Prince Harry has turned against another family with his Afghanistan claims, says NI war hero

Colonel Tim Collins, who commanded the Royal Irish regiment during the Gulf War in 2003, said comments by Prince Harry about his Army career were “very ill-advised”.

The Belfast-born ex-officer, who gained worldwide fame for an eve of battle speech to troops in Iraq, joined a senior Taliban leader and a former defence secretary in criticising the Duke over disclosures that he killed 25 people in Afghanistan.

It comes as a stream of sensational claims and accusations from Prince Harry's autobiography, Spare, emerge.

The latest claims include: King Charles III resented Meghan for “overshadowing” more senior members of the royal family; Meghan “placed her hands on Diana’s grave and asked for guidance” on the 20th anniversary of her death; Harry “gobbled” magic mushrooms at Courteney Cox's house (“My mate and I grabbed several, gobbled them, washed them down with tequila”); he claims the late Queen played a role in his break-up with then girlfriend Chelsy Davy.

He has also made a string of damning accusations against his family, most dramatically that his brother, Prince William, physically attacked him in a row over his wife Meghan, as well as how he suffered panic attacks due to the stress of royal life and how he turned to drugs to cope.

It comes as the Duke faces an intense backlash after writing about his time in Afghanistan.

Harry wrote that flying six missions during his second tour of duty on the front line in 2012 to 2013 resulted in "the taking of human lives", of which he was neither proud nor ashamed.

The book reportedly states that Harry said he did not think of those he killed as people, but instead as "chess pieces" that had been taken off the board.

Col Collins said the Duke “has broken an unspoken covenant” in making the claim about his military career.

“It’s all very ill-advised,” he said, adding: “It is not how a soldier behaves. He wanted attention; he’s got attention. But it’s a tragic money-making scam and what will be the personal cost in the end?

“Harry has now turned against the other family — the military — that once embraced him, having trashed his birth family.”

“He has shown disrespect for his adopted family who accepted him as one of their own.

“Stupidity? Yes. Sadly it all seems to come down to money, but, when you look at it, not a lot of money."

Col Collins questioned the Duke’s claims about Afghanistan.

“Twenty-five? Those who served with him will be wondering where that figure came from. Lawyers will have looked at the legal requirement in naming numbers. Twenty-five is what they will have been able to stand over legally.

“Now the Taliban are laughing at him. He spoke of them being chess pieces which needed removed. Now those same chess players are running the country.

“Sadly people died, civilians among them. It is not something to be gloated about. He has demonstrated a feeble concept of who and what is real and important. Is it money or is it family and comradeship?

“You suspect there is something more sinister behind these comments. Is he really in control of what he is saying here? That’s unquestionably debatable."

An Ulster Unionist Party Army veteran who lost both his legs and was left partially blind while serving in Afghanistan said he believed Harry has “gone too far” following the disclosure.

Andy Allen suggested the Duke should “be quiet in that regard”, saying the comments are not ones he “would associate to my experience with the military”, adding that he does not see what Harry is “hoping to achieve” in writing the autobiography.

Anas Haqqani, Taliban leader in Afghanistan, condemned the Duke for describing those he killed as “chess pieces”, but added that not many who killed Afghans “have your decency to reveal their conscience and confess to their war crimes”.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the MoD does not comment on operational details for “security reasons”.