Prince Harry was 'furious' after devastating leak and only 'two things could calm him'

Prince Harry was reportedly 'livid' following an upsetting leak, and only two things would calm him down. Despite his current lifestyle gracing Hollywood's lavish events and mingling amidst celebrities, this hasn't always been the norm for the Duke of Sussex.

In actual fact, he had a decade-long military career in the British army before his romance and eventual marriage to Meghan Markle turned him into a full-time Royal duty holder.

In 2006, Harry successfully 'passed out' after finishing his officer training at the esteemed Sandhurst Military Academy - he swiftly found himself appointed to Afghanistan, a country plagued by conflict.

He was then assigned to the infamous Helmand province within Afghanistan in 2007, surrounded by a media blackout that was respected by all UK press.

However, just ten weeks into his tour, the catastrophic decision was taken to recall Harry from the field in order to ensure his and his team's safety - this followed the publication of an international story detailing his deployment.

Brigadier Andrew Mackay, the commanding officer of the Helmand task force at the time, stated: "The decision to withdraw Harry from operations was not made lightly and was given careful consideration. At the time of the decision, he was deployed in the field, conducting operations against the Taliban and we, therefore, had to consider not just the consequences for him personally but those that he was serving alongside."

Royal commentator Duncan Larcombe has shared insights into one of Prince Harry's most challenging times, revealing that the Prince was left seething after being pulled out of Afghanistan due to a media leak about his secret deployment. Larcombe disclosed that Harry's go-to for cooling off was a trip to Botswana with then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy, reports the Mirror.

Speaking to Yahoo's The Royal Box, Duncan Larcombe said: "One of the other real lows in Harry's life was when he was dragged out of Afghanistan because his secret deployment had hit the papers which meant he had to come home.

"He was absolutely furious. Where did he go? Straight to Botswana with Chelsy Davy. Straight there and spent a couple of weeks there. Almost like - it's where he goes when there's steam coming out of his ears to calm down."

In 2008, Harry embarked on helicopter training and later, in 2012, he served a four-month stint in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter co-pilot and gunner. He completed this tour without incident and returned to British soil in January 2013.

The release of his memoir 'Spare' last year saw Prince Harry opening up about his military service in Afghanistan, where he confessed to killing 25 Taliban fighters during his second tour. In the book, he reflects on his role in "the taking of human lives" during six missions between 2012 and 2013, stating he feels neither pride nor shame for his actions.

Public uproar and backlash from military personnel, including Admiral Lord West indignant description of the Duke as "very stupid", followed a shocking disclosure. The former chief of the Royal Navy had tensions sky-high over Harry's candid sharing of details surrounding his kills.

On the flip side, during an intimate chat with US talk show host Stephen Colbert, Harry categorically stated that he wasn't bragging about the numbers but was motivated to address the issue publicly with the primary aim of diminishing rates of veteran suicides.

In conversation with Colbert, he shared: "I made a choice to share it because having spent nearly two decades working with veterans all around the world, I think the most important thing is to be honest and to give space to others to be able to share their experiences without any shame. And my whole goal, my attempt with sharing that detail, is to reduce the number of suicides."

Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily Showbiz newsletter here.