AFP: Britain's Prince Harry will serve in Iraq by the end of February: report

Britain's Prince Harry will serve in Iraq by the end of February: report

LONDON (AFP) - Britain's Prince Harry will be serving in southern Iraq by the end of the month with his army regiment, probably taking part in reconnaissance missions near the Iran border, a newspaper has reported.

A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said the Daily Mirror report was "entirely speculative" because no final decisions have been made on which units will relieve the 19th Light Brigade currently in Iraq.

She added that the next handover is not even due until around May.

But a senior military source told the Mirror that the decision has been made to send Harry, a second lieutenant in the Blues and Royals Regiment.

"The final details are being sorted, but he is definitely going. Naturally, his royal status has to be taken into account -- but he will see action," the source was quoted as saying.

Harry, 22, has made it clear he wants to be treated no differently from other officers he trained with at the elite Sandhurst Military Academy, from which he graduated last year....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070217/wl_uk_afp/britainroyalsharrymilitaryiraq_070217031032

Maybe at 50 above they might pick up the phone and discuss career opportunities with the recruiter.

Or maybe in Kabul. Put down that cigarette, Mrs. Bush, and get cracking.

in Abu Ghraib?

Oh I just remembered. Daddy went AWOL didn't he. So much for that dream. :puke:

C'mon George P, sign up and go!

of Europe is that they knew they had to pay for their top social positions by putting their lives on the line in wartime. And they did. Our capitalist elite don't get this idea and are consequently the more hated for it.

Sorry, my jacobite sensibilities are taking over.

I doubt Harry Windsor won't be put in any danger.

and Scotland." Has that been handed down as a family tradition lo, these hundreds of years? The Stuart line ended in 1701. Seems rather silly. Along the lines of "Save your confederate money, boys! The South's gonna rise agin!" Are there still some Stuart heirs claiming rights to the thrones? Still fighting the War of the Roses too?

I like Harry! A young man who's gone through his parents' unhappy marriage (not his fault), separation, his Mother's death, all the demands and restraints of being a Royal - and getting through Sandhurst- hey party on, young Harry. Make a few mistakes like all young people do, learn from them, and you and your buddies keep each other safe.

Safe home, young man.

I have sympathy for the Jacobites because the last Stuart king wanted religious toleration for ALL his subjects. But, yeah, that's like silly, isn't it? He even was noted as speaking up against racial intolerance, and this was over 300 years ago. Yeah, silly again, isn't it?


Can I note some more of my beliefs and whatnot so you can mock them?

Whatever may or may not has been passed down as a tradition in my family is really none of your business. Maybe read up on history before mocking others.


What's this "Save your confederate money, boys....." Geez, what the hell was that supposed to mean?

But no one is to point out to you that you're fixated on some royalty who last ruled in the early 1700's? (One of my sources says 1701 - another 1707 - it makes little difference to my point that it's been approximately 300 years.) And so what if the last Stuart espoused religious and racial equality? How can you criticize the present day royal family/the British govt. because of that?
The present day Brit. govt. & royals, and particularly as a member of the European Union absolutely require racial tolerance and religious equality. I'm sure of that since last summer I went to Europe to study the Law of the European Union .

My reference to the confederacy was to point out that it's laughable when good ole boys glorify the confederacy nearly 150 years after the Civil War ended.

You clearly harbor hostility against Prince Harry, even to the point of ridiculing the idea he could be in harm's way in Iraq. News flash - everyone in Iraq is in harm's way.

I'd be more interested in your opinion of Canada's current leader, and what's the latest with the Quebecois Independence/Separatist movement - you know - stuff happening in this century.

Fixated? No, dearie, just like to read history and learn from it. You seem to grasp as much about history as you do the apparent motives and thoughts of others. You are taking this issue WAY too far. Good lesson in life: Stop projecting onto others.

Sorry again that the lessons of history mean absolutely nothing to you...........I find them fascinating because they shaped our past and set the groundwork for the present. Oh, never mind, that's just silly old me. LOL

I doubt that you care about any more of my thoughts so I won't share them. Do you always mock others when you don't agree with them? Sad.

And you told me your family traditions were none of my business. That's fine. But similarly, the traditions of someone else's family (Diane, Harry, the Windsors) would be none of your business.

Mock not, lest ye be mocked!

elite, it seems fitting that he should serve. So should our pharoah be out there leading the battle charge, not from his comfy chair in the Oval Office, but in the front lines like all conquerors of the past.
If you want to start a war you need to lead your army into the heat of battle, not sitting back with a playbook on your lap.

You think George P or Nicole or the twins will show up in Iraq? About as likely as W turning up in Vietnam

Prince Harry set for Iraq deployment: report



Feb 17, 2007 — LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Harry, an army officer and third in line to the throne, could be deployed to Iraq by the end of February, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

The 22-year-old will be sent to Basra, southern Iraq, where Britain has more than 7,000 troops, the Daily Mirror said, citing an unnamed senior military source.

A royal family spokesman declined to comment on the report, while the Ministry of Defense said it was "entirely speculative."

