Prince Harry shows his softer side visiting wounded soldiers

He’s always worked hard to help wounded soldiers who have returned from war and it looks like Prince Harry won’t be stopping any time soon, having made the time to visit veterans at a recovery centre outside London.

The prince was in high spirits as he toured the centre and headed outdoors with the vets to talk about everything from nicknames to health issues.

Harry has made no secret of passion for helping service men and women suffering from physical and emotional wounds after returning from war. He has even hinted in the past that he’s had to deal with his own demons after returning from two tours of Afghanistan.

Overnight, he got to know the men at the centre and spoke about he handled coming home after war.

“Getting back your mental as well as your physical fitness is a really important thing,” he said.

“One of the biggest struggles is accepting that there is a problem in the first place.”

Speaking with Mike ‘Doris’ Day and Eddie Beddoes, who served in Afghanistan and Bosnia respectively, Harry raised an issue that many returned soldiers struggle with.

“Let’s be honest, if it wasn’t for this? Did you both turn to the bottle?” Harry asked them.

“I did when I got out, for quite a few years,” replied Eddie, “but then you settle down and have a family. But then there are the ups and downs associated with that.”

“Was one of the biggest struggles accepting that there was a problem in the first place?” asked Harry. “Not only accepting but realising that there was something wrong in the first place?”

“To be honest the most difficult thing was accepting that I would never get back the person I was before,” said Mike.

“I was at the height of my career and knowing that I could never do that job again was a big shock, it still is.

“This place, just doing the woodwork and carving is so therapeutic. There is no one telling us what to do, it’s just as working as a team. I come up here once a month for four days and this place always being out the best in me.”

Harry replied: “Getting back your mental health, mental wellbeing, your mental fitness is a really important thing. Rather than operating at fifty or sixty per cent you can operate at eighty or ninety percent and be a better person.

“Look at what you have achieved with this. It is remarkable. I thought I was good at carpentry, but clearly I’m not,” he said pointing to some of the woodwork the men had done.

Before he left he was given a jar of honey by another veteran who had raised the bees himself and told the prince he could raffle it if he wanted.

“Raffle it? I’ll be putting that on my toast in the morning!” Harry laughed.

Are you glad to see Harry committed to such an important issue? Do you think our returned soldiers deserve more help?