Prince Harry saved a soldier from homophobic abuse.

Prince Harry

Prince Harry

Former Army man James Wharton has recalled how Harry told those who were bullying him to "f**k off" and praised the royal for being the "most forward-moving, modern officer" he had ever worked with.

He shared: "[He had said,] 'Right, I'm going to sort this s**t out once and for all ... It's sorted. We cleared everything up. I told those other lads to back the f**k off, too.'

"I didn't even think of it as a special circumstance. He was my superior, he was Sir, he was Mr Wales, we were very normalised to the prince. Now, obviously, I hugely appreciate it. He was the most forward-moving, modern officer I had worked with."

And James is "filled with admiration" for the flame-haired royal for raising awareness of mental health and reducing the stigma surrounding HIV.

He told The Sun newspaper: "I'm filled with admiration when I see him talk about mental health, and when he took that HIV test on World Aids Day. He is a decent human being. I don't think it's a PR thing, or that it's coached, he's just a good person.

"Every now and again, we see the Royal Family step into a new era. You had Prince William, the future king, having a meeting about homophobia in schools, then Prince Harry having an HIV test - that's huge."

Meanwhile, Sir Elton John previously revealed he thinks the late Princess Diana would have been "so proud" of her son Harry for raising awareness of HIV.

He wrote on Instagram last year: "In 1991, Princess Diana moved a mountain by addressing the stigma surrounding people living with HIV/AIDS. She showed the world we could safely wrap our arms around AIDS patients, by shaking hands with a patient without gloves. We've made huge strides since then in the treatment of the disease.

"People now live long, happy lives with HIV, when the virus is effectively managed with anti-retrovirals. Despite this amazing progress, most people today are still frightened and stigmatised at the notion of taking an HIV test. Today in London, Prince Harry gave that stigma a knock on the head by showing the world how easy and simple it is to take an HIV test. Bravo Prince Harry! Your mother would be so proud of you."

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