Prince Harry has been secretly serving on the front line in Afghanistan since December, Britain's Ministry of Defence said Thursday. According to British Officials, the prince has been in Helmand fighting for the past ten weeks.
"He has been fully involved in operations and has run the same risks as everyone else in his Battlegroup," Chief of the General Staff Sir Richard Dannatt, who is head of the British Army, said in a statement. The prince's planned deployment had previously been disclosed to reporters, but there was a pool agreement between the British government and news organization not to report the story to reduce safety risks.
After the story was published by some western media outlets, the British released video images -- including interviews -- of Harry in Afghanistan.
"I got here on Christmas Eve," he says in one video.
"Going from bullet magnet to anti-bullet magnet, most of the guys were pretty bummed that I was here because nothing was happening for the first few days that I was here. But things are picking up again now because it's obviously quite boring when nothing is happening.''
He also said that he was given the news of his deployment by his grandmother, the Queen.
"She told me I'm off to Afghanistan so that was the way it was supposed to be," he said.
"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."
The prince also spoke about his day-to-day life in Afghanistan. He spoke about going without showers, drinking nonalcoholic beverages, and the fact that he was able to get away from Britain's paparazzi. He also said that older brother Prince William is jealous of his role in a combat theatre.
According to reports, Prince Harry is going on foot patrols and calling in air strikes on Taliban positions. Harry noted that when he goes out with his comrades, he tries not to show his face to minimize chances that he might be recognized.
Harry said he tries to phone home once a week.
Disappointment with foreign media
The military will now decide if Prince Harry would be pulled out of the region due to security concerns following the media leak of the Prince's Afghan posting. The story was initially reported by an Australian magazine and a newspaper in Germany, and then published on the U.S. Drudge Report site Thursday morning.
Dannatt said he was "very disappointed that foreign websites have decided to run this story without consulting us."
He said the reports were a contrast to the "highly responsible attitude" of the U.K. media who have "entered into an understanding with us over the coverage of Prince Harry on operations."
Dannatt said the original agreement with U.K. media was done after "a lengthy period of discussion between the MOD and the Editors of regional, national and international media."
Prince Harry, who is trained as a tank commander, is a Second Lieutenant in the Blues and Royals regiment of the Household Cavalry of the British Army.
"What the last two months have shown is that it is perfectly possible for Prince Harry to be employed just the same as other Army officers of his rank and experience," said Dannatt.
"His conduct on operations in Afghanistan has been exemplary."
