The President sparked anger from ex-servicemen and their families over his claim that British troops and NATO allies stayed off the frontline in Afghanistan.
The Duke of Sussex said the “sacrifices” of British soldiers who served and died in Afghanistan “deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect”, after US President Donald Trump claimed Nato allies stayed away from the front lines in the conflict.
Prince Harry issued a statement saying that "families are left carrying the cost" of the sacrifices made by troops who fought in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2014.
They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines."
We will never forget the sacrifices of those who served in Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/kueDIF1KOu — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) January 23, 2026.
Sir Keir added that he would apologise if he had said the words used by Trump. »