But your ascribing of "selfish" motives to him, and others calling him a "panty-waist", a "figurehead" and other names are insulting, spiteful and juvenile. He can't help what family he was born into, he ASKED for duty in a dangerous cauldron....and furthermore, members of the English royal family have served in the military and in its country's wars throughout history.....many of them serving nobly, bravely and unselfishly, and some even giving up their lives for their country.
Leni
In fact, if I remember correctly, a few years ago the prince threatened to resign his commission if he wasn't sent into a combat tour of duty. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life being accused of acting like a “perfumed prince.”
That is Britain, after all. Some people **ARE** more important than others over there by virtue of noble birth. (We fought a war against that idea, of course, but they were on the other side and they seem to like having a royal family with all the trappings of monarchy.)
He didn't have to go if he didn't want to go, and when the top brass wanted to keep him out, he threw a fit and demanded to go.
Seems to me he's doing the right thing.
My personal guess is that he's serving in combat somewhere else in Afghanistan and not at that base at all. No evidence, just a hunch.
The British are not stupid, and if you've got an angry young aviator who absolutely and utterly refuses the privileges that go with his pedigree, there are ways to protect him.