Prince Harry's Army Friend Says Royal Is a ‘Selfless’ and ‘Loving Father’ Amid Royal Exit

One of Prince Harry‘s former colleagues is defending the royal after his shocking decision to step back as a senior member of the royal family.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Glenn Haughton, OBE called Harry, 35, a “selfless” and “loving father” and called attention to his past military service. Haughton is a senior British Army soldier who previously served with Harry and has remained friends with him in the years since.

“Let me tell you this because I know,” Haughton tweeted. “PH is a soldier, veteran & servant who fought in Afghan in the cloth of our nation, quickly forgotten by our fleeting & fickle society.”

“A selfless, loving father, brother & son that has given so much of his life to better the lives of others,” he continued.

Haughton isn’t the only one of Harry‘s friends to speak out about his and and wife Meghan Markle‘s historic decision, which caused Queen Elizabeth to call an emergency family summit held earlier this week.

On Friday, JJ Chalmers, who met Harry while they were both serving in the military, defended the couple’s royal exit during an appearance on the UK show The One Show.

“He’s less the captain in the army I knew, and he’s more a father that’s the first thing I ask him about,” Chalmers, 33, said.

“And I think the decision that he has made, at the forefront of that is to protect his family, because that’s the number one rule is to be a father and to be a husband,” Chalmers continued, adding, “Any husband wants to protect their wife and any father wants to protect their children.”

RELATED: Prince Harry’s Friend JJ Chalmers Says Royal Exit Was to ‘Protect’ Wife Meghan Markle and Son Archie

The couple’s friend Tom Bradby — who toured southern Africa with the royal couple for the emotional ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey — said their royal exit was “a declaration of independence.”

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On Tuesday, Meghan, 38, was seen for the first time since her and Prince Harry‘s announcement. The Duchess of Sussex boarded a seaplane bound for Vancouver, where she stopped by a local women’s center in Vancouver.

RELATED: Kate Middleton and Prince William Show No Sign of Stress on First Post-Royal Family Crisis Outing

After releasing their big news, Meghan flew back to Canada to be with the couple’s son Archie while Prince Harry stayed in the U.K. to sort out details of their new arrangement with his grandmother Queen Elizabeth, father Prince Charles and brother Prince William.

The Duke of Sussex will remain in the U.K. for the next few days to host the Rugby League World Cup 2021 draws at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.