Why Prince William’s Army Career Wasn’t More Than ‘Window Dressing’ Unlike Prince Harry’s

Prince William and Prince Harry both joined the Army but for entirely different reasons.

In the book “Prince Harry: The Inside Story,” royal author Duncan Larcombe said that the Duke of Cambridge’s military career was never really going to be more than window dressing. The royal expert gave a sensible reason why he thought this was the case.

“As the heir to the throne, William was never likely to serve in the front line. His desire to enter the force was far more about being able to look servicemen in the eye,” he said.

During Larcombe’s interview with the dad of three in 2005, Prince William said that it was important for him to understand the military and to be able to look soldiers in the eye with at least a tiny bit of knowledge of what they have gone through.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry had a very different mindset when he joined the force. The Duke of Sussex felt that he was a soldier first and a royal second especially when he was in his 20s.

“Harry may have accepted he was a royal, but as far as he was concerned, his military career had nothing whatsoever to do with his accident of birth. being a prince and being an officer in the British Army was, in Harry’s mind, two totally separate entities,” Larcombe said.

The royal author said that this was one of the reasons why the Duke of Sussex saw his military career as something appealing. As an officer in the force, he was able to live a normal life.

While in the British Army, Meghan Markle’s husband committed himself 100 percent to his military training and was sent to Afghanistan in 2008 to take part in the war. During a previous interview, Prince Harry said that being in the army was the best escape he has ever had in his life.

During the same interview, he also admitted to wanting to no longer be a part of the royal family while serving his country.