Gavin Mortimer Gavin Mortimer

Rogues Heroes: What Prince Harry has in common with the SAS’s founder

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (Credit: Getty images)

I’ve enjoyed the recent BBC blockbuster Rogue Heroes, a drama that is mercifully free from the moralising that Auntie often inflicts on viewers. All the same, as I told the Daily Telegraph this week, one should take the Boys’ Own interpretation of the formation of the SAS in world war two with a pinch of salt. Eight out of ten for entertainment but five for historical accuracy.  

The main problem with Rogue Heroes is that it is true to David Stirling’s version of how the SAS was born. But as I make clear in my recent biography of Stirling, The Phoney Major, based on two decades of research, he was a master at twisting the truth to suit his own ends. Sound familiar? Harry and Meghan are not the first to put their truth before the truth. 

Stirling and Harry have much in common. Physically brave, but entitled and insecure, they grew up overshadowed by their big brother.

Gavin Mortimer
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Gavin Mortimer

Gavin Mortimer is a British author who lives in Burgundy after many years in Paris. He writes about French politics, terrorism and sport.

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