The 43rd Annual Boston Pride Parade saw a record number of people turn out, including Jason Collins, former player for the Boston Celtics and the first active male professional athlete to publicly announce he was gay.  But the basketball star and the Boston marchers aren’t the only notable advocates for gay rights, Prince Harry advanced the gay front and saved a fellow soldier from a homophobic assault.

In Lance Corporal James Wharton’s new memoir, Out in the Army: My Life as a Gay Soldier, he recalls an incident from 2008 in which his life was saved by none other than our favorite royal, Prince Harry.  Wharton praises his former fellow (and quite royal) soldier, who he calls “Lieutenant Wales,” for rescuing him after six other soldiers in the British armed forces threatened to attack him due to his sexuality. The occurrence allegedly transpired in Canada where Wharton was Harry’s gunner during their four-month training exercise.

Wharton discloses that during his training in Canada, he was “on track for a battering by six soldiers,” but finally decided to expose the soldiers’ impending violence to Prince Harry. The threats began right after Wharton had spent the night with another soldier and, according to Wharton himself, he “stupidly” bragged about having “scored the night before” and that “everyone knew who [he] was talking about.” He was accosted by six “extremely angry” infantry sergeants and told to stop “spreading rumors about our Martin.”  The events that occurred afterwards can be seen in the following excerpt from The Daily Mail, which demonstrates Wharton’s courage for speaking up and Harry’s bravery for taking action:

‘Sir, I need to talk to you.’ ‘Why? What’s up? Are you OK?’

Harry instantly looked concerned. I told him: ‘I think I’m about to be murdered by the infantry.’

I climbed into the turret and talked Harry through exactly what had happened. He had a complete look of bewilderment on his face.

I didn’t hold back: I told him everything that had gone on. I couldn’t stop the tears from welling up in my eyes. He said: ‘Right. I’m going to sort this out once and for all.’

Harry climbed out of the tank and started having a go. I worried he was about to make the whole thing worse, but he wasn’t holding back. Prince Harry was sticking up for me and putting a stop to the trouble. I had been on track for a battering and had been rescued.

He came back ten minutes later and told me the problem had been ‘sorted’.

Lance Corporal James Wharton left the army in 2013, but he told The Daily Mail that he owes a huge debt of gratitude to the prince and said, “I will always be grateful to Harry, and I will never forget what happened.”