Film that depicts Prince Harry being abducted by Taliban sparks outrage in UK

Prince Harry film sparks tabloid reactions

LONDON — British tabloids expressed outrage Thursday over a new documentary-style film that imagines what would happen if Prince Harry was taken hostage by the Taliban.

“The Taking of Prince Harry” depicts the prince, played by actor Sebastian Reid, serving in the military in Afghanistan and being kidnapped by insurgents.

Twenty-six-year-old Harry served one term as a military officer in Afghanistan and has made public his desire to return for another tour. The prince, who is third in line to the throne, served as a forward air controller in 2007.

The Sun tabloid featured the headline “Fury at Harry ‘traitor’ drama” on Thursday, while other newspapers condemned the film and suggested it could endanger the prince’s safety if he returns to Afghanistan.

A spokeswoman at Channel 4, which produced the mock documentary, says there is nothing in the program “that would compromise Harry or any other serving member of the armed forces’ safety.”

The film focuses on the negotiations that could take place if the prince were taken hostage and held behind enemy lines. In one scene, an unloaded gun is held to the prince’s head while in another he is forced to appear in terrorist propaganda.

Harry “was informed of the documentary and its content and his reaction is private,” a spokesman at the prince’s residence Clarence House said. He spoke anonymously because of official policy.

The Ministry of Defense said it would be “inappropriate” to comment.

Hamish Mykura, head of documentaries at Channel 4, said the idea of taking the prince hostage is “clearly not an idea that would be new to the Taliban or al-Qaida or to their supporters.”

Channel 4 will show the 90-minute film on Oct. 21.