In 2005, Prince Harry became one of the very few Royal Family members to join the British Army. In his 10 years in the military, he also endured two tours of war-torn Afghanistan, a time that has been etched into his memory since.

However, it wasn’t until 2023 that the prince finally opened up about his experience during his time in the British Army. In his controversial memoir, Spare, Harry described the exact number of lives he has taken and why it matters. He emphasized that he learned accountability and remembering the number is that’s why very crucial.

In 2005, Harry was only 19 years old, but he decided to join the forces, following in the footsteps of his sibling, Prince William, who served in the RAF, and Prince Andrew.

Initially, he was deployed to join the Blues and Royals in Iraq. However, this decision was later withdrawn as concerns about his safety emerged. Harry, however, continued to prove his caliber in the field and ultimately rose to the rank of lieutenant with the Household Cavalry.

His most haunting experience came when he was sent to fight on the front line in Afghanistan for the first time in 2008. At that time, he had to face some members of the Taliban. In his memoir, the prince better described the situation.

“Afghanistan was a war of mistakes, a war of enormous collateral damage—thousands of innocents killed and maimed, and that always haunted us,” he began.

“So my goal from the day I arrived was never to go to bed doubting that I’d done the right thing, that my targets had been correct, that I was firing on Taliban and only Taliban, no civilians nearby.”

Prince Harry served together with 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles in Afghanistan in 2008 #Gurkha200 pic.twitter.com/uiyoNKvAvY

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) June 9, 2015

He admitted, “I wanted to return to Britain with all my limbs, but more, I wanted to go home with my conscience intact.”

Harry, the youngest of King Charles III’s sons, then delved into the exact number of people he had killed during the warfare. He wants to remember the specific digit.

“I could always say precisely how many enemy combatants I’d killed. “And I felt it vital never to shy away from that number. Among the many things I learned in the Army, accountability was near the top of the list.”

He then revealed, “So, my number: Twenty-five.”

Prince Harry reveals he killed 25 Taliban fighters as a soldier in Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/1NzgtN22Oj

— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) January 6, 2023

It was a shocking revelation, especially from a Prince, leading to some great controversies. At that time, both The Ministry of Defence and then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak refuted his statement.

Harry notes that the killings didn’t make him proud or ashamed. He claims that after he was enlisted, his mindset about human life was completely altered. In his book, he writes, “I was part of six missions that ended in the taking of human life. And they were all deemed justified… I deemed them the same.”

He was taught not to “overthink” his duties.