Britain’s Prince Harry is to serve in Iraq with his regiment as the first British royal to see active service for 25 years, the Ministry of Defence said on Thursday.
The 22-year-old, who is third in line to the throne, is a second lieutenant in the Blues and Royals regiment, which will deploy to Iraq in May and June for six to seven months.
His uncle, Prince Andrew, was the last British royal to be sent to the front line. He was a Royal Navy helicopter pilot during the Falklands War in 1982.
Harry’s deployment comes after Prime Minister Tony Blair announced on Wednesday that the number of British troops in Iraq would be cut by 1 600 to 5 500 in the next couple of months.
The prince, who is known as Cornet Wales in his regiment and is trained to command 11 soldiers and four Scimitar armoured reconaissance vehicles, has insisted he should receive no special treatment despite security concerns.
”There’s no way I’m going to put myself through Sandhurst [the army officers’ training college] and then sit on my arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country,” he said in 2005.
The announcement came in a written ministerial statement to Parliament from Defence Secretary Des Browne. — AFP
