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The prince, who served with the British forces in Helmand,
Afghanistan on two operational tours, was visiting the Help for
Heroes Recovery Center in Tidworth, Wiltshire, in southern
England, where he learned more about the therapeutic benefits of
outdoor activities.
Speaking to former soldiers involved in a program to build an
Iron Age roundhouse, Harry touched on a macabre brand of humor
that civilians could find hard to understand.
"It's that dark sense of humor", he said. "A lot of civilians
don't get it and actually it can be frowned on sometimes
but...without it, you can't function at all, it's got to
be...part of the recovery process."
The Help for Heroes service provides free and confidential aid
to former service personnel and their families, as well as the
families of those still serving.
Mike Day, a former soldier, described how being outdoors at the
center in a natural environment with people who had endured
similar experiences had helped him.
"Being outside in the woods, where there is no real noise, being
here with people who are like-minded, similar injuries, similar
situations...brings you all together and...more than anything
it's therapeutic," he said.
In a sit-down session with beneficiaries of the Help for Heroes
program, Harry stressed the need to reach out to those suffering
from debilitating depression and anxiety.
Harry, 32, has been active in raising awareness of the
challenges faced by veterans, including helping to organize the
inaugural London Invictus Games, a sporting event for wounded
servicemen and women, in 2014.
The Help for Heroes service has helped 1,000 veterans access
support since it began in 2007.
(Reporting by Reuters Television, Writing by Karishma Singh;
Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
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