Prince Harry Will Quit Army if He Can't Join the Boys in Iraq

April 24, 2006 — -- Flame-haired Prince Harry doesn't care about inheriting the throne. He wants to go to war.

Now that the prince's grueling stint at Sandhurst Military Academy has ended, he's willing to put his life on the line. The military, however, may not want that added risk, even if his royal relatives have taken up arms to defend Britain in the past.

Harry joined the Blues and Royals regiment of the Household Cavalry, one of the army's oldest and most-prestigious military units. It seemed a perfect fit for a royal prince with plenty of blue blood -- then again, not such a great match if the regiment deploys to Iraq, especially in the kidnap-happy zones there.

War doesn't scare Harry. Harry has reportedly said that he will resign from the army if he is held out of combat zones. In the fall, around the time of his 21st birthday, he told the media that he wanted to fight on the front lines.

"There's no way I'm going to put myself through Sandhurst and then sit on my a-- back home while my boys are out fighting for their country," he said.

Sandhurst is the British equivalent of West Point, and training there lasts 44 weeks. This month, Harry will become a second lieutenant, follow a specialized training, and then be eligible to be shipped off to war.

His hopes, however, may be dashed.

And for once, Harry's party-boy antics aren't the reason he's not getting his wishes. The third in line to the throne -- best-known for wild parties, poor costume choices, and slacking off at school -- cleaned up his act during the last year.

No bad publicity, no swing fetes with the paparazzi, and no wild-hair moments.

The queen must be proud of her grandson's resolve and his full embrace of the rigors of the military. The royal family supposedly told the army's top brass that it could tap Harry to lead a squadron, wherever that might be.

The British Ministry of Defense realizes that Harry wants to serve "his country as an operational soldier," but seems to hem and haw about whether it will send the spare to fight.