Prince Harry not to serve in Iraq

Prince Harry not to serve in Iraq Prince Harry will not be sent to Iraq, the head of the British Army has said.

General Sir Richard Dannatt said the prince's deployment would pose an "unacceptable" threat to him and the men who served alongside him.

It had been reported that militant groups had planned to kill or kidnap the young royal.
Clarence House said Prince Harry was "very disappointed" but will not be leaving the Army as a result.

'Extremely disappointed'

The move represents a U-turn by the MoD, which said as recently as last month that the prince would be heading to Iraq as an armed reconnaissance officer in the Blues and Royals regiment.
The general said he had reached his decision following a visit to the region at the end of last week.

I know Prince Harry will be extremely disappointed General Sir Richard Dannatt
"There have been a number of specific threats, some reported some not reported, which relate directly to Prince Harry as an individual.

"These threats expose not only him but also those around him to a degree of risk that I now deem unacceptable."

General Dannatt said he knew Prince Harry would be extremely disappointed and that his soldiers would miss his presence in Iraq.

He said had proved himself as an officer of "determination and undoubted talent - and I do not say that lightly".

The Army chief did not rule out deploying Prince Harry to the region in the future and paid tribute to all British service personnel deployed around the world.

But Reg Keys - whose son Thomas was killed while on active service in Basra in 2003 - said he found the decision distasteful and questioned whether insurgents could have told the prince apart from other service personnel.

Mr Keys added: "It would appear that Harry's life is more valuable than my son or the other nearly 150 service personnel who've given their lives."

'Extreme reluctance'

A Clarence House statement said: "Prince Harry is very disappointed that he will not be able to go to Iraq with his troop on this deployment as he had hoped.

"He fully understands and accepts General Dannatt's difficult decision and remains committed to his Army career.

"Prince Harry's thoughts are with his troop and the rest of the battle group in Iraq."
Asked if Harry would quit the Army as a result, a spokesman replied: "Absolutely not."
The former British Army commander, Colonel Bob Stewart, told BBC News 24 the decision would have been taken very reluctantly.

HAVE YOUR SAY Disappointing for him personally, but the right move by the MoD Bob, Chester

He said: "The Chief of the General Staff has actually made such a decision with extreme reluctance; I know that, he's a personal friend and I know exactly the way he's feeling."
Harry would have been the first British royal to see action since his uncle, Prince Andrew, served as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands conflict in 1982.
A Downing Street spokesman said: "It's an operational decision taken by the military which we of course respect."

But former Conservative Defence Secretary Michael Portillo criticised the MoD for "terrible vacillation" over the issue, and Tory MP Desmond Swayne - a former Territorial Army officer in Iraq - said the decision was a victory for Iraqi insurgents.