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Tally Ho!

Lighthorse Harry “exemplary” vs. the Taliban. Frontline combat tour in Helmand. That’s the great news. The crappy news is that, now that its news, the brass are mulling bringing him back. Times:  

Army chiefs are holding urgent talks tonight on whether to bring Prince Harry back from Afghanistan after the news leaked that he had been on a secret combat tour in Helmand province since before Christmas.

After being denied the chance to serve with his unit in Iraq, the third in line to the throne was deployed in Afghanistan in mid-December. He has been working in Helmand province as a Forward Air Controller – responsible for providing cover for frontline troops – and has been personally involved in clashes with Taleban guerrillas.

His four-month deployment had been kept secret because of a Ministry of Defence agreement with news organisations, including The Times, but the details can now be made public after the news leaked out overseas and on the internet.

One Australian news magazine, New Idea, reported Harry’s deployment a month ago, but it was not until it was carried today on the Drudge Report, a major American website, that the news embargo was lifted.

Defence officials confirmed this evening that Harry, 23, a lieutenant in the Blues and Royals, was still in Afghanistan. They released a range of photographs of the Prince on the first combat deployment of a royal since his uncle, Prince Andrew, served as a helicopter pilot in the Falklands in 1982.

“His conduct on operations in Afghanistan has been exemplary,” General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General Staff, said. “He has been fully involved in operations and has run the same risks as everyone else in his battle group.”

General Dannatt said he was “very disappointed” that the story had leaked out. The Ministry of Defence said that no decision had been made on whether it was safe for Harry to remain in Afghanistan now the news has broken. A spokesman said: “The operational chain of command is now looking at a variety of options.”

Here’s my advice. Don’t let him get taken alive. Or just give him a couple of Gurkhas, which judging by that photo looks like what they might have done. No one will get near him. But it’s not like they actually need him to run the country, and there’s nothing as inspirational like the highest serving and sharing hardships with the lowest. May get the Brits and the Euro rethinking their desire to slink away.  It wouldn’t be such a bad thing if we had a few more of our own lordships in the saddle.

Topics: Afghanistan, Britain, military

  Posted by Jules Crittenden at 11:59 am on Thursday, February 28, 2008

4 Responses to “Tally Ho!”

1. RebeccaH Says:
   February 28th, 2008 at 4:15 pm

   Harry might make a better King than either Charles or William. But I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.

2. saltydog Says:
   February 29th, 2008 at 4:05 am

   Good on ‘em. It’s too bad that the news has leaked.

3. Jules Crittenden » Royal Shame Says:
   February 29th, 2008 at 10:34 am

   [...] as a hostage, all they need to do is see to it that Harry is not taken alive. Or, like I said, give him a few Gurkhas. Looks like they already thought of [...]

4. mojo Says:
   February 29th, 2008 at 3:02 pm

   My first thought as well, seeing the pic. “Bloody good show, the Gurkhas will protect him.”

   Ayo Gurkhali!

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