Prince Harry says he lost his 'identity' when he hung up his army uniform

Prince Harry has described how he lost part of his "purpose and identity" when he "hung up" his uniform after leaving the British Army.

The Duke of Sussex, who was addressing NATO’s military committee in Brussels by video link as founder of the Invictus Games on Thursday, spent a decade in the forces before ending his military career in 2015.

In his address, former soldier Harry added he was "fortunate” and "had another way to serve".

The Duke, who stepped down as a working royal in 2020, staged the inaugural Invictus Games in 2014 to help wounded, injured and sick former and current service personnel.

© X / @CMC_NATO

He warned military leaders about those who leave the forces: "We must think just as seriously about what happens to them after they have served – particularly when they return wounded, injured or sick. I know something about that transition.

"When I hung up my uniform, I felt as though I had lost not simply a profession, but part of my purpose and identity. I was fortunate. I had another way to serve."

Prince Harry's time in the military

Prince Harry served two tours of duty in Afghanistan during a decade in the Army. 

He previously wrote about his time in the Army in his memoir, Spare, saying it gave him a purpose "greater than himself".

The King’s youngest son was denied the chance to wear his military uniform at his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022 because he is a non-working royal.

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When Harry and his wife Meghan Markle's move to the US became permanent in 2021, the late Queen stripped a devastated Harry of his military titles and royal patronages, and the Sussexes declared they would always live "a life of service".

The Sussexes returned to live in the UK in August with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, six years after they left to pursue a new life of personal and financial freedom in the US.

© AFP via Getty Images

HELLO! revealed earlier this week that the Duke will not be taking part in any high-profile events this Remembrance Day in November, to avoid distracting from official engagements attended by the royal family. 

Prince Harry's work with the Invictus Games

Harry, who moved back to the UK last month, is staging his Invictus Games tournament in Birmingham next year.

It will be the first time the adaptive sports tournament, which represents injured and wounded service personnel and veterans, has been held in the UK since the inaugural games in 2014.

© Samir Hussein/WireImage

Harry said in his opening address on Thursday: "Invictus is not a sporting event. Sport is one of our tools. Our mission is much bigger. We rebuild purpose. We rebuild confidence. We strengthen families and communities. We connect veterans back into society.”

The Duke added: "That matters to NATO. Because the strength of an alliance cannot only be measured by the forces it can deploy.

"It must also be measured by the people and societies those forces return home to."