Prince Harry, third in line to the British throne, will be sent home from Afghanistan due to safety reasons.
The 23-year-old prince was in Helmand Province with the Household Cavalry Regiment Battlegroup of the British Army since December and, although most of the British media knew, they agreed to keep quiet for security reasons. But on Thursday the Drudge Report announced his deployment, leading the British media to back out of their agreement.
According to a statement from the defense ministry, Harry was expected to stay in Afghanistan for two more weeks, but "the situation has clearly changed." Chief of the defense staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, decided the prince will be withdrawn from Afghanistan immediately.
"This decision has been taken primarily on the basis that the worldwide media coverage of Prince Harry in Afghanistan could impact on the security of those who are deployed there, as well as the risks to him as an individual soldier," the statement said.
Gen. Sir Richard Dannatt, chief of the general staff of the army, expressed disappointment that "foreign websites" posted the story of Harry's deployment without asking for permission.
"This is in stark contrast to the highly responsible attitude that the whole of the U.K. print and broadcast media, along with a small number of overseas, who have entered into an understanding with us over the coverage of Prince Harry on operations," Dannatt said in a statement.
Prince Harry had been working as a battlefield air controller and, in interviews during his deployment that were only recently released, revealed that he enjoyed the seminormalcy of living among the other soldiers.
