Soldier: Prince Harry saved me from homophobic attack

Claudine Zap
·Claudine Zap

Prince Harry is a hero to one of his fellow troopers, who writes in a book that the royal commander saved him from a homophobic attack in 2008.

The book, “Out in the Army,” by James Wharton, recalls an incident in which Harry, younger brother to Prince William, stood up for the soldier, who was being bullied for being gay. The two were serving in the Blues and Royals of the Household Cavalry Regiment.

During the incident, detailed by the Daily Mail on Sunday, Wharton, who was Harry’s gunner during training, turned to Harry for help after six soldiers threatened to “batter” him.

As the Daily Mail tells it,

I told him, “I think I’m going to be murdered by the infantry.” I climbed into the turret and talked Harry through exactly what had happened. He had a complete look of bewilderment on his face.
I couldn’t stop the tears from welling up in my eyes. He said, “Right I’m going to sort this s*** out once and for all.”

Wharton watched as the royal confronted the group, warning they would face “severe discipline” if their threats continued. He then reported the threats to his senior officer. The prince returned 10 minutes later to tell him it had been “sorted.”

Writes Wharton, who was 21 at the time, "I will always be grateful to Harry and I will never forget what happened. Until he went over and dealt with everything I was on track for a battering."