Meghan Markle Faces Backlash After Calling Prince Harry a ‘Helicopter Pilot for 10 Years’
Royal watchers believe that Meghan Markle was reportedly overstating Prince Harry's military career!
Meghan Markle has been making headlines for a string of high-profile appearances and personal projects as she continues to reshape the public image of the Sussexes. From sharing glimpses of family life to promoting her latest ventures and appearing on various beloved TV shows, the Duchess of Sussex has sought to present a more personal side of herself and Prince Harry. However, one of her recent remarks has instead sparked fresh criticism, with royal watchers accusing her of overstating the Duke’s military credentials during a recent appearance.
The Duchess stepped out for a surprise LA screening of her documentary 'Cookie Queens' last night and described Harry as “a helicopter pilot in the British Army for 10 years.” The comment seemed to be intended to highlight the Duke’s military service and all his contributions there. However, the critics argued that the wording visibly overstated his role and that she was reportedly trying to “reach for more.” Watch the video here!
One user stated, "H served 10years in the Army but only spent 3.5 years training and serving as an Apache pilot. MM is not very good with details," while another highlighted, "She’s just making stuff up at this point." A third pointed out, "There was a video on here of Queen Elizabeth naming members of the RoyalFamily that had attained their qualified pilots licenses...he [Harry] was not named because he never received his pilots license!!!!"
They also ended up pointing out facts because the Duke definitely did not spend his entire decade-long military career flying helicopters. After all, Harry served in the British Army for ten years, from 2005 until 2015. During that time, he completed two tours of Afghanistan, which was seriously commendable. During this time, he qualified as an Apache helicopter commander after undergoing rigorous training for the same. Later, he was also recognised with the coveted Apache Flying Badge. After this, he took over as an Apache Aircraft Commander. This was a role that required him to fly and command missions in one of the Army’s most advanced attack helicopters. However, royal watchers noted that Harry trained as a helicopter pilot after already giving some years to his military career. Before this, he actually served in other capacities, including as a Forward Air Controller for the Army. This is exactly what led some critics to argue that Markle’s description blurred the distinction between his overall military service and the number of years that he actually spent as a pilot.
As expected, the debate was quickly taken online, and it gained quite a lot of traction on social media, where opinions were expectedly divided. Some users accused Markle of inflating Harry’s military achievements, while others defended her remarks, arguing that she was referring to the fact that Harry spent ten years in the Army. This incident has once again brought Harry’s decade of military service in the spotlight, underscoring both the lasting public interest in his Army career and the intense scrutiny that, unfortunately, continues to follow the Duke and Duchess of Sussex wherever they go.
