The Duke of Sussex has called for the sacrifices of Nato troops to be “spoken about truthfully and with respect”, after the US president claimed allies stayed “a little back” from the front lines in Afghanistan.
“Prince Harry who served two front line tours in Afghanistan said the sacrifices made by British and other NATO troops, deserved to be spoken about truthfully and with respect”
“After Donald Trump falsely claimed they had avoided the front line” #C4News pic.twitter.com/tJXv1Z0hCp
— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) January 23, 2026
“I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there,” Prince Harry, who was twice deployed to the country, said on Friday as he paid tribute to Nato troops killed in the conflict, including 457 UK service personnel.
The prince was reacting to controversial comments made by Donald Trump in an interview on Thursday.
Trump’s words have drawn condemnation from international allies, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling them “insulting and frankly appalling” .
US President Donald Trump’s comments questioning whether Nato allies would support the US in its time of need, and claim that allies “stayed a little back” from the front lines in Afghanistan, have been widely criticised as inaccurate and disrespectful.
Following the terror attacks of 11 September 2001, the US invoked Nato’s Article 5 – which treats an attack on one member as an attack against them all – and launched military action in Afghanistan, where 457 UK military personnel were killed.
Starmer and other party leaders criticise Trump
The UK prime minister branded Trump’s remarks “insulting and frankly appalling”, and suggested the US president should apologise. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called Trump’s comments a “disgrace”, and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called them a “huge insult to our brave soldiers”.
Veterans and families of those killed and injured react
Prince Harry, who served in Afghanistan, said in a statement that the “sacrifices” of UK armed personnel in Afghanistan “deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect”.
Lucy Aldridge, whose son Rifleman William Aldridge died in a bomb blast in 2009, aged just 18 – becoming the youngest British soldier to be killed in Afghanistan – was one of many who lost family in the conflict to criticise Trump’s remarks. She said it “picks the scab off wounds that never healed”, adding she is “deeply offended” and “deeply disgusted”.
White House statement
Responding to the BBC’s questions about Trump’s comments, the White House issued a statement that did not directly address the points raised, saying instead: “President Trump is right – America’s contributions to Nato dwarf that of other countries.”
It went on to describe how Trump has prompted higher Nato spending and the administration believes only the US can protect Greenland.
Source BBC
