone of any other brown-skinned Muslim) as human beings. – How much more of a PR screw up can you create when a group known for brutality of the worst sort accuses you of having no humanity?

However, whilst all these things are true, the duke did make an important point – which is the fact that “you can't hurt people if you see them as people.” His point is simple – there’s no issue killing people if you don’t see them as people. However, when you see another human being as some like you – ie with a family, hopes and dreams – it becomes a different story.

If I take my personal experience as an example, I’ve argued that being forced to work as a waiter made me realise that “anti-immigrant xenophobia” is a con-job that only weak minded people fall for. Getting to know the Pinoy and Indian guys in the Bistrot and on various construction sites I encountered, made me understand that they were not my enemy. They were simply people trying to make a living in harsh world – just like me. Had I never had the opportunity to see them as people and saw them as “foreigners,” I might have been more susceptible to the message that these guys were out to steal my entitlement in my country.

Which then leads to be point to my contention that the duke is wasting his birth right, privilege and experiences airing his family issues to the rest of us. He has the moral authority as a combat veteran who has killed people to champion bringing humanity together. In a world where you only get elected if you screw over the poor and unfortunate or people who don’t look like you, he could have been the voice of light. He had the financial firepower, the public profile and moral authority to do good.

His father as king, has been trying to do that by talking about the value of faith rather than “the faith.” Think of it, he is head of a Christian Church who visits people in mosque and gurdwaras thus sending out the message of common humanity – seeing people as people despite the difference in religion.

The duke should follow this example. He was born with a platinum spoon and he should use that spoon to make the world a better place for everyone. If he did that, he may find that the world might actually have some sympathy for him.