Army chiefs order Prince Harry home from Afghanistan
MoD confirms Prince Harry has been fighting the Taliban with front line British forces in Afghanistan.
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Friday, 29, Feb 2008 08:05
Prince Harry is to be withdrawn from Afghanistan "immediately" after news of his deployment broke yesterday.
A statement from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the widespread expectation he would end his ten weeks' service in Helmand province because of security concerns.
Chief of defence staff Sir Jock Stirrup took the decision in consultation with Army chief General Sir Richard Dannatt, it said.
The MoD described foreign media reports breaking the embargo on the young prince's presence in Afghanistan as "regrettable".
News of Prince Harry's posting had leaked on the influential US news website the Drudge Report yesterday.
It is understood the prince, third in line to the throne, had made it clear he wished to fight with his fellow Household Cavalry officers after being prevented from embarking on a planned tour to Iraq last year, due to security fears.
Now the same security fears, placing the lives of soldiers around him as well as his own at risk, have forced military chiefs into withdrawing him "immediately".
General Sir Richard Dannatt expressed his disappointment that foreign news outlets ran with the story of Prince Harry's deployment.
He said their conduct was "in stark contrast to the highly responsible attitude [of] the whole of the UK print and broadcast media", who had entered into an agreement not to publicise the posting in return for embargoed coverage of his deployment.
Scarce details were given by the MoD in regards to Prince Harry's experience in Afghanistan so far, with a statement yesterday only revealing his conduct has been "exemplary" and he had been "fully involved in operations and has run the same risks as everyone else in his battlegroup".
"In common with all of his generation in the Army today, he is a credit to the nation," Sir Richard continued.
Seeking to justify his original backing for Prince Harry's deployment, he explained "it was my judgment that with an understanding with the media not to broadcast his whereabouts the risk in doing so was manageable".