"No final decisions have been made on which units are even taking over," a spokeswoman said. "When it is made, then parliament will be told first in the normal way."
(snip/...)

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2883484

But all I can say is didn't sacrificing the second born go out long ago? What is Charles thinking?

Having gone into the Army, he now feels an obligation to stick with the others he's trained with, or commands.

His uncle Prince Andrew served as a helicopter pilot in the Falklands. His grandfather Prince Philip served in WW2 (though he was 'Greek' royalty then), and both Edward VIII and George VI served in WW1 (though I think it's acknowledged they were kept away from the heavy fighting).

But by doing so, he'll be doing FAR more for that decrepit system than anyone else has done in many centuries.

pnorman

can you imagine the stink raised should Harry get injured, maimed or (heaven forbid) killed?

The war hawks in Britain might never recover.

On the contrary, it might empower them, and give them a "noble cause to rally around." "REVENGE on those bloody wogs!!" A sort of "Jenkin's Ear" writ large. (No, I'm not joking!)

pnorman

Mr. Pampered little Officer will be well protected. Besides, the Windsors aren't as loved as they might wish to be.

Wills and Harry are not the sons one might have expected from Diana. Meaning, they seem really like spoiled, shallow party-animals who resent their positions yet want all the benefits their titles can give them.

Can the Twins be far behind?..........Don't think i will hold my breath.

gee, can't party 11 months of every year like his brother and social set.

Wow, 22 and an officer. Do others get the same privileges?

College degree then sign up for Officer Candidate School was my route.

At that age, getting put in charge of a division of 30 or so specialists, with hundreds of years of experience at sea among them, is a very maturing experience.

On my ship, there were about 10 junior officers, like me. We were all in our early 20's.

Fun times, especially when we came home to the wives, after months at sea.

All I've heard about Harry is how much he parties.

that's how I know.

Try reading a little more about this young man.

After finishing Eton, Harry undertook a gap year, visiting Australia and Africa. In Australia, he worked on a cattle station, and watched the 2003 Rugby World Cup being held in the country. In Africa, he worked in an orphanage in Lesotho. Later in the year, he travelled to Argentina on holiday.

On 8 May 2005, the Prince entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. There, he was known as Officer Cadet Wales instead of using his royal title, and was part of Alamein Company.<1>


Royal duties
In April 2006, Prince Harry launched a charity with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to aid children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The charity is named Sentebale: The Princes' Fund for Lesotho. Sentebale is a Sesotho word meaning forget-me-not. The name is meant to honour both princes' mothers: the former Princess of Wales, who died in 1997; and Queen 'MaMohato of Lesotho, who died in 2003. Prince Harry was in Lesotho to launch the charity and returned to Mants'ase Children's Home near Mohale's Hoek, which he visited in 2004 during his gap year.

Army
Prince Harry passed out as a newly commissioned officer at the Sovereign's Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in April 2006.<2> He will continue to use Wales as a last name and is now known in the army as Cornet Wales.<3>

In January 2006, Clarence House announced that Prince Harry would join the Blues and Royals, a regiment of the Household Cavalry, and train as a reconnaissance troop commander.<4> Since then, it was reported that he was expected to deploy to Iraq in May of 2007 as part of the 1st Mechanised Brigade of the 3rd (UK) Mechanised Division. The Blues and Royals would form part of the force patrolling the governorate of Maysan on the Iran-Iraq border.


[

Harry follows in his mother's footsteps
By REBECCA ENGLISH, Daily Mail
Last updated at 12:46pm on 28th April 2006
(subheading)
Remember me? Harry is reunited with six-year-old Mutsu Potsane


It was hard to tell who was the more thrilled at the reunion - Prince Harry or six-year-old Mutsu Potsane. The pair first met two years ago when the prince visited an orphanage in Lesotho and was captivated by the lively little boy whose parents had died of Aids. Returning to the Mants'ase Children's Home, Harry was delighted to see Mutsu among the youngsters and swept him up into his arms. Pulling faces and dangling the bashful youngster by his legs, Harry showed he has inherited his late mother Diana's empathy with children and was rewarded with a rare beaming smile. "How are you? Do you remember me? Where are your wellies?" Harry whispered, referring to the blue pair he gave him as a present before.

The prince used the visit to launch a charity he has set up in his mother's memory. Sentebale - which means forget me not - will tackle the plight of youngsters in the disease-stricken southern African country. Asked whether his mother would approve of his work, 21-year-old Harry said with a smile: "I hope so." The prince has just spent three days in Lesotho to launch the charity, which will have its offices at his father's London residence, Clarence House. It will be run in partnership with Lesotho's Prince Seeiso, whose own mother Queen Mamohato died in 2003. "Sentebale does mean "forget me not" and it's a way that both me and Prince Seeiso can relate to our mothers, who were both in sort of the same jobs working with orphaned children,' Harry explained. "We thought about a lot of names, a lot of them. I asked Seeiso to find one in Sesotho (the Lesotho language). He came up with this one and it just stood out."

Asked how much of an inspiration Diana had been to Sentebale, the prince replied: "Massively. I wanted to carry on as best I could what she started and what better place to do it than here?
"I'm sure she knew this place, but I'm trying to start something slightly new. This particular charity, rather than aiming directly at Aids itself, is about the knock-on effect on the children. There's no one else. It's only us."

The prince also revisited the Lesotho Children's Counselling Unit, where he previously met a ten-month-old baby called Liketso, who had been raped by her mother's boyfriend in the belief this was a cure for Aids. Looking pale and strained, he peered around the hut where he saw her and said: "This was the place that probably had the main effect on me. It's the reality of what happens in Africa without anyone even knowing."

Harry has decided to start his fundraising efforts with a series of charity polo matches this summer. The prince, who is to train to become an Army troop commander, vowed his work in Lesotho would always come first. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm committed for the rest of my life," he said.

(Donations to the charity can be made by calling (England) 0800 458 0835.)

n/t

you would have come to the same conclusion about US Navy officers - a 20 year old is a 20 year regardless of social standing.

If I would have attended West Point, I would have become an officer right after college graduation like everyone else in my class.

Received my commission as an Ensign in the Navy when I was 21. No privilege, NROTC

He started later because he obtained his bachelor's degree first, but he too may finish before the Iraq war ends. It will be interesting to see if both are in Iraq at the same time.

Harry went straight to Sandhurst from the Eton prep school.

As opposed to :sarcasm: Fearless Leader's :sarcasm: so-called offspring.

be in a war zone and will, therefore, be in danger. He is a brave young man. If you look into the history of this royal line, you will find that King George refused to leave London, while the Germans blitzkreiged the city night after night. He stayed with his people. The present queen worked in wartime occupations, wearing a military outfit. Prince Andrew was in the warzone during the Falkans battles. Lord Montbatten was a WWII war hero and so on. The prince deserves praise for his stand.

They'll probably have the red haired prince neatly tucked away in his own personal little hidey hole the entire time. Fear not! He won't be there long nor will he suffer.

He's too royal for that!

British royalty and nobility has a long traditions of genuine service to the country. He got his position by graduating from Sandhurst, the British equivalent of West Point, and it sounds like he's actually going to be in a potential combat zone. It's not like there's any safe place in that country anyway.

He'd be a target, and that would put the soldiers around him at risk. I will understand if they don't use him in a combat role...

Unless they went all volunteer to go on patrol with him.

HRH Prince Andrew was one of the servicemen in the decoy helis in the Falklands.
He was not a target through being "of royal blood" but *only* through being in
a chopper hoisting a radar target, the intent of which was to lure away the
missiles from the ships they were protecting. He did his duty - f*ing well too.

I can find plenty of faults with the "royal family" (mainly in the various
hangers-on that cling to them like barnacles) but I cannot fault Andrew for
his courage in following orders during that conflict. Similarly, I will not
fault Harry for having the guts to go to the front line with his men.

Let me see a Bush in the front line ... or a Cheney ... or a Rove or a Rice?
Or even a Clinton or an Obama? A Kennedy (in the last 50 years)?
If not, can you people kindly STFU about the courage of the royal family?

This thread has been attacked by a bunch of ignorant no-hopers who
haven't bothered to learn anything about the British Royal Family.

Facts simply don't matter to them.

Perhaps looking to shave down the marital handicap, Bush keeps golf balls on hand and a putter leaning against the desk of his office, a spare, lawyerly nook overlooking downtown Dallas. (A job change is in his near future as he finalizes his move to the real estate investment firm Charter Holdings.) Photos of Mandi (blond, Dallas-Cowboy-cheerleader hot) and a Bose iPod stereo (he counts Whitey Ford and A Tribe Called Quest among his guilty pleasures) adorn the shelves. Strolling into the nearby conference area, P. points to a framed portrait of Akin Gump's founder, Robert Strauss, who chaired the Democratic National Committee back when George H.W. was the RNC counterpart. "Those were different times, when you could reach across the aisle," he says, shaking his head. "Can you imagine Howard Dean and Ken Mehlman sitting down and having coffee?"

This disdain for Beltway discord could seem an insider's attempt to pose as an outsider, but P.'s politics really does seem local. "I never viewed myself as the guy who would go to D.C. and play the game and be in that shadow," he says. It's a shadow that could be keeping his father from a 2008 White House bid. "I honestly think that he senses, along with a lot of other people, that there is Bush fatigue," P. concedes. "If his name was Jeb Koslowski, he'd be . . . on the verge of thinking about higher office. There's no way around that."


http://www.mensvogue.com/business/articles/2006/08/21/bush?currentPage=2

We're sick and tired of all things bush NOW.

He is serving unlike so many children of the privileged class. SO what if it's not the toughest assignment, so what if he's in some remote section of Iraq and mentored by seasoned professionals....He is still serving his nation in a combat zone. Much more than can be said about Shrub's girls...No draft in England either...selfless service.

Islands.

and we'll have to go to war to save the precious Prince.

The same can't be said of our elites.