More on Prince Harry’s Cancelled Iraq Tour
Prince Harry’s non-deployment to Iraq is causing as much of a media storm as the breakup between Prince William and Kate Middleton.
What will Prince Harry do, after being nixed from the job he has trained for? How will he be seen in the Army, which he has promised not to leave? The answers to these questions are starting to emerge, and we’ll see these play out over the next months.
If the reports are to be believed, the options for Prince Harry’s military career are:
* service in Afghanistan, instead of in Iraq (via News of the World). This is supposed to be the reason why Harry hasn’t quit. He’s been promised that he’ll see combat, and have a chance to earn his medal, like his comrades will.
* a transfer to the Navy, which is seen as “safer” (via People.UK) . If he goes, his military career will more closely mirror that of his uncle Prince Andrew, who was the last British royal to have been in active combat.
* ceremonial duties guarding his grandmother, The Queen, as part of the Household Mounted Regiment (via UPI). I think this is totally ridiculous and humiliating to Prince Harry, who trained to be in the front line. I don’t see him accepting this at all.
* going to Iraq, but at a later date (via Guardian Unlimited).
All but the third option are honorable alternatives for furthering Prince Harry’s career. I don’t think they should put him at a desk job, or its equivalent (ie., riding around on a horse), if the ministry and Clarence House want to preserve/salvage some amount of respect for him. If he doesn’t serve anywhere, he’ll be labeled as the soldier prince who partied and never got a medal.
Whatever happens, it seems that the British Ministry of Defense has learned its lesson and will seek to keep the prince’s future deployments secret. Hindsight is 20/20.
Amid all this, there’s one person who’s reportedly thrilled about the news. Prince Harry’s girlfriend Chelsy Davy has cut her worldwide tour short to spend time with him.
How will it all play out? Do you think we’ll know before Prince Harry gets back from service, wherever that may be?
Tags: royalty, British royals, Prince Harry, Iraq deployment, Chelsy Davy
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POSTED IN: British Royalty, Prince Harry
3 opinions for More on Prince Harry’s Cancelled Iraq Tour
Trudie
May 23, 2007 at 5:39 pm
The problem with Harry is the media always find him no matter where he trains, The military should just deploy him at the last minute with only a handful at the high command knowing and not mention it until he returns. But another problem would be a soldier with a story to sell if he returns before Harry. It appears to be a no win situation for Harry who really wants to do his duty and the job he trained for.
Maricar
May 23, 2007 at 8:12 pm
Keeping his mission secret is something they’ll want to do, for sure. I hope they find a solution for him. And I don’t mean a desk job, which is probably the last thing he’ll want.
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Feb 28, 2008 at 9:02 pm
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