Prince Harry dragged into new war over Netflix project

The British King's youngest son, Prince Harry, is being dragged into a new war over his upcoming project.

The Duke of Sussex's Netflix move is being read as a message to Donald Trump as the feature film will dramatise the heroism and sacrifice of British troops in Afghanistan.

The details of the project comed just months after the US President sparked controversy with his claims about NATO forces “stayed a little back” from the front lines during the war.

The Sussexes have created hype with the project as they are producing an adaptation of "No Way Out: The Searing True Story of Men Under Siege," a bestselling memoir by British Army Major Adam Jowett, about a small British unit under relentless attack in Helmand Province in 2006.

The annuncement about the bomshell decision comes after Trump in January appeared to question the contribution of NATO forces, which included Britain, to the war in Afghanistan.

He told Fox News at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland: “We've never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them. You know, they'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan, or this or that. And they did-they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”

In the latest development, a source close to the production, who has been granted anonymity so they can speak freely, told Newsweek the film was not a deliberate clapback but doubled down on Harry’s support for NATO forces in Afghanistan.

“May a bit of a stretch to say it was ‘deliberate,’ the source told the outlet.

“The Duke obviously has a deep affinity and connection with all those NATO forces who served in Afghanistan, given his own operational experience in that particular theater.”

Harry's latest project returns the focus to the experience of British troops on the ground. The book recounts the experiences of Easy Company, a mixed unit of paratroopers and Royal Irish Rangers tasked with holding the district center of Musa Qala, a town in which Harry later operated. 

The adaptation is being written by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Matt Charman, whose previous work includes the acclaimed Bridge of Spies, suggesting the film will aim for a grounded and character-driven portrayal of war rather than spectacle.

It stands out among modern war memoirs for its unflinching depiction of a specific and intense episode of the Afghan campaign.

The book chronicles the events of July 2006, when Jowett and his unit were ordered to hold Musa Qala against overwhelming Taliban forces.