Royal Family betrayal 'the nail in the coffin' for Prince Harry

But Harry was subsequently pulled out of Afghanistan after Australian magazine New Idea and German newspaper Bild decided to breach the blackout, which sparked serious concerns over his and his fellow soldiers' security.

Speaking on The Royal Record, GB News' Royal Correspondent Cameron Walker and GBNews.com's Royal Editor Svar Nanan-Sen detailed just what happened in Helmond - and how "angry" it left the future Duke of Sussex.

Cameron said: "There was a lot of talk behind the scenes as to whether it would be safe for Prince Harry - at the time, third in line to the throne - to go on the front line in Afghanistan.

"Prince William was not allowed to do that because he was the future King... There was a question mark over Prince Harry, and it was eventually decided that yes [he would go], but there would be a media blackout and nobody would know he was there.

"So all of the British and international media who followed the Royal Family were told that Prince Harry was going on to the front line in Afghanistan.

"The agreement was that there was a media blackout on this - no one is going to run the story for Prince Harry's safety, in exchange for, when he does finish the tour, we can talk about it and you'll be given loads of access to pictures or copy or whatever.

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"Unfortunately for Prince Harry, an Australian magazine published that he was serving on the front line and he regrettably had to be pulled out early from that tour for his own safety.

"He speaks about it in his memoir, 'Spare', just how angry he was that that had happened - and I think that was perhaps one of the nails in the coffin in terms of Prince Harry's relationship with the media - understandably so.

"He was incredibly frustrated, didn't want to leave his team, but it was when he was being flown back - when he was accompanying wounded [troops], and the coffins of soldiers who had been killed in Afghanistan - which sparked the idea for the Invictus Games."

Cameron asked Svar what he made of Harry's feelings at the time - and how hard it must have been to be pulled out in such circumstances - to which he replied: "Harry's on record saying it was something that infuriated him and it deeply hurt him as well.

"He was eventually deployed and Harry did do another tour - but as you said, that moment was a real damaging blow in his relationship with the media - obviously the Australian magazine betrayed the Royal Family's trust in reporting that."

The Royal Record's coverage of the media "betrayal" comes at a crucial time for the Duke of Sussex; in the wake of the landmark court ruling which determined Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) had unlawfully gathered information for stories published about Prince Harry, the prince has said his battle against the tabloids was "central" in the breakdown of his relationship with his family.

In "Tabloids on Trial", an ITV documentary set to air this evening, Harry was asked: "To what extent do you think your determination to fight the tabloids destroyed your relationship with your family?"

In a preview clip from the documentary, he replied: "It is certainly a central piece to it... It's a hard question to answer because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press."

In response to ITV's documentary, MGN said: "We welcomed the judgment in December 2023 that gave the business the necessary clarity to move forward from events that took place many years ago.

"Where historical wrongdoing took place, we apologise unreservedly, have taken full responsibility and paid compensation."