Prince Harry 'not prepared for horrendous sights in Afghanistan'
Prince Harry has spoken of the "horrendous" sights he witnessed during his two tours of Afghanistan.
The royal describes flying home "alongside young lads.....wrapped in plastic and missing limbs" in The Sunday Times as he explains his support for the Invictus Games, a paralympic-style event for wounded military personnel.
“Loss of life is as tragic and devastating as it gets, but to see young lads - much younger than me - wrapped in plastic and missing limbs, with hundreds of tubes coming out of them, was something I never prepared myself for," he wrote in the newspaper.
"For me, this is where it all started.”
"Many of us who have been on operations can close our eyes at any point now and hundreds of images will flash through our minds, a visual diary of our experiences.
"But I really can’t imagine what it must be like to have images of friends - lost or wounded - move across your mind like a bloody slideshow. I witnessed some terrible sights, but the image of your mate getting blown up in front of you is an image I am lucky not to have.”
His first tour of Afghanistan was ended abruptly in 2008 after a media blackout was broken and he was removed due to fears for his safety.
The Prince completed a four-month tour as an Apache attack helicopter gunner in January 2013.
Prince Harry has been a prominent figure in the Invictus Games' movement, with the first competition set to take place at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in September.
Harry, who is the first royal to see active combat since the Duke of York in the Falklands War, has long-argued how the "power of sport" could be used to help wounded soldiers rebuild their lives.