Prince Harry's Ordered Home From Afghanistan

Feb. 29, 2008 — -- One day after confirming that Britain's Prince Harry has been secretly fighting with his military unit in Afghanistan since December, the government announced today he was coming home.

Citing security concerns for the safety of Harry, the third in line to the crown, the British Ministry of Defense released a terse statement today blaming foreign media for blowing Harry's cover, saying that doing so "without any consultations with the Ministry of Defense is regrettable."

Most major British media outlets had been in on the secret deployment, after promising not to report on it until the tour of duty was over.

Across the United Kingdom Thursday it was breaking news that Harry has secretly been serving in Afghanistan since Christmas.

He serves as a Joint Terminal Air Controller (J-TAC) deployed on the front lines in Afghanistan's Helmand Province. He has been coordinating major air support against the Taliban and taken part in foot patrols with his fellow soldiers.

All along, the public never knew.

But select press organizations did know. The Defense Ministry made a deal with British media outlets and the international wire services: They would get direct access to Harry as long as they kept his deployment quiet until he went home in April.

"All my wishes have come true," Prince Harry told the BBC. "As far as I am concerned, I am out here as a normal J-TAC and not as Prince Harry."

The Australian magazine New Idea published an article Jan. 15 quoting anonymous sources; the German paper Berliner Kurier reported on his deployment Wednesday.

Top military officials are also blaming the Drudge Report, which ran an item today, for irresponsible journalism.

"I am very disappointed that foreign Web sites have decided to run this story without consulting us," Sir Richard Dannatt, the head of the British Army, said in a statement.

Bob Satchell, director of the Society of Editors, brokered the media blackout with the Ministry of Defense.

He told Channel 4 News, "This was a model of how an organization can work sensibly with the media by taking editors into their confidence and trusting their good sense." He said neither Buckingham Palace nor Clarence House had been involved in the news blackout deal.

Palace observers say Harry will almost certainly be bitterly disappointed at having his tour cut short

When a potential deployment to Iraq fell through last April, Harry said he considered quitting his army career.

It was Queen Elizabeth, his paternal grandmother, who had a central role in finding a way to safely send Harry to war.