Prince Harry’s ‘dangerous’ flight claim in Spare ‘dramatized' for effect

Prince Harry’s ‘dangerous’ flight claim in Spare was reportedly “dramatized for effect”, according to an ex-Sergeant Major who instructed him. 

• The Duke of Sussex alleged in his bestselling memoir that on one of his first flights with ex-Sergeant Major Michael Booley “threw the aircraft into a stall” without warning. 
• Michael has now claimed that “nothing in the cockpit” was a “surprise” to trainees.  
• This royal news comes as we revealed how Carole Middleton's maiden name is subtly honored in the Middleton's coat of arms.

Like many members of both the immediate and extended Royal Family, both of the King’s sons have had military careers and Prince Harry’s time as a serving officer is something he’s reflected on in Spare. The Duke of Sussex served in the British Army for ten years and rose to the rank of captain. 

During his time in the army he undertook flight training and there’s one flight in particular that Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, shed some shocking light on. Though his former army instructor ex-Sergeant Major Michael Booley has now explained a very different version of events to the one the royal shared. 

Opening up to The Mirror, Michael expressed how “staggered” he was at Prince Harry’s account and suggested it was “dramatized” in the bestseller. 

As per the publication, Spare includes Prince Harry’s claim that, “On one of our first flights together, with no warning, Booley threw the aircraft into a stall. I felt the left wing dip, a sickening feeling of disorder, of entropy, and then, after several seconds that felt like decades, he recovered the aircraft and leveled the wings.”

“I stared at him. What in the absolute - ? Was this an aborted suicide attempt?’ No, he said gently. This was the next stage in my training,” the royal continued.

Responding to this particular passage in Spare, Michael - who reportedly counts the King’s youngest son as one of his top 5 students - declared, “I am staggered by this. In shock even.” 

The ex-Sergeant Major alleged, “Whilst the book compliments me, the recollection of the sorties and lessons is inaccurate, I’m afraid. It’s important to highlight that nothing in the cockpit comes as a surprise.

He went on to claim that far from being none the wiser, all those going through training are “briefed” before the flights about what exactly to expect. 

“Every sortie is thoroughly briefed beforehand, every single aspect. The sortie is flown exactly as per that brief,” Michael said. “The only time there are surprises is later in the syllabus, not as stated in the book, when emergencies are introduced. Engine failures are practiced before the first solo obviously, in case the student suffers one.”

The former army instructor added, “I think the reference to the flying sorties has been dramatized. I think it’s a result of the ghost writing. I never called him Lt Wales, he was an officer, and I called him Sir.”

Despite disagreeing with Prince Harry’s account, Michael maintains a huge level of admiration for the royal, who is fifth in the royal line of succession. He described him as an “exceptional student” and a “friend”, as well as a “man I respect immensely who would always have my ear”.

This flight anecdote was one just of the shocking allegations included in Spare, which was released on January 10. Although the book was surrounded by controversy, it’s understood to have sold over 3.2 million copies worldwide in its first week.