UK veteran says Prince Harry stopped homophobic bullying from other soldiers

A former British soldier said Prince Harry intervened to stop homophobic bullying by other soldiers. 

James Wharton, the first openly-gay serviceman to be featured in SOLDIER Magazine, told Forces Network that Prince Harry defended him against homophobic taunting back in 2008 when the Duke of Sussex was his tank commander. 

“I’d got myself into a bit of a situation with some soldiers from another regiment and, essentially, they didn’t like the fact I was gay,” Wharton told the outlet. “They were sort of chest poking me and making me feel quite uncomfortable.”

He said Prince Harry could see that he was “clearly affected by something,” when he got back into his tank and asked what the problem was. 

“I told him that there were a couple of soldiers outside who weren’t very happy with the fact I was gay,” Wharton told Forces Network. 

Wharton said Prince Harry was “quite offended that his gunner was being picked on by these people” and went out to speak to them. 

“And the problem went away,” Wharton said. “He told them off and they left me alone.”

Wharton said Prince Harry was a“good officer and was “well-liked.” 

Prince Harry has publicly been an ally to the LGBTQ community through his philanthropic efforts. 

The Duke of Sussex announced last week that he and his wife Meghan Markle plan to “step back” from their roles as “senior members” of the royal family and will be splitting their time between the U.K. and North America.