Prince Harry back on the Afghan front line

The prince will spend 10 days acclimatising before taking part in operations as a co-pilot gunner in Apaches in the fight against the Taliban. He will be part of 662 Squadron, 3 Army Air Corps.

As the aircraft’s gunner, he will operate its armoury of wing-mounted aerial rockets, Hellfire laser-guided missiles and a 30mm chain gun positioned directly under his seat.

His four-month tour coincides with Operation Herrick 17, which is the British military codename for current operations in Helmand Province.

No blackout

For his safety, the Ministry of Defence said, a news blackout was imposed during his last deployment in 2008. However the MoD has this time decided that acknowledging his presence in Afghanistan would not put the prince or his colleagues at any additional risk.

After he arrived, Prince Harry looked relaxed but tired, giving a thumbs-up after the journey from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.

Wearing his combat uniform, he was joined on the Apache flightline by another unnamed member of the 100-strong unit he is posted to.

A St James’s Palace spokesman said: “He’s approached the deployment with a range of emotions like any other soldier and feels both pride and anticipation as he deploys for a job he’s trained for, for so long.”

The spokesman added that the Queen and the Prince of Wales were both fully briefed about his return to operations. Prince Charles is “immensely proud of his son,” he said.

New image

The prince’s deployment – planned long before his recent naked appearance in the tabloid press – will allow him to present a different image to the world.

Following the publication of images of the prince cavorting naked during a game of “strip billiards” in Las Vegas which were published on the US gossip website, TMZ, reports said that he had been given a dressing-down by a senior officer for his nude frolic.

However, it is conceivable there will be a degree of amusement at his expense among his new colleagues.

His return to frontline duty comes after 18 months of rigorous training, both in the UK and the US, after which he won a prize as the best Apache co-pilot gunner when he qualified in February.

He was a second lieutenant with his regiment, the Household Cavalry, for his first deployment to Afghanistan and worked as a forward air controller co-ordinating air strikes on Taliban positions.