I was surprised to read that Prince Harry is in Afghanistan serving on the front line with his British army unit. I would not believe it at first until I read the news myself. Harry is said to be the first among the British Royals to serve in the combat zone. Prince Andrew, his uncle flew helicopters in 1982 during the war of Britain with Argentina over the Falkland Islands.

The news was being blocked if possible from public knowledge to protect the safety of Harry and his unit. British officials is hoping that this will remain a secret but a video from the Drudge Report, a U.S. website, leaked out showing Harry serving in Helmand Province. It was not really a secret but only the date of deployment was not revealed. He was deployed on the eve of Christmas last year. He is still in Afghanistan as of this writing but I saw on CNN that he will be brought home immediately as it is not safe for him there since the news has leaked out already.

Harry said that he sometimes does not shower for days, he eats only corned beef and hash therefore if totally different from his privileged life back home. He said though that at least he has escaped the relentless paparazzi in London.

Harry, the third in line to the British throne, was supposed to go to Iraq with the Blues and Royals regiment last May but the assignment was scrapped at the last minute because of security fears. Iraqi insurgents made threats on Internet chat rooms, saying he would not make it home alive.

Harry trained at Sandhurst military academy and joined the Blues and Royals as a cornet, the cavalry regiment’s equivalent of a second lieutenant. After being held back from his Iraq assignment, the prince threatened to quit the army if he wasn’t given the chance to see combat.

He said the news of his Afghan assignment was delivered by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

“She told me I’m off to Afghanistan so that was the way it was supposed to be,” he said in an interview in Afghanistan, his hair coated with dust and his face in stubble.

“She was very ‘pro’ me going then, so I think she’s relieved that I get the chance to do what I want to do,” he added. He said he tries to phone home once a week.

Harry said his older brother, William, who also graduated from Sandhurst and is training as a military pilot, is jealous of his deployment. As second in line for the throne, William is unlikely to ever see combat.

“It’s bizarre,” he said in an interview. “I’m out here now, haven’t really had a shower for four days, haven’t washed my clothes for a week and everything seems completely normal. .. It’s nice just to be here with all the guys and just mucking in as one of the lads.” (AP)

Some Related Posts:

• Watch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Teaser Trailer & Video Clip