Posted on 04/23/2006 2:39:38 AM PDT by MadIvan
Prince Harry has threatened to quit the Army if commanders refuse to send him to the front line.
He told senior officers before recently passing out of Sandhurst as a Second Lieutenant: ‘If I am not allowed to join my unit in a war zone, I will hand in my uniform.’
Harry, 21, and third in line to the throne, has previously talked of his desire to see action with his comrades and the prospect of him walking out on the Army if he is not allowed on to the front line has turned a theoretical problem into a nightmare for the Palace and Ministry of Defence.
The embarrassment for the Army caused by him quitting would be matched by uproar at the notion that while ordinary citizens are allowed to that their main problem is not whether Harry can take the pressure of coming under fire in action – but whether the lives of the men fighting alongside him will be more at risk because he is regarded as a ‘trophy target’ by insurgents.
One experienced commander said: ‘Second Lt Wales will, as far as is possible, be treated like any other officer but there has to be a line drawn as to whether the men he leads might experience extra danger due to his presence. Decisions will be taken by commanding officers based on an accurate risk assessment at the time.’
In talks between the MoD and Clarence House, it has been suggested that if Harry is deployed to the front line he should be given a safe role, acting as a liaison officer at a military HQ well away from the action.
But sources close to Harry said last night: ‘He will go bananas if he is given special treatment. He doesn’t want to let the rest of the lads and lasses down by opting out. He was always the first to volunteer on exercises.’
In the final weeks of his Sandhurst training, Harry took part in an exercise in which he acted as commanding officer and sources say that his performance was ‘outstanding’.
The mobility of the Blues and Royals’ light Scimitar reconnaissance vehicles will be a great value in Afghanistan and senior commanders say the Cavalry unit could be sent to Helmand province to support Paras in what is regarded as one of the most dangerous parts of the world.
Harry would command a troop of 11 men who would drive into the front line in their Scimitars.
He would lead his men in searching possibly booby-trapped buildings, hunting down insurgents and providing escorts and combat support to infantry operations.
Harry would be required to command his Scimitar team and remain on the ground, although all troop commanders are expected to do their stint in the operations room, which involves logging events, co-ordinating patrols and directing support where needed.
The Household Cavalry – made up of the Blues and Royals and the Life Guards – is one of the most active units in the British Army and its most senior and oldest regiment.
It has troops attached to the Paras and the Marines, took part in the invasion of Iraq and has since deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Next month, a squadron of the Household Cavalry will go to Afghanistan in support of 16 Air Assault Brigade. A second squadron is on standby to deploy to Iraq this year and another is preparing to back 3 Commando Brigade when it departs to Afghanistan later this year.
D Squadron of the Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR) supported 16 Air Assault Brigade during the initial battles in the Iraq conflict. HCR also deployed two squadrons to Iraq in 2004.
A high percentage of its officers serve in the SAS and its squadrons support both the Royal Marines and the Parachute Regiment. The Household Cavalry’s Scimitars spearheaded the advance across the Falklands in 1982, led the way in Bosnia and were first into Saudi Arabia in 1991 before the first Gulf War and again in Iraq in 2003.
Elements of the Blues and Royals and the Life Guards have regularly deployed to Iraq and three Cavalrymen have been killed. They were Lance Corporal of Horse Matty Hull, Lance Corporal Karl Shearer and Lieutenant Alexander Tweedie, all from the Blues and Royals.
Three years ago during the battle for Basra, Trooper Chris Finney of the Blues and Royals, who was just 19, won a rare George Cross for gallantry for saving his comrades after their Scimitar came under attack, by mistake, from American bombers.
Young men of Harry’s rank have regularly lost their lives in Iraq. Only a week ago, Lt Richard Palmer, of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, died after his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb near Ad Day, north-west of Basra. In July 2005, Second Lt Richard Shearer, 26, from Nuneaton, of the 1st Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment, died with Privates Leon Spicer and Phillip Hewett in a roadside bomb blast north of Basra.
Harry will be only the second Royal since the Second World War to be posted to a battle zone.
The other was Prince Andrew, who flew Sea King helicopters in the Falklands War. A Clarence House die for their country, members of the Royal Family are considered too important to risk. It would also reopen the debate about Britain’s role in engagements such as Iraq which are widely unpopular and considered by many to be illegal.
The Mail on Sunday revealed last year that the Palace and MoD were holding crisis talks about how to handle Harry’s future military role.
However, his ultimatum has now raised the stakes. It will also increase the urgency of deciding how to treat Prince William who is due to leave Sandhurst in December, presenting Royal and defence officials with the same dilemma about how near the front line he should be allowed.
Harry’s unit, the Blues and Royals, will deploy to Afghanistan this year and he is likely to join them there next year. Senior Army sources say
so, if he had served on a destroyer instead of a dreadnought, he would have been Prince Albert in a can?
Sorry, I couldn't resist. :-)
I'm not one of Charles' fans, but he's no coward. He sure didn't have to volunteer for flight duty in '68 or stay in the service until '76. He's sort of a Wesley Clark figure; Clark volunteered for combat duty in Vietnam and asked to be sent to a rifle company that would see action. A sniper hit him 4 times during an ambush, and Clark still organized a counterattack. Yet he's a total dip who has no clue about that the WOT involves. Charles is the same; he doesn't see the Londonistan threat and he has some moral problems, but that doesn't make him cowardly.
Thanks for serving, Major.
A prime example of a legitimate resignation was Jimmy Carter. Resigned from the Navy when his Dad died and he had to go work the farm. Probably a good thing for the Navy.
I think it's a reasonable concern, but I also think it will mean very little in the real tactical environment.
Believe it or not, his brother is going to Sandhurst, too. Two Army officers out of two princes...not bad.
Well done Harry, there is nothing worse than seeing your regiment go of on a tour leaving you behind, happened to me once.
I was assigned stay behind party, it was my job at the time, didn't make me feel any better, almost felt like handing in my PVR (Purchase voluntary release) and I was glad after four weeks when I was posted over to join my mates.
Oh sure they could.
Prince would be the one with the purple camo.
And why'd you name yourself after the abbot of the Hellfire Club?
When did you last visit?
Then give him an order to dye his hair to the typical medium brown color that most British people have. Order him to where sunglasses at all times during daylight hours and give him several different pairs of sunglasses for different lighting conditions. He does need to be disguised so the enemy can't identify him as Prince Harry.
From what I understand you can buy your commission back
You go Harry! I wonder if his brother William would do anything like this? If he has I wouldn't know since I don't have a royal family.
Thanks for the ping!
Could you clarify? What I think you mean is that if you resign you can later pay the government to give you your commission. Am I right?
Definitely.
I first encountered the Prince of Wales when I was still at school - he was sent out from England to spend a term at my school in Australia. I didn't have much direct contact with him - I was one of the youngest boys in the school, and he was one of the oldest and he also spent most of his time in the mountains where we had a bush campus, I suppose you would call it (which was the main reason he was sent here) but I did see him around. Timbertop (the name of the bush setting) was a place designed to basically make you tough - the school is extremely expensive, and attracts a lot of students from privileged backgrounds - sticking them out in the middle of nowhere for a year with no modern conveniences, where if they want a hot shower, they have to cut their own wood, where they learn to shoot so they can eat (not all the time - but it's a skill we learned) where you go on thirty mile hikes over mountains unaccompanied by adults - well, it's a real experience. He was sent there for a term. He asked to stay for a second term because he so loved that environment. He was no wimp even then.
A story I've heard several times - I can't vouch for it personally but I've heard it from a number of sources. In the mid 1980s, he and the Princess of Wales participated in an exercise designed to train elite troops (probably SAS but I don't know that) to perform a rescue of kidnapped royals. It was also intended to make sure the Princess knew what to do in such a situation. During the course of the rescue, the referees for the exercise 'killed' a helicopter crew to see how the troops would react to the loss of transport. To their surprise, the helicopter took off anyway.
When they investigated they found the Prince of Wales at the controls, and they complained that he'd disrupted the exercise. He was reportedly very unimpressed at their attitude and pointed out to them that he had been trained to fly helicopters and so he had done in the exercise exactly what he would have done in a real situation - he really resented the implication he should have sat back and done nothing.
I also have to say he impressed a lot of Australians back in 1994, when he was in Australia for Australia Day ceremonies. When he got up to speak at Darling Harbour in Sydney, shots were suddenly heard from the crowd as a young man rushed the stage. Fortunately he only had a starting pistol - but the Prince had no way of knowing that. But he stood his ground, and showed no fear.
He's a brave man who has spent his life serving his country in various roles. Yes, some of his views are a bit odd and his private life may not have been all that it should have been. But he's done his duty.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate Australia as an ally and how sorry I am for the losses you all have endured. May I ask what you did in the military?
A range of things. I was a Naval officer for just over twenty years and I had a fairly mixed career. I made the choice early in my career of trying to spend my career (in as much as you get a choice) serving on Australia's aircraft carrier and then we suddenly no longer had an aircraft carrier. I had quite of bit of service at sea as a seaman officer, including service on HMAS Brisbane in the first Gulf War, but also spent quite a lot of time in training, education, and administration.
I don't know about the other buildings (I haven't been in London that often) but Clarence House is simply the official residence of the Prince of Wales, his wife the Duchess of Cornwall, and both his sons, Princes William and Harry. It's been in the family since it was built by William IV, who at the time was Duke of Clarence.
It is common practice to refer to the Prince of Wales' private office as 'Clarence House' in the sense of saying for example: 'Clarence House issued a statement' - similar to how American media use the term 'the White House' to refer to the administration of a President.
Hey Bro, you can have, borrow anything I have or can contribute that would help you and The Kingdom.
God's best to you and yours.
How would Prince Harry be singled out as a trophy catch unless he is wearing a big sign on his back, Hi there, I'm Prince Harry?
Sounds as tho Prince Harry finally has his head on straight after some pretty juvenile behavior. I'll bet his grandmother is proud of him for standing his ground, as are many Brits! Go Harry!
He's brave, and he's fighting the stereotype that the ruling class let the working class die in battle.
It is only in Britain. The game is a tad bit different for continental Europe.
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