Prince Harry: I saw the horrors of war in Afghanistan 

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Prince Harry says he was \'\'hit\'\' by the reality of war as he regularly flew injured personnel and civilians to the hospital at the Camp Bastion military base during his second tour of Afghanistan

File photo: Prince Harry at a mission briefing at the British controlled flight-line at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan\'s Helmand Province Photo: Getty

Prince Harry has recalled the \'\'horrendous\'\' images he saw during two tours of Afghanistan when he encountered children who had died from roadside bombs and soldiers lying on the battlefield.

The Royal, who is a Captain in the Army, regularly flew injured personnel and civilians to the hospital at the Camp Bastion military base during his second tour of the country when he served as an Apache helicopter pilot.

Writing in The Sunday Times, the prince recalled flying home last year looking forward to seeing family but said it was then that he was \'\'hit\'\' by the reality of war as he was joined on the plane by injured and fallen soldiers.

\'\'I had never seen it first-hand,\'\' he wrote in the newspaper. \'\'By \'it\' I mean the injuries that were being sustained largely due to improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

\'\'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.\'\'

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In his role as a pilot Prince Harry, who took up a managerial office-based job in the Army this year, said the memory of having to use the code \'\'Op vampire\'\' to let the medical team know the casualty they had on board would require a lot of blood still sends shivers down his spine.

The question of how people cope with the trauma of war, especially those left without limbs, was one the prince said played on his mind, and eventually led him to setting up the an international sporting competition for injured troops.

After a visit to a similar event, the Warrior Games in America, Prince Harry said he was inspired by the efforts and achievements of amputees and others left with the scars of war.

The Invictus games - aiming to showcase the sporting prowess of more than 400 servicemen and women from 14 countries who have been left wounded by war - will take place next month at London\'s Olympic park.

The prince, whose Royal Foundation charity alongside the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge officially supports the event, said money can only go so far and the event is more about helping to redefine individuals.

In an appeal to the public to support the Games, Prince Harry said it was an opportunity to thank those who have served their country, and give them a rousing atmosphere in the Olympic park.

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