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Instead of choosing Charles or Prince William<\/a>, Prince Harry presided over the closing ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics<\/a> in the absence of Queen Elizabeth II – at the late Majesty’s request. He also attended many events, acting as an ambassador to support the British team and the overall buzz of the games.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Robert Hardman, royal commentator and author of ‘Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story’ spoke of the late Queen’s fondness of Harry. He said: “Everyone assumed that privilege would go to Prince Charles, or at the very least Prince William<\/a>. But no, it was Harry who got this huge pat on the back.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Interviewed in the Sunday Telegraph<\/a>, Hardman added: “And when she gave it to Harry, we all thought, ‘That\u2019s an interesting move.’ And, of course, what she knew, he knew and none of us knew at the time, was that he was going to be sent to Afghanistan that autumn.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Prince Harry<\/a> served two tours in Afghanistan as a member of the British Armed Forces. His first deployment was for 10 weeks in December 2010, as a forward air controller in Helmand. He returned for a second, 20-week deployment as an Apache helicopter co-pilot gunner from September 2012.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n During the 2012 London Olympics, Prince Harry acted as a key royal ambassador, frequently attending events to support Team GB. He was highly visible, cheering at beach volleyball, equestrian, and swimming events.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Prince Harry jokingly “raced” Usain Bolt in the lead-up to the 2012 London Olympics during a visit to Jamaica.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The race took place on March 6, 2012, at the University of the West Indies track in Kingston, Jamaica, as part of Harry’s Caribbean tour to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Further commenting on Harry and Meghan’s decision to leave the Royal Family, the royal expert further added: “As far as the Queen was concerned, Harry and Meghan had everything handed to them but wanted to throw it all away\u2009… She was enormously upset and terribly sad about a wasted opportunity, but she acted decisively.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n