Prince Harry, Royal Heirs in the firing line (Iraq)

The Sunday Times, Others ^ | April 23, 2006 | Staff

[af_vet_rr]

PRINCES William and Harry are certain to face bullets on the front line in Iraq or Afghanistan, according to their uncle, the Duke of York.

And their grandmother, the Queen, fully approves, he says.

"Members of the family have been part of the armed forces for a great many years," said 46-year-old Prince Andrew, who served as a helicopter pilot with the Royal Navy in the Falklands War.

"I think it is inevitable that they are going to see action of some kind, somewhere, in the not too distant future, particularly as young officers because we are already out in Iraq and Afghanistan, and so they are open to those sorts of deployment just as everybody else is, as I was."

[af_vet_rr]

Khaleej Times is also reporting, or quoting The Daily Mail (which doesn't have the article up yet):

"Prince Harry is threatening to quit the British army if he is not allowed to join fellow soldiers in harm’s way, the Mail on Sunday newspaper reported.

“If I am not allowed to join my unit in a war zone, I will hand in my uniform,” he was quoted as telling senior officers before his passing-out from Sandhurst military academy, southwest of London, on April 12.

“He will go bananas if he is given special treatment,” an unnamed source close to the prince was quoted as saying. “He doesn’t want to let the rest of the lads and lasses down by opting out.”"

Once the article from The Mail is up, I'll link it.

[eyespysomething]

Good for them. Better than their father, IMO.

[trubluolyguy]

“If I am not allowed to join my unit in a war zone, I will hand in my uniform

---

Seems to be this young'un has more guts than his father or just about any of his current living relatives put together.

[af_vet_rr]

It's unfortunate that the kids in this country, especially those who grow up very privileged, don't feel the same way about serving their country as others in other nations.

Granted, the Royals are brought up in a very military/honor-bound culture - I think almost every male serves at some point.

Unlike the US, if they try to duck out or use their connections to get some kind of easy duty (i.e. like some in this nation used the National Guard during Vietnam), they will get ridiculed and have their honor and manhood questioned.

[Bubbatuck]

Prince Charles served in the British Royal Army and Navy, and was a trained fighter pilot.

[Rte66]

It reminds of Diana taking them as little kids to a US amusement park, probably DisneyLand, and doing all the rides, when 'royals' had never done anything like that before. It's a small thing, but I believe she taught them a lot about breaking out of the mold.

I'm still gasping to myself that Prince Andrew is 46 years old. No way, lol. I don't keep up with this family, so even though I like Fergie and see her on TV a lot, I never think of Andrew at all - but he still seems to be in his 20s to me, just like his nephews!

And yikes, Chas is nearly 60, as he said in his birthday msg to Mom today - he's finally the age he really has been all his life!

[jazusamo]

Good for Prince Harry, it speaks well for him.

[primeval patriot]

The Royal Family is setting the example.

When are Jenna, Barbara and George P. going to sign up and serve stateside?

[Oztrich Boy]

And Ann is in her mid 50s

Whlie Forever Young. Instead of on her third marriage and second facelift by now. Getting into a car driven by a drunk - smartest thing she ever did.

[TexasTransplant]

Yea, well Kerry served in Viet Nam!

=)

TT

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

While American rich and privileged lefty liberals would never dare to even consider military training, let alone volunteering for combat.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

His uncle Andrew volunteered for combat, flew a chopper in the Falklands war.

[La Enchiladita]

Queen Elizabeth was the first (and only) female royal to serve in the armed forces. While still Princess Elizabeth, she was a driver in the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1945.

And here she is reviewing the troops at Prince Harry's graduation...

Harry is second from right.

Harry will serve in an armored reconnaissance unit and train to become a troop commander, in charge of 11 men and four light tanks.

[af_vet_rr]

I'm still gasping to myself that Prince Andrew is 46 years old.

He just retired from the Royal Navy a few years ago.

[hoagy62]

...and he's also the one with the doo-doo-eating grin on his face as "Grandmum" strolls by.

Good on him!

[Gunny P]

Nothing "wrong" with the Father of the Lads. If there is a fault, it was Pop's poor taste in women.
But that any of Us would'a had two similar Sons and a Brother to celebrate them with.

[television is just wrong]

"The Royal Family is setting the example.

When are Jenna, Barbara and George P. going to sign up and serve stateside?"

You've got to be kidding, they consider themselves, better than that. by the way, so does Chelsea I don't see her signing up either.

[af_vet_rr]

If George P had signed up, he'd be on the fast track to being the GOP candidate in a 20 years or so - he's done a lot of things that seemed to be guided by somebody thinking of a future political career for him.

[af_vet_rr]

Another article - news.com.au - PRINCE Harry has threatened to quit the British Army if commanders refuse to send him to the frontline. The prince and his older brother William have both made it clear they want to see active service with their units.

Earlier this month Harry, 21, was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Household Cavalry's Blues and Royals, the army's oldest and most senior regiment.

The Blues and Royals have been deployed in almost every major operation of the past 25 years, including the Falklands, Bosnia and both Gulf wars.

And now it has been revealed the determined prince told top brass at the Sandhurst military academy: "If I am not allowed to join my unit in a war zone, I will hand in my uniform."

This poses serious problems for advisers tasked with protecting William and Harry, the second and third in line to the throne, and those fighting alongside them.

A Clarence House spokeswoman said: "Harry is very clear that he is joining the Army to serve his country as an operational soldier."

[Lost Humanist]

Well, the bloke has passed his Sandhurst training, and is now a second-lieutenant in the 'Blues and Royals' (Household Cavalry). He has earned the right to go and get embroiled in Afghanistan or Iraq. For his sake, I would argue that Iraq is going to be safer option, cos as soon as the UK deploys the 16th Air Assault Brigade into Afghanistan there is going to be one Hell of a war.
For their faults, the Royals have never shirked duty, and have fought in a number of wars. Indeed although Prince Charles has never fought in armed conflict, he commanded his own ship in the Royal Navy, and retired a Commander. Prince William is set to pass through Sandhurst in the next few months too, and then onto the Welsh Guards.
Alot of pressure for Harry if he goes, but it would be a tremendous moral boost for our boys and girls if we had a Royal serving in the front line once more.