LONDON, 29 February 2008 — Prince Harry has been serving on the front line in Afghanistan with the British Army, calling in airstrikes on Taleban positions and going out on foot patrols, the Ministry of Defense announced yesterday.
Officials said the prince, a lieutenant in the Blues and Royals regiment, was still deployed in the country.
“His conduct on operations in Afghanistan has been exemplary,” said the head of the army, Gen. Richard Dannatt. “He has been fully involved in operations and has run the same risks as everyone else in his battle group.” Harry, who is third in line to the throne, has been in Afghanistan since December.
The planned deployment had been disclosed to reporters, with no specific date, and was not reported previously under a pool agreement between the Ministry of Defense and all major news organizations operating in Britain, including The Associated Press. The news blackout was intended to reduce the risk to the prince and his regiment.
The news embargo was broken, however, after reports of the prince’s deployment were leaked by an Australian magazine and a German newspaper, and then reported on a US website, the Drudge Report.
Dannatt, the military commander, said he was “very disappointed” that the story had leaked. Harry, 23, has been deployed in the restive Helmand province for 10 weeks, where most of the British troops in Afghanistan are based, according to the military’s statement. In a recorded interview, Harry said he was happy to be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his colleagues.
“It’s nice just to be here with all the guys and just mucking in as one of the lads,” said Harry, who had expressed bitter disappointment when he was banned from going to Iraq with his battalion last year. Army chiefs said publicity surrounding his deployment could put him and his unit at risk.
