Prince Harry has faced another big blow as his name was missed off a list of Sandhurst’s most notable alumni.
The Duke of Sussex did not make it onto the academy’s definitive book of 200 people to serve there. Prince William however was tasked with penning the foreword.
Harry even lost out to Your Beautiful singer James Blunt – who was a captain in the Army. The prince openly talked about his time in the Army and his kill count in his 2023 memoir Spare.
Former British Army Commander Richard Kemp told The Sun he could see why the prince was excluded from the book. He said: “I completely understand why he has not been included. I probably would have included him on balance, but it is not a disappointment to not see him in there.
“I don’t think he did anything particularly notable during his service but he was certainly a significant person to go to Sandhurst. I suspect the recent disharmony between him and the Royal Family has led them to decide against having him in.
“One thing he said in his book was the Army taught him to see the enemy as less than human — which is not what we were taught. That has overshadowed a lot of the great things that he has done.”
Harry completed a 44-week training course at Sandhurst in Camberley, Surrey, in 2005. He left as an Officer Cadet in 2006.
Author Vaughan Kent-Payne, who wrote They Also Served: 200 People Who Trained At Sandhurst, says “not everybody who trained [there] was a good egg”. The 65-year-old adds that “there is a smattering of traitors and cads”.
A number of people are regularly missed out from the history books when looking at Sandhurst attendees. Fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley and Waffen-SS Officer Benson Freeman are among those considered “traitors and cads”.
While Nigerian general Yakubu Gowon, Gambian warlord Lamin Sanneh and former Ethiopian head Aman Andom also earnt their stripes at the academy.
There is one mention of Harry in the book – in an entry discussing his older brother. William’s entry reads: “His status as a future king meant that he could not be deployed on operations like his younger brother, Harry.”
Wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill, astronaut Tim Peake, and rugby star Josh Lewsey all made the cut. Author Kent-Payne is executive director of The Sandhurst Trust, the official charity and alumni community for the academy. Proceeds from the £28 book will go to the Trust.
A Sandhurst Spokesperson said: “The book highlights the breadth of accomplishments and experiences across Sandhurst graduates rather than just focusing on the most well-known.”
Being missed from the book is the latest blow for Harry’s military career. The prince is proud of his Army service, which saw two tours of Afghanistan.
After his training at Sandhurst, Harry was commissioned as an officer in the Household Cavalry Blues and Royals in April 2006. During his first tour of Afghanistan in 2007 to 2008 he served as a Forward Air Controller.
Before acting as an Apache Pilot in 2012 while stationed at Camp Bastion. In Spare he told of seeing horrific injuries suffered by his fellow soldiers.
He qualified as an Apache Aircraft Commander during his time in combat and was promoted to rank of Captain. In 2021 Harry was however stripped of his ceremonial titles when he left royal duty to live in the US with Meghan Markle.
