Prince Harry flies home after withdrawal from Afghanistan
Prince Harry is back in the UK
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Saturday, 01, Mar 2008 07:53
Prince Harry has returned back to the UK after being withdrawn from Afghanistan due to details of his deployment being leaked in the international press.
Harry flew into RAF Brize Norton at 11:29 GMT this morning, where he was met by his brother Prince William and father, the Prince of Wales.
The 23-year-old was pulled out of Afghanistan on Friday evening after concerns were raised that he would become a target for the Taliban if he stayed.
His deployment in the region had been subject to a news blackout but was broken by a foreign website on Thursday.
While the Ministry of Defence (MoD) refused to comment on reports that Prince William could be deployed on board a Royal Navy warship later this year, Harry admitted he had enjoyed his time in Afghanistan.
"It's something I would love to do again," he said before his withdrawal from the Helmand province.
"I don't want to sit around Windsor, because I generally don't like England that much and it's nice to be away from all the press and the papers."
Brigadier Andrew Mackay, commander of Task Force Helmand, said that in the end the safety of the prince and his colleagues had to be taken into consideration once the news broke worldwide.
He said however that Harry had "acquitted himself with distinction".
Prince Charles admitted to being frustrated that his son had been removed early but was happy to have him back home.
"I feel particular frustration that he was removed unexpectedly early because apart from anything else, he had been looking forward to coming back with the rest of his regiment.
"As you can imagine it's obviously a great relief as far as I'm concerned to see him home in one piece. It's been quite difficult also having to keep quiet about the fact he was serving in that part of the world," Prince Charles said.
The Prince of Wales said he now understood "what it's like for so many families with loved ones serving abroad".
On Friday, the MoD made the decision to pull Harry out of Afghanistan after a "detailed assessment of the risk by the operational chain of command".
A statement declared: "This decision has been taken primarily on the basis that the worldwide media coverage of Prince Harry in Afghanistan could impact on the security of those who are deployed there, as well as the risks to him as an individual soldier."
Last year, Prince Harry's planned tour of duty in Iraq had to be cancelled over security fears.