Prince Harry will complete his training at Sandhurst in April
Posted on 01/31/2006 6:09:15 PM PST by saquin
Prince Harry is to be sent to Iraq next year as a troop commander and is likely to patrol the hazardous border with Iran, defence sources have disclosed.
The third in line to the throne will join the Army's 1st Mechanised Brigade, which will be deployed to Basra in May 2007.
The prince has told colleagues that he is determined to go on operations and be treated as normally as possible - not kept out of the line of fire.
Defence chiefs, in consultation with the Prince of Wales's office, will have to devise a plan that will not put his life or those of his troops in any greater danger. Substantial planning will go into the deployment and the media is likely to be asked for co-operation on security aspects of the mission.
As a troop commander in the Blues and Royals, the prince will have the rank of cornet, equivalent to a second lieutenant, in charge of 11 men and four light tanks.
The reconnaissance formation will patrol the long border with Iran where weapons, insurgents, drugs and money are smuggled.
The prince's men will use night vision equipment to find terrorists trying to bring in sophisticated bomb making devices.
The desert patrols last up to 10 days with supplies being dropped from aircraft. The work is said to appeal to the soldiers as a mixture of Lawrence of Arabia and Prince 'is a cracking officer' the early SAS long-range desert patrols of the Second World War.
Although the mission will be hazardous, the prince is keen that his royal position will not disqualify him.
"There's no way I'm going to put myself through Sandhurst and then sit on my arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country," he has said.
Instructors at Sandhurst have been impressed by Prince Harry's approach. "He is going to be a real asset to the Army," a senior officer said. "It would be a real shame if the Palace or MoD did not allow him to go on operations because he is a cracking officer."
Prince Harry will complete his training at Sandhurst in April
I don't think it's a good idea. No matter how you look at it. Sorry.
I don't think he had any particular amends to make. He was a dumb kid who did some dumb kid stuff, like most of us did, just without tabloid reporters watching. And then he grew up, like most of us did without tabloid reporters watching.
The kid has at least one advantage working for him. Many military commanders have quoted Henry V to motivate the troops, but I'd bet not one was a potential Henry IX.
There might be differences between the US and UK system with which I'm unaware, but is William "in the Army?" He just enrolled at Sandhurst (Britain's equivalent of West Point). Harry's nearing graduation, which is why his posting has come up.
As a bit of an aside, that means that Harry will outrank his older brother for a while. That's the kind of stuff younger siblings live for. Remember when I was four and you held my teddy bear over the toilet? Drop and give me twenty.
IIRC, Princess Elizabeth drove a jeep around during the Blitz, which was a somewhat shocking thing for a Royal to do (though, at the time, she was not thought to be in the short line for the throne).
Bump to Chrome Dome
If either of them were to come serve in Iraq, they would be extremely high-visibility targets. Higher visibility than just about everybody here. I don't like the thought of that at all. The potential consequences of that are sickening to think about.
The protection that would be required for them could draw off of military resources needed to combat the terrorists and train the Iraqi forces.
So, personally, I have no problem with the Bush daughters choosing to serve their country in other ways. Teaching children in an underpriveleged area of DC (Jenna) and performing charity work in Africa (Barbara) are noble ways to serve.
Prince William is considered to be in the Army, with the non-Commissioned rank of Officer Cadet.
And yes, Harry will have seniority over his brother (and rank, for a while at least as well). William should have joined the Navy - he'd have overtaken his brother faster.
God bless Harry. Dear Lord please protect him.
She did.
And she was Heir Presumptive at the time, and given that the only way she could have been displaced would have been for her mother, already in her forties, to give birth to a son, it was fairly certain and accepted that she was to be the next Monarch.
But at the same time, the succession was secure - Princess Margaret was available (and still young enough that she couldn't get away with doing what she liked at all), with the Duke of Gloucester (who would have made a fine King if needed) next in line after her.
The fact is living in London in the Blitz was dangerous anyway - Buckingham Palace was bombed. The sensible thing to do would have been to send Elizabeth and Margaret to Canada. Having made the decision to stay, allowing Elizabeth to take some risks isn't that surprising.
What a totally immature question to ask.
Can Cheney prevent female troops from going to war? I didn't know he had that power.
She was the Heir Presumptive, in a very short line - she would be the next monarch unless her mother (then in her mid 40s) had a son.
That settles it...it's obvious that this red-headed spark plug is not Charles's kid.
This is why I shouldn't dash off that kind of thing that late at night -- somehow I lost the connection to the brain cells storing the fact that the Abdication was well before the war.
Definitely. I actually served for a time alongside the Duke of York - Prince Andrew, for those who have a hard time keeping the titles straight - and he acted as, and was treated as, any other Naval officer.
I didn't witness it myself but there was also a story circulating around about a time Princess Anne went onto a warship, some minor accident occurred (a cable gave way, I believe) and could have injured her. The officer responsible for that cable was quite publically reprimanded by the Captain. The fact that that officer was the Prince of Wales meant nothing.
What a nice young man! Any chance he'd be interested in Barbara or Jenna?
Congrats to your son in the USMC, hope all goes well with his career. You can be very proud!
Yes, I agree, but we have to be tolerant and Politically Correct now right?
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