Army Chief Contemplates Harry & William's Military Careers
Written by Joanne Leyland
Sunday, 02 March 2008
The Head of the British Army has appeared to
quash Prince
Harry's publicly declared wish to see active service for a second time in
the near future.
Sir Richard Dannatt, who in May 2007 pulled back from an earlier decision to
allow Harry to see active service in Iraq, said of the 23-year-old prince’s
desire to make a prompt return to the front line rather than "sit around
Windsor": "As an enthusiastic young officer I would expect him to want to
do that."
Having only just returned home following a tour of duty in Afghanistan, it would appear Harry isn’t about to see active service in the
immediate future.
Explains Sir Richard: "He's just had a deployment, we
wouldn't expect to send any young officer in the normal course of events who
has just had - albeit 10 weeks and that quite quickly - for another tour. So
actually the immediate prospect of Prince Harry going anywhere else is some way
off in the future."
Referring to forthcoming regimental commitments which
will keep Harry and his colleagues occupied in the months ahead, Sir Richard
continues: "It actually is hypothetical for the next 12 to 18 months
whether he would or wouldn't deploy again."
Sir Richard is also coy about any possibility that the future king, Prince
William, may now be allowed to see active service, saying of such a suggestion:
"A completely separate issue...[that] must be looked at again on a
case-by-case basis."